Clearstream

Clearstream is a church texting and email service for communicating with members and following up with visitors. Churches can send or schedule text announcements with links, pictures or videos, while text-to-join keywords can add people to lists, send automatic replies and begin scheduled follow-up messages. A shared inbox brings replies and one-to-one conversations together. Its email builder supports newsletters, event calendars and volunteer reminders. Church-focused features include ministry or campus subaccounts, branded microsites, QR codes and branded link tracking. Integrations include Planning Center, Rock RMS, CCB/Pushpay, Breeze, Slack, Mailchimp, Zapier, Simple, X and Facebook; a REST API and webhooks support custom integrations. Native iOS and Android apps handle messaging, inbox management, notifications and scheduling. Plans start at $35/mo, and a 30-day trial is offered; there is no free plan. Monthly credits do not roll over. Incoming texts are free, but longer messages and those containing emojis or pictures may use additional credits. Every plan includes live chat, email, phone and Zoom support.

Clearstream combines church texting, email and follow-up workflows with mobile apps and church software integrations. Before choosing a plan, account for monthly credit limits and the possibility that some messages consume extra credits.

Clearstream is aimed at local churches that need to communicate with members and follow up with visitors. It may suit organizations using both text and email, including those needing ministry or campus subaccounts.

Clearstream is a church communications service that brings texting, email and follow-up workflows together. It is best suited to churches coordinating messages across ministries or campuses, provided their texting needs fit a monthly credit allowance.

Its mix of scheduled announcements, two-way conversations and church software integrations is useful; the key trade-off is that credits expire monthly and some texts consume more than one.

Overview

Clearstream is built for local churches communicating with members and following up with visitors. It combines mass texting, email and automated follow-up rather than focusing only on broadcast messages. Subaccounts can separate ministries or campuses, while the inbox gives teams one place for replies and one-to-one conversations.

Text-to-join keywords can add people to a list, send an automatic response and trigger scheduled follow-up texts. This connects sign-ups to a repeatable communication flow, though churches should make sure their planned message volume fits the credits they buy. The company says more than 11,000 churches and nonprofits use the service.

Key features

Texting and follow-up

Teams can send or schedule announcements with links, pictures and videos, as well as recurring and segmented messages. The shared inbox supports replies and individual conversations, making Clearstream more suitable for ongoing dialogue than a one-way announcement tool. Incoming texts are free, but monthly credits do not roll over. Messages longer than 160 characters, or containing emojis or pictures, may use extra credits; that can make the headline allowance an unreliable estimate of how many announcements a church can send.

Email, church tools and integrations

The email builder covers newsletters, event calendars and volunteer reminders. Branded microsites, QR codes and branded link tracking add church-oriented options around sign-up and outreach. Integrations include Planning Center, Rock RMS, CCB/Pushpay, Breeze, Slack, Mailchimp, Zapier, Simple, X and Facebook. A REST API and webhooks provide a route to custom integrations, which is useful for churches with workflows beyond those connections.

Mobile apps and support

Native iOS and Android apps support messaging, inbox management, notifications and scheduling, alongside web access and an API. Every plan includes live chat, email, phone and Zoom support, a meaningful benefit for churches that need help across different communication tasks. Clearstream says it specializes in SMS deliverability and carrier compliance and is a vetted Premier Partner with the Short Code Registry. Its terms also say it does not guarantee the security of its services, so organizations with strict security requirements should weigh that caveat.

Pricing

Clearstream has no ongoing free plan. The US Free 30-Day Trial costs nothing and includes 100 credits, 1,000 emails and one local phone number. Paid plans start at $35 a month, billed monthly, and the service offers a 30-day trial.

