Question 1

What is a US-based alternative to Chronicle cemetery software?

Accepted Answer

CEMETERRA is a cloud-based cemetery management platform based in the US, offering interactive plot mapping, burial records, public grave search, QR memorial pages, and grounds crew workflows. Unlike Chronicle (an Australian company), CEMETERRA provides US-timezone support and self-serve onboarding without the data migration challenges reported by Chronicle users.

Question 2

How does CEMETERRA compare to Chronicle cemetery software?

Accepted Answer

Chronicle and CEMETERRA share similar core features: burial records, plot management, work orders, public grave search, and a free tier. CEMETERRA adds QR memorial pages with no-install family access, walk-to-grave GPS navigation, built-in e-signatures, Stripe online payments, a funeral director portal, and an offline-capable PWA crew app. Chronicle is an Australian company, which creates support timezone issues for North American cemeteries. Chronicle also charges fees for map customization after initial setup, which CEMETERRA does not.

Question 3

Is there a free alternative to Chronicle cemetery software?

Accepted Answer

Yes. CEMETERRA's free plan covers up to 500 plots, map upload, basic records, and public grave search — with no credit card required. The first year is free for qualifying cemeteries of any size, with free migration help included.

Question 4

Does CEMETERRA support data migration from Chronicle?

Accepted Answer

Yes. CEMETERRA supports CSV import for plot and interment records. The free migration help offer includes assistance mapping data from Chronicle exports into CEMETERRA. Data migration complexity has been one of the most common complaints in Chronicle reviews, so CEMETERRA made self-serve import a core capability from the start.

Question 5

Does Chronicle charge extra for map changes?

Accepted Answer

Chronicle has received reviews noting fees for making changes to grave mapping after the initial setup. CEMETERRA allows cemeteries to upload, edit, and update their map images and plot boundaries at any time on any paid plan with no additional fee.

Area	CEMETERRA	Chronicle
Company location	United States	Australia (Rycroft Architects)
Support timezone	US business hours	Australian timezone — significant gap for North American teams
Data migration	Self-serve CSV import + free migration help	Complex onboarding; migration challenges noted in multiple reviews
Map update fees	None — update maps freely on any paid plan	Extra fees reported for map changes after initial setup
Pricing	Free → $49 → $99/month (published publicly)	Free → $20 → $165/month (published)
QR memorial pages	Included — scan → memorial page, no family app install	Digital memorials available, different implementation
Walk-to-grave GPS	Included — live blue dot, compass, plot polygon overlay	Not included
E-signatures (built-in)	Included — browser-based signing, no DocuSign cost	Not included
Funeral director portal	Included — FD account role, request intake, admin review	Not included
Cremation workflows	Columbaria, niches, gardens, urn vaults, scattering records	Limited cremation support
Burial records	Full interment records with relationships and bio fields	Full burial records management
Work orders	Work orders with before/after photos, route optimization	Work orders and task management

Cemetery software with US support, no migration headaches

CEMETERRA vs Chronicle — side-by-side

Migration from Chronicle is straightforward

Export from Chronicle

Import into CEMETERRA

Map upload

Free migration help

Start free — no setup fee, no migration cost

Common questions about switching from Chronicle

Chronicle is free — why would we pay for CEMETERRA?

Can we keep the same map we built in Chronicle?

Does CEMETERRA work with Xero or QuickBooks like Chronicle?

What if our cemetery is outside the US?

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