Church Management
Rock RMS
Free, open-source church management system with check-in, workflows, groups, giving tools and websites. Self-host it or pay a cloud hosting partner.
- Price
- Free; $4.45/attendee/yr donation asked; hosting extra (Oct 2026)
- Free option
- Yes
- Church discount
- Grants available for churches that can't afford the suggested donation (apply on rockrms.com)
- Works on
- Web
- Learning curve
- Advanced
The short answer: is Rock RMS right for your church?
Rock RMS is free, open-source church management software covering people, check-in, groups, communication, finance tools, websites and workflows. It's best for larger churches with staff who can configure it. The catch: there's no license fee, but you'll pay for hosting and setup time, and Rock asks for a donation of $4.45 per weekend attendee each year.
Who Rock RMS is for
Great for
- Larger churches with an IT or data person on staff
- Churches that want workflows, website and app on the same data
- Multisite churches that have outgrown off-the-shelf tools
Skip it if
- Small churches without technical help. A hosted church management system with simple pricing fits better.
- Teams that need to be running next month. A plug-and-play system is quicker to set up.
How churches use Rock RMS
Guest follow-up workflows
When a guest fills out a connect card, a workflow can assign a follow-up and send an email, so nobody retypes cards on Monday.
Sunday check-in
Use Rock's built-in check-in for kids' ministry and see attendance next to the rest of your people data.
Website on your data
Build your church website on Rock's content management so event and group details come straight from the database.
Getting started with Rock RMS
- 1
Watch the demo and read the self-hosting guides before choosing how to host.
- 2
Price a cloud hosting partner if nobody on staff manages servers.
- 3
Start with the essentials: check-in, people, groups and event registration.
Pros and watch-outs
What we like
- No license fees or contracts
- Check-in, workflows, groups and websites in one system
- Church texting tools like Clearstream and Text In Church integrate with it
- Grants for churches that can't cover the suggested donation
Watch out for
- Self-hosting needs your own server and technical skills
- Cloud hosting fees vary by partner
- Big system; setup takes planning and staff time
Rock RMS FAQ
Is Rock RMS really free?
The software has no license fees. Rock asks churches to donate about $4.45 per average weekend attendee each year on the honor system, and hosting costs extra.
Do we have to host Rock ourselves?
No. Cloud hosting partners handle installation, updates and maintenance for a monthly fee that includes the donation. You can also self-host on your own server or a public cloud like Azure or AWS.
Is Rock RMS a good fit for a small church?
Rock offers grants so cost isn't the barrier, but it suits teams with someone technical. Small churches without that help usually do better with a simpler hosted system.
