Rakefet Online vs ShulCloud (2026)
Two synagogue management options compared on verified pricing, Jewish-specific workflows, billing depth, communications, migration and independent evidence.
Quick answer
- Price: Rakefet Online: RakefetOnline-CRM Annual - NEW USERS (year 1) $149/mo; RakefetOnline-CRM Annual - EXISTING USERS $90/mo. ShulCloud: Standard ('ShulCloud without Financials') $161.99/mo; Premium ('ShulCloud with Financials') $313.99/mo; Enterprise ('The Complete ShulCloud') $464.99/mo; Small-shul Premium rate (signup checkbox) $97.99/mo. For a 150-household congregation that is roughly $1,080 vs $3,579.49 per year before processing and setup fees.
- Jewish-specific workflows: ShulCloud leads (14.0 vs 16.0 of 20 points).
- Membership, dues and money: Rakefet Online leads (16.5 vs 12.0 of 20 points).
- Communications and engagement: ShulCloud leads (9.5 vs 12.5 of 15 points).
- School and events: Rakefet Online leads (10.0 vs 7.5 of 10 points).
- Independent customer evidence: ShulCloud leads (5 vs 8 of 10 points).
- Overall: Rakefet Online 78.0/100 · ShulCloud 78.5/100
Pricing side by side
Rakefet Online
- RakefetOnline-CRM Annual - NEW USERS (year 1): $149/mo · not stated ('Unlimited seats for members, donors, admins and office') · Basic data migration (import/classify members, family relationships, donors, events, yahrzeits, journal entries, chart of accounts and opening balances); billed annually; 'On Year 2 Upgraded to an Existing User'
- RakefetOnline-CRM Annual - EXISTING USERS: $90/mo · not stated · Current RakefetOnline user plan; billed annually; 'Existing User Deal Options Available'
Setup: Homepage says sign-up involves a 'one-time setup fee & subscription' but no amount is published; the pricing page lists none. Basic data migration is included in the new-user plan.. Processing: Credit card and ACH processing with recurring payments via Member Portal; integrations named: Stripe, PayPal, PayQuiq, Venmo (two versions of the page list different ones). Processor fees not stated.. Source: vendor page, 2026-10-12 (vendor-page).
ShulCloud
- Standard ('ShulCloud without Financials'): $161.99/mo · Not stated · Member demographics & lifecycles, responsive customizable website, Jewish calendar with Zmanim, administrator mobile app '& more'. Compare page also marks included: yahrzeit management, cemetery management, event management, resource booking, email system, directory, CRM, data export, donations (PayPal/cards).
- Premium ('ShulCloud with Financials'): $313.99/mo · Not stated; signup form offers a $97.99/mo Premium rate for shuls with fewer than 100 accounts (email support only; moves to full price above 100 accounts) · Everything in Standard plus billing, payments and statements, Purim Basket and other campaigns '& more'.
- Enterprise ('The Complete ShulCloud'): $464.99/mo · Not stated · Everything in Premium plus fundraising and school management '& more'.
- Small-shul Premium rate (signup checkbox): $97.99/mo · fewer than 100 accounts · Premium features; email support only; moves to full Premium price above 100 accounts.
Setup: Not priced on the live site. Terms of Use (shulware.com/website-terms) §4.2 confirms onboarding fees exist and may be paid in installments if ShulCloud agrees. An archived shulcloud.com/faqs (nli.org.il web archive, date not shown; live /faqs now 404) said onboarding solutions ranged from a one-time $150 to $3,600+. Temple Tools' marketing page claims '$5000+' for ShulCloud onboarding — vendor claim, unverified.. Processing: Not stated on the plans page. Features page: online member payments by credit card or ACH eCheck; donations via PayPal or credit cards. Terms §4.2 reference third-party processing fees without amounts.. Source: vendor page, 2026-10-12 (vendor-page).
