Compare / Realm
Kinship vs Realm
Realm (ACS Technologies) has served churches for 35+ years, with particular strength in traditional, mainline, and Catholic congregations. But tiered pricing and setup fees mean many churches pay far more than they need to. Here is how Kinship compares — feature by feature, dollar by dollar.
Visit Realm's website to compare for yourself.
Kinship
$0–100/mo
Fair-share tiers. Free up to 50 active members.
Every feature on every tier. Zero setup fee.
Realm
$49–209+/mo
+ $79–300 setup fees. Add-ons extra.
Your savings
Up to 75%
Lower cost from day one, every month.
Setup Cost
Realm
Setup and implementation fees required to get started
Kinship
$0 setup fee — sign up and start using it immediately
Feature Access
Realm
Module-based plans — pay extra for add-ons and advanced features
Kinship
Every feature on every tier — no modules, no add-ons
Technology
Realm
Legacy codebase built decades ago — shows its age
Kinship
Modern stack built in 2025 — fast, responsive, and intuitive
The full breakdown
An honest look at what each platform offers. Where Realm requires a higher tier or add-on, we note the actual cost.
People
| Feature | Kinship | Realm |
|---|---|---|
| Member database | ||
| Families | ||
| Custom fields | ||
| Member portal | ||
| Background checks | ||
| Forms | ||
| Notes | ||
| Multi-campus | Multiply tier ($209/mo) |
Communication
| Feature | Kinship | Realm |
|---|---|---|
| SMS | ||
| HTML editor | Basic | |
| Templates | ||
| Scheduled sends | ||
| Per-recipient tracking | Partial | |
| Audience segments | Advanced rule-based | |
| Automation | Pathways | |
| A/B testing | ||
| SMS threading | ||
| Push notifications | Planned |
Giving
| Feature | Kinship | Realm |
|---|---|---|
| Online giving | ||
| Recurring gifts | ||
| Funds | ||
| Giving statements | ||
| Text-to-give | Planned | |
| ACH / bank transfer | ||
| Full accounting | Researching | Add-on ($42/mo) |
| Payroll | Researching | Add-on |
Events
| Feature | Kinship | Realm |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar | ||
| Registration | ||
| Recurring events | ||
| Room booking | ||
| Check-in | ||
| Child check-in | ||
| Reminders |
Groups
| Feature | Kinship | Realm |
|---|---|---|
| Groups | ||
| Group communication | ||
| Public group finder | ||
| Attendance tracking |
Volunteer
| Feature | Kinship | Realm |
|---|---|---|
| Teams | ||
| Scheduling | ||
| Accept / decline | ||
| Reminders |
Admin
| Feature | Kinship | Realm |
|---|---|---|
| Granular RBAC (30+ permissions) | Basic roles | |
| Custom permission groups | ||
| Audit logging | ||
| Scoped API keys with usage analytics | ||
| API | ||
| Webhooks | ||
| Feature flags | ||
| GDPR data export & deletion | ||
| Onboarding wizard |
Safeguarding & Care
| Feature | Kinship | Realm |
|---|---|---|
| Safeguarding system (risk flags, suspensions) | ||
| Accountability partners | ||
| Safeguarding audit trail | ||
| Pastoral care case management | Basic | |
| Background check integration |
Community & Messaging
| Feature | Kinship | Realm |
|---|---|---|
| Community feed with reactions | ||
| Real-time member messaging | ||
| Member directory | ||
| Member achievements / badges |
Based on publicly available information as of March 2026. We encourage you to verify directly with Realm.
Ready to make the switch?
Start free with up to 50 active members. No credit card. No sales call. No contract. No setup fee.