Frequently Asked Questions
Gathered is open source group chat software with built-in live audio streaming. Think Discord or Slack, but you can run it on your own server (Gathered Core) or let us manage everything for you (Gathered Pro). It's designed for churches, communities, and organizations who want real privacy and control.
Gathered Core includes: real-time WebSocket chat, live audio streaming, rich media embedding (Twitter, YouTube, link previews), Tenor GIF support (with your own API key), channel management, user management, PWA support, and a guided CLI installer. It's MIT licensed and completely free to self-host.
Gathered Pro includes everything in Core, plus: dedicated managed hosting, custom domain setup, passwordless login (magic links), AI-powered moderation, news and engagement bots, built-in helpdesk, monetization tools (Buy Me Coffee integration), and support for up to 2,500 users. We handle all the technical management so you can focus on your community.
Gathered Core runs on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS with PHP 8.1+, MySQL/MariaDB, Redis, and NGINX. For small communities (up to 100 concurrent users), a VPS with 2GB RAM and 1 CPU core is sufficient. The guided CLI installer will walk you through the complete setup process.
Gathered Pro is $99/month or $999/year (save $189). This is a flat rate for up to 2,500 users—no per-user fees. If you need more than 2,500 users, contact us at jason@gathered.one for custom pricing. You can cancel anytime.
Absolutely! Many community leaders start with Core to test things out, then upgrade to Pro when they want the additional features or prefer not to manage servers. We'll help migrate your community data seamlessly.
Gathered integrates with Icecast-compatible audio streams. In the admin panel, you simply add your stream URL to any channel, and members can listen directly in the chat interface. This works great for live sermons, podcasts, music streams, or any audio content you want to broadcast.