• US $35 plan — $35 a month: 1,000 credits, 10,000 emails and one local phone number. It fits a small church testing regular texting and email, but has no subaccounts and a modest credit allowance.
• US $59 plan — $59 a month: 2,500 credits, 30,000 emails, three local phone numbers and two subaccounts. This is a better fit for a church separating a couple of ministries, though it still has a finite email and credit quota.
• US $119 plan — $119 a month: 6,000 credits, unlimited email, five local phone numbers, four subaccounts, voice and a custom domain. It is the first listed tier with unlimited email and voice, making it more suitable for multi-ministry use.
• US $229 plan — $229 a month: 12,000 credits, unlimited email, nine local phone numbers, eight subaccounts, voice and a custom domain. It expands capacity for larger teams without changing the listed feature set.
• US $339 plan — $339 a month: 20,000 credits, unlimited email, 11 local phone numbers, 10 subaccounts, voice and a custom domain.
• US $559 plan — $559 a month: 35,000 credits, unlimited email, 16 local phone numbers, 15 subaccounts, voice and a custom domain.
• US $1,059 plan — $1,059 a month: 70,000 credits, unlimited email, 21 local phone numbers, 20 subaccounts, voice and a custom domain.
• US $1,999 plan — $1,999 a month: 140,000 credits, unlimited email, 21 local phone numbers, 20 subaccounts, voice and a custom domain. It raises the credit allowance over the prior tier without adding listed numbers or subaccounts.
• US $3,299 plan — $3,299 a month: 250,000 credits, unlimited email, 31 local phone numbers, 30 subaccounts, voice and a custom domain.

The lower paid tiers cap both credits and email, while the higher tiers remove the email cap and increase phone numbers and subaccounts. No seat allowance is stated for these plans. Since message credits can be consumed faster by long or media-rich texts and unused credits expire, churches should choose based on actual sending patterns rather than the nominal message count alone.

Platforms

Clearstream supports Android, iOS, web and API access. The mobile apps include messaging, inbox management, notifications and scheduling, so staff can handle core communications away from a desktop.

Who it's for

Clearstream is a strong fit for churches that need texting and email in one service, want automated visitor follow-up, or coordinate communication across ministries and campuses. Its integrations and custom API options also suit teams that want church software and messaging workflows connected. A church with occasional texting, a need for a permanent free tier, or unpredictable high-volume messaging may find the monthly credit model a poor match.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Combines texting, email and follow-up: announcements, a reply inbox, email campaigns and keyword-triggered workflows cover several communication needs in one service.
• Church-oriented organization: subaccounts, branded microsites and QR codes support communication across ministries and campuses.
• Useful integration options: named church platforms, general services, an API and webhooks offer both ready-made and custom connections.
• Support across every plan: live chat, email, phone and Zoom are included at all listed tiers.

Cons

• No continuing free plan: the free option is a 30-day trial with only 100 credits and 1,000 emails.
• Credits expire monthly: churches cannot carry unused texting capacity into a later month.
• Some texts use extra credits: long messages and those with emojis or pictures can reduce the effective volume below the headline allowance.
• Security is not guaranteed: the terms' caveat may matter to organizations with strict security requirements.

Alternatives

Gloo Communications is worth considering for churches wanting an ongoing free tier: Gloo Free includes 500 SMS credits and 500 email credits per month, plus three groups and one workflow. Its paid Gloo+ plan is $49 a month.

Shepherding Connections offers a free forever option for up to five user accounts, but its free connections plan has no SMS messaging. It is a better fit when a church prioritizes a free starting point over texting.

Connect With My Church costs $99 a month for up to 750 texts per month, with unlimited emails and push notifications. Consider it when those stated text limits and additional channels suit the church's needs.

DialMyCalls is an alternative for churches considering its free account, which provides an automatic call to up to 25 church members with a 30-second message once per week.

Text In Church is another paid church messaging option; consider it alongside Clearstream if you are comparing church-focused services.

Textline is a paid alternative with 600 minimum included message credits per month and three agents included on its Essentials plan. It may suit teams evaluating an agent-based messaging setup.

ChurchHarmony costs $80 a month and includes unlimited members, 24 modules and 15,000 mass emails per month; texts cost 2¢. It is worth comparing for churches that want a broader platform and can budget texting separately.

Falkon SMS starts at $14.99 per user per month, with no fees, hardware changes or setup charges. Consider it if that per-user starting model fits better.

For more options, see Church Text Messaging Software.

Verdict

Clearstream is a good choice for churches that want texting, email, automated follow-up and ministry-specific organization in one service, especially when integrations or mobile access matter. Its main drawback is the expiring credit system, with extra consumption for some messages; churches with variable or heavy texting needs should compare their likely usage against each monthly tier before committing.