# Realm Shepherd - for Pastors — user reviews > 23 indexed App Store user reviews of Realm Shepherd by ACS Technologies Group, Inc., rated 4.48/5 from 924 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/realm-shepherd-for-pastors/id1342781809/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/realm-shepherd-for-pastors/id1342781809.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 661 · 4★ 95 · 3★ 41 · 2★ 29 · 1★ 47 ## What do users think of Realm Shepherd? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 🚀 Life saver - 👍 Great ministry tool - 👍 Fantastic for easy access to vital information **Cons** - 🐛 Confusing, limited, nearly unusable - 🐛 Drops your login - 🐛 Requires constant signing in - 🐛 Terrible, makes me re-sign in with a password every couple of weeks - 🐛 Glitchy, crashes over and over - 🐛 Buggy, worked fine first 3 months but updates have it crashing over and over **Commonly reported bugs** - Maps and directions are terribly off course, directed to wrong location or house - No pathways available on cell or iPad - App shuts down when opening only active people in directory **Most requested features** - Ability to address groups via the app rather than needing to use the desktop - Adding deacon listing for members - SSO/MFA for administrators - Pathways available on cell or iPad ## Newest reviews (3 of 23) ### 2/5 — Field cleared prematurely *2023-11-28, version 2023.23.0* If I’m searching for someone by first name, and the name is “Linda,” and I’m presented with 20 Lindas, but there’s no picture next to 15 of them, and I click on one to find out if it’s the Linda I’m looking for, and it’s not the Linda I’m looking for, and I press the < Back option, I’m sent back to the home page. So I have to type in Linda again and go through that process until I find the Linda I’m looking for. It would be better if I’m looking for Lindas to keep the list of Lindas live until I’m ready to go back to the Home Screen. ### 1/5 — Highly disappointed *2020-03-09, version 1.201902.0* No pathways available on cell or ipad. No response to problems from ACS. Poorly designed and no tech support. ### 2/5 — Still missing major functionality *2018-11-08, version 1.201823.0* This app is easier to find people and their info than the connect app (and you can finally see their age, groups, etc). But it is still missing critical functions such as access to pathways. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Amongst the worst ChMS in the world *2025-11-16, version 2025.13.0* Confusing, limited, nearly unusable ### 1/5 — Drops your login *2025-08-19, version 2025.13.0* Right when you are in a hurry and need info - you have to resubmit credentials. ### 1/5 — Over priced and under delivers *2024-11-15, version 2024.22.0* We switched to Realm and it’s much better than the old ACS system … but it’s still the clunky not up to standard apps. And, it costs way too much. Breeze is far better and Planning Center if you have the cash. (Greg St. Michael’s) ### 1/5 — Terrible *2024-03-26, version 2024.4.0* Makes me re-sign in with a password every couple of weeks. HATE IT. no other app does that. ### 1/5 — Review *2024-03-10, version 2024.4.0* Hello, Your app should have SSO/MFA for administrators ### 1/5 — Realm is 🤢🤮 *2023-10-17, version 2023.20.0* Two words that will help you more than any other review…….. “planning center” ### 1/5 — Active member *2023-10-01, version 20203.19.0* When I open only active people in directory the app shuts down. ### 1/5 — Review *2023-02-11, version 2022.26.0* Hello, Your app should have SSO for administrators ### 1/5 — Glitchy *2022-06-03, version 2022.9.1* I want to love this app, but alas it never works when I need it. Just crashes ### 1/5 — Buggy *2020-07-03, version 2020.13.0* Worked fine my first three months, but updates have it crashing over and over and over... Can I un-upgrade? ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — A life saver! *2026-03-11, version 2026.1.0* As a pastor, I use this app all the time to keep track of my people. Addresses, directions, phone numbers, and family members easily found. ### 5/5 — Great Ministry Tool *2023-03-14, version 2023.4.0* This app is fantastic for easy access to vital information about our members while we are away from access to our computers in the office. I am able to send emails or texts and can quickly get directions when making in person visits. ### 4/5 — A great start! *2024-10-31* I’m really grateful for the volume of info at my fingertips. I would like to also be able to address Groups via the app, rather than needing to use the desktop. ### 4/5 — Needed: Adding Deacon listing for Members *2024-02-06, version 2024.1* It would be very helpful if the app had a field for deacons assigned to church members under their info tab. ### 4/5 — Needed: Adding Deacon listing for Members *2022-12-20, version 2022.25.0* It would be very helpful if the app could pull and list different members Deacon under their info tab. ### 4/5 — Great tool for congregational care *2018-11-21, version 1.201823.0* Agree more functionality needed for Pathways in the Shepherd app, but it’s a fantastic tool for pastors to have at their fingertips to care for their congregation. Access notes on profiles and see group and pathway involvement, easily send texts or call congregants. Excellent and simple to use. ### 3/5 — Requires constant signing in *2024-06-09, version 2024.11.0* The app is great except for one major design flaw. Seemingly every other time I use the app I am required to sign in again using the browser. The whole point of an app is ease of use. Even my banking apps don’t require me to re-sign in every time. Fix that flaw and I might consider using it again. ### 3/5 — Maps are off *2022-12-16, version 2022.24.0* The maps and directions are terribly off course. This needs to be addressed for directions to be usable in this app. I have been directed to the wrong location or wrong house on several occasions. ### 3/5 — Better for staff *2018-09-18, version 1.201818.1* This app is definitely an improvement for staff members who need more info at their fingertips. That said, it is still mostly a rolodex - not much improvement on tasks or workflows. Would be at least 4 stars if it included functionality for updating and completing Pathway assignments. Hopefully that’s in the works! ### 2/5 — Keeps logging you out *2026-06-27, version 2026.6.0* Keeps logging you out requiring a full sign in from scratch. I seldom use it for this reason. I get logged out several times a week. No one has solved this. It haired on both Android and when I switched to iOS. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-21.*