Roots vs Notebird
Both tools exist so no one falls through the cracks. Notebird is pastoral care software for a whole church. Roots is built for youth ministry teams: students, the leaders who know them, and everything that happens between Wednesdays.
What it costs
Seed: free forever for 1 workspace and up to 15 students.
Grove: $19/mo flat for unlimited students and up to 20 team members.
Forest: $49/mo for up to 5 workspaces and unlimited team members.
A 10-person volunteer team: $19/mo on Grove.
Per user, per month: $12 for the first user, then $8 each for users 2–9, $6 each for users 10–19, and $4 each after that.
A 10-person volunteer team: about $82/mo at those rates.
14-day free trial.
Notebird pricing as published on their site, checked October 2026. Prices change, so check there for current rates.
Side by side
| Roots | Notebird | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Youth ministry teams | Pastoral care across a church |
| How it's priced | Flat per plan, not per person | Per user, per month |
| How you start | Free plan, no card needed | 14-day free trial |
| Who signs in | Your leaders and volunteers. Students never get accounts. | Leaders and their care teams |
| Devices | iPhone, Android, and web | Web, desktop, iPhone, iPad, and Android |
What Roots gives a youth team
- Every conversation, saved. Each leader logs what they talked about, and it stays on the student's profile.
- The Garden. A Connection score moves each student from Seed to Deeply Rooted as your team invests, and a warmth signal shows who's drifting.
- Check-ins and spiritual decisions on every student, with spreadsheet import from your attendance tool.
- Team chat, events, and a prayer board for your leaders on Grove.
Which one fits your ministry
- You lead a youth ministry and want every student's story in one place.
- Your volunteers need to see who hasn't been reached lately.
- You want one flat price no matter how many leaders join, up to 20 on Grove.
- You care for a whole congregation, not just students.
- Your care team follows up with adults and families across the congregation.
- You're happy paying per person on the team.
Try Roots with your team
Start free on Seed, no card needed. Move to Grove when your volunteers join.
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