Courtyard

Courtyard is a private online directory for churches, schools, homeschool groups, and other member communities. It organizes entries by family and offers a dashboard with recent changes, upcoming birthdays, and an interactive map of member locations. Members can edit their own directory entries, while administrators control access and can assign other administrators editing and settings permissions. Communities can create PDF photo, directory, and monthly birthday printouts, choosing custom fields for printing and export. Courtyard accepts Excel, CSV, Word, and text files, as well as CSV exports from membership databases. It imports existing directories for subscribers at no charge; the usual target is 24 hours, though processing can take up to a week in some circumstances. Plans include iPhone and Android apps, and the iPhone app supports offline directory access. Plans are priced by family count: the 1–29 families plan costs $9 a month, and the 1000+ families plan costs $199 a month. A 30-day trial is available, but there is no free plan. Every plan includes email and phone support.

Courtyard combines a private member directory with administrative access controls, imports, and print options. Its plans are priced by family count, with a 30-day trial and no free plan.

Courtyard may suit churches, schools, homeschool groups, and other member communities that want a family-organized directory with member editing and printable outputs. The plan choices are based on family count.

Courtyard is a private, family-organized directory for churches, schools, homeschool groups, and other member communities. It fits organizations that want members to maintain their own records while administrators retain control. The main trade-off is a family-count subscription without search or filtering tools.

Overview

Courtyard structures directory entries by family, matching the way many congregations and community groups still print their directories. Members can edit their own information, reducing repetitive updates for the people who administer the directory. Administrators decide who can access the online directory and can add additional administrators with editing and settings permissions. That division of responsibility is well suited to volunteer-run organizations that need shared upkeep without surrendering oversight.

The dashboard surfaces recent directory changes, upcoming birthdays, and an interactive map of member locations. Those views make routine announcements and geographic awareness more immediate. However, Courtyard has no search and filter capability, so browsing a large directory by name or other criteria may be slower than in a system built around discovery.

Key features

Member records and output

Members update their own entries, while administrators control online access. Courtyard can generate PDF photo, directory, and monthly birthday printouts, and selected custom fields can be included in print and export. This gives a church or school a practical path from a live directory to paper handouts without forcing every printed edition to use the same fields.

Imports, permissions, and mobile use

Courtyard’s maker imports an existing directory at no charge for subscribers. Excel, CSV, Word, and text files are accepted, as are CSV exports from membership databases. The usual import target is 24 hours, although some processing can take up to a week, so a launch tied to a specific event needs planning. The iPhone and Android apps are included with every listed plan; the iPhone manual describes offline directory access, and addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses can open in the corresponding phone apps. Email and phone support are included on every plan.

Privacy controls are comparatively clear: customers retain rights to their data, session cookies are used rather than permanent cookies, and collected information is not sold or shared for commercial purposes except for service delivery, user permission, legal requirements, or safety investigations. Cookies are required to use the service.

Pricing

Courtyard has no free plan, but every tier includes a 30-day trial, one free data import, unlimited member access, unlimited custom fields, unlimited sections, and iPhone and Android apps. Billing is monthly at the following family-count bands:

The $9 tier is the sensible entry point for a small congregation or group with up to 29 families. Larger communities pay more solely as family counts rise; the listed inclusions remain consistent. A pricing-page promise of unlimited sections conflicts with a tour describing section counts as plan-based, so organizations that depend on many sections should clarify that before subscribing. Statistics are included only with larger plans. There is no published annual discount or free tier, and the subscription renews according to its paid monthly billing terms.

Platforms

Courtyard runs on the web and offers Android and iOS apps. The iPhone app’s offline access is useful where connectivity is inconsistent, while its links to Maps, the phone app, and Mail turn directory details into direct actions.

Who it's for

Choose Courtyard for a church, school, homeschool group, or similarly private community that thinks in families, needs controlled member access, and still distributes printed directories or birthday lists. It is less suitable for a public-facing directory, a project requiring public submissions or paid listings, or a large collection that depends on robust search and filters.

Pros and cons

• Pros: family-based organization; member self-editing; administrator roles and access control; free subscriber data import; PDF photo, directory, and birthday output; custom-field export; mobile apps; offline iPhone access; support on every plan.
• Cons: no free plan; pricing rises by family count; no search or filters; import processing can take up to a week; statistics are limited to larger plans; section limits are described inconsistently.

Alternatives

For a broader directory-software comparison, see Directory Software; for church-specific options, see Church Directory Software.

Pick Store Locator Plus instead when a free self-hosted WordPress base plugin, location-focused work, or add-on expansion matters more than a private family directory. Directorist is the better choice for a freemium, multi-site directory platform. Choose Classified Listing for a freemium WordPress directory centered on plugins, themes, and site licensing. DirectorySpot is an alternative paid directory for HOAs and churches with annual household tiers. The Church Connectory suits churches wanting a $9-per-month plan for up to 300 members with unlimited users. eDirectory fits organizations seeking a hosted professional cloud license with unlimited listings and members. Sift is an alternative for organizations looking for an org-chart product. Connections Business Directory is worth considering when a free, self-hosted WordPress plugin is the priority.

Verdict

Courtyard is a strong match for private, family-centered communities that want member-maintained records, controlled access, dependable printouts, and mobile availability. Choose it for that focused workflow and its included import service. Look elsewhere if free access, public listings, advanced search, or consistently documented section and statistics limits are essential.