Feature by feature
| Capability | Rakefet Online | ShulCloud |
|---|---|---|
| Membership & household records | Yes Members, children, family relationships, committees, notes, attachments, profile pictures, new member/renewal forms. | Yes Membership database, CRM, directory; members manage family members via login. |
| Yahrzeit tracking & reminders | Yes Yahrzeits, mourners, memorial plaques, yizkor book reports, printed/emailed notices mixing Jewish and Gregorian dates. | Yes Yahrzeit management with reminders to members, gabbaim, rabbi; included in all tiers per /compare. |
| Hebrew calendar integration | Yes Automatic Hebrew date conversion, weekly Torah portions and Haftarot, Google Calendar integration. | Yes Rule-based zmanim 'Smart Schedule System', calendar widget with holidays, parashot, Hebrew/English dates; zmanim by lat/long. |
| Dues, billing & receivables | Yes Member/donor billing, global billing, recurring payments, member ledgers, receivables reports, printed or emailed statements. | Partial Invoicing, batch billing, statements, collections — but marketed as 'Financials' and absent from the Standard tier. |
| Online payments | Yes Credit card and ACH, recurring payments via Member Portal; Stripe/PayPal/PayQuiq/Venmo named. | Partial Credit card and ACH eCheck member payments; online member payments not in Standard. Donations by PayPal/cards in all tiers. |
| Donations, pledges & campaigns | Partial Donation payment forms and donor giving tracking; 'School and Fundraising' listed on rakefetonline.com. Pledges not explicitly mentioned. | Yes Online donations, pledges via gabbai module, Shalach Manot campaign module, fundraising module (Enterprise), site sponsor feature. |
| General ledger / fund accounting | Yes Full AR/AP, general ledger with restricted funds, check writing, journal entries, bank reconciliation, budgeting, P&L/balance sheet/trial balance/audit reports. | No No general ledger; QuickBooks/Sage sync offered as a paid extra. |
| QuickBooks integration | Not verified Not mentioned on current vendor pages; UJA 2018 guide noted some customers pair Rakefet with QuickBooks or Sage. | Partial QuickBooks/Sage sync is a paid extra: $500 setup unless bundled with an onboarding purchase. |
| Religious school management | Yes 'School Management' listed; religious school classes tracked in the database. | Partial School module/enrollment management; school management listed under Enterprise. |
| Events & registration | Yes Form builder for events and registrations; special event tracking. | Yes Event registration with payment, attendance tracking, resource booking (rooms, Torah scrolls, clergy). |
| High Holiday seating | Partial rakefetonline.com lists 'seating' among tracked data and 'High Holy Day planning' is cited; no dedicated seating-chart module described. | Partial High Holiday seating online and seat management & billing; not shown for Standard on /compare. |
| Honors, aliyot & gabbai tools | Partial 'Aliyot' tracked in the database per rakefetonline.com; no gabbai workflow described. | Partial Gabbai management (kibbudim, pledges) and kibbudim reporting; not shown for Standard. |
| Cemetery management | Not verified Not mentioned on vendor pages checked. | Yes Manage one or multiple cemeteries; included in all tiers per /compare. |
| Website / CMS | No No website builder; donation/payment forms embed in an existing website and API access is offered for external sites. | Yes Template-based 'fully customizable' site with CMS, hosting, HTTPS, SEO, Google Analytics. Basic template in basic packages; advanced design templates in Standard and Premium packages. No page found stating custom-built sites were discontinued (see open_questions). |
| Email & newsletters | Yes Email templates, quick messages, scheduled emails, contact lists. | Yes Newsletters, advanced email system, email statistics, schedule emails; all tiers. |
| SMS / texting | Yes SMS templates and quick messages via Twilio integration. | Partial Paid add-on at every tier: $35/month for 2,000 messages or $420/year for 24,000. |
| Member self-service portal | Yes Members/donors view commitments, set up recurring payments, download receipts. | Yes Members pay bills, update info, manage family, yahrzeits, billing. |
| Mobile app | No Described as 'mobile friendly'; no dedicated app mentioned. | Partial Administrator app (iOS/Android) included; 'New Mobile Member App' is a paid extra. |
| API / data export | Yes Import/export and API access for external processes or websites. | Partial 'Export Your Data' at any time; no API listed. |
| Automation & workflows | Partial Scheduled emails and recurring billing; no general workflow engine described. | Partial Rule-based schedule generation, scheduled emails, reminder statements, batch billing; no general workflow builder described. |
Evidence links for every cell are on the individual review pages: Rakefet Online, ShulCloud.
Rubric scores
| Group | Rakefet Online | ShulCloud | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jewish-specific workflows | 14.0 | 16.0 | 20 |
| Membership, dues and money | 16.5 | 12.0 | 20 |
| Communications and engagement | 9.5 | 12.5 | 15 |
| School and events | 10.0 | 7.5 | 10 |
| Data portability and migration | 8.0 | 7.5 | 10 |
| Pricing transparency | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Independent customer evidence | 5 | 8 | 10 |
| Total | 78.0 | 78.5 | 100 |
Rakefet Online: strengths / limitations
- Built-in full double-entry accounting (AR/AP/GL, restricted funds, bank rec) rather than relying on QuickBooks
- Integrated Jewish calendar with Torah portions and Google Calendar sync
- API plus import/export; unlimited users
- Published pricing; basic data migration included for new customers
- Live US-based phone support with published hours
- Year-1 price ($149/mo) is substantially above the renewal price ($90/mo); both billed annually
- No website CMS; no dedicated mobile app
- Cemetery, QuickBooks integration and dedicated seating module not evidenced on current pages
- No independent review-site presence found
- Company location and ownership details not published
ShulCloud: strengths / limitations
- Broadest published feature list of the five: yahrzeits, zmanim-driven scheduling, HH seating, gabbai/kibbudim, cemetery, school, campaigns, website/CMS all on one platform.
- Transparent monthly and annual list prices on the vendor site.
- Largest installed base claimed (1,600+ shuls), so peers and consultants familiar with it are easier to find.
- Data export available at any time per the features page.
- Standard tier excludes billing, payments and statements — the financial core most synagogues buy the software for.
- Several items are paid extras on top of the tier price: SMS, member mobile app, QuickBooks/Sage sync, data imports.
- Onboarding fees exist but are not priced publicly.
- Annual plans are non-cancelable and non-refundable per the plans page.
- Third-party reviews are few, dated (2019-2022) and skew negative on support; the 2020 Yom Kippur outage is documented.
Full reviews: Rakefet Online · ShulCloud · all comparisons