10 Best Church Finance Software for 2024

Managing finances is never a simple task, but for churches, it can be uniquely challenging. 

Churches have a complex set of financial needs and functions. They not only oversee multiple streams of income from hundreds or even thousands of members, but they’re also responsible for making the experience of giving simple and intuitive for members. 

Fortunately, technology is making the task of managing finances simpler than ever. Automation, mobile technology, and advanced data filtering are a gift to nonprofit organizations–such as the church–that rely on donations to run.

Table of Contents

What Is Church Finance Software?

How Is Software Different for Churches?

Why Do You Need Church Finance Software?

When is it Time to Replace Your Church  Finance Software?

How We Chose the Best Church  Finance Software

The Best  Finance and Bookkeeping Software for Churches

Church Finance Software FAQs

What Is Church Finance Software?

Church finance software allows churches to manage and oversee their finances, generate financial reporting on trends and taxes, and of course, allow people to give. Church finance software is secure, typically cloud-based, and accessible to a number of different users (both admin and donors).

How Is Software Different for Churches?

 Finance software for churches is different than your typical accounting software in that it addresses the unique financial situation of a church. The best church accounting software solution is one that has features to address the needs of a church. That includes features that:

• Make it simple to get a comprehensive view of giving…
• Allows church admin to look at trends over time….
• Gives church members the ability to give generously and abundantly to the church on their own terms. 

 In other words, finance software for churches serves both the church and its members.

Why Do You Need Church Finance Software?

Running a church can be financially stressful. Having an organized overview of income can help church admin get much-needed insight into the state of finances at a church and anticipate future growth. Most importantly, it helps to provide a great user experience for donors–which ultimately helps to increase giving.

When is it Time to Replace Your Church  Finance Software?

 If you’re experiencing any of the following challenges, then it’s probably time to get a new church finance software. 

• You don’t know what’s going on in your finances; there’s a lack of transparency. 
• Making an online payment to your church is harder than it should be. 
• It takes your church administrator ages to generate tax reporting. 
• You’re using multiple software tools to manage your finances. 
• All of the above!

The good news is that there are solutions to these challenges. In fact, there are a number of solutions for faith-based organizations to meet their financial requirements while also creating a stellar user experience (Although we think there’s only one wise choice for churches).

How We Chose the Best Church  Finance Software

When looking for the best church finance software, we looked for ease of use, cross-functionality, a range of capabilities, and awesome user experience for donors, church leaders, and administrative users. We looked for a cloud-based software solution that would help with basic church management and pledging campaign management. Finally, we looked for additional key features that would make it simple for churches to thrive.

The Best  Finance and Bookkeeping Software for Churches

Here are the top 10 finance and bookkeeping software for churches. 

1. Tithe.ly

Tithe.ly is a cloud-based accounting software with core accounting features as well as features to help with operations, internal management, communication, and marketing. It’s an integrated package that helps give your church a financial edge while also increasing church engagement and serving your church congregation. Tithe.ly is a win for everyone–church leaders, administrators, and the church body.

Here are the key features that make Tithe.ly the strongest contender as the best accounting solution for small churches, midsize churches, and megachurches.

• 6 ways to give–a user friendly experience that allows donors to make a donation in six different ways, including by text, with check scanning, at a kiosk, online, or with cryptocurrency. 

• A dashboard that gives admin the ability to track giving trends such as weekly average, recurring vs. one-time gifts, how much was spent on processing fees, and more. This allows churches to manage cash flow and incoming payments, as well as oversee basic record keeping. 

• Customization that allows donors to choose whether or not they would like to cover processing fees or make a recurring gift. 

• Tax statements made easy, with a tool for admin to generate end-of-year tax reporting for donors in just a few clicks–making tax time a breeze. 

• A pledge campaign tool for creating different giving campaigns with ease and insight.

• A payment tool so that visitors and members can make a one-time purchase to buy coffee, books, and merch at your church (replacing Square, for example). 

Tithe.ly syncs seamlessly with QuickBooks Online to help you make sure your financial records stay accurate.

Not only that, but Tithe.ly offers tools for church management, event registration and service planning, marketing, website and app building, and much, much more–making it the most comprehensive church finance tool out there. 

The best part? Tithe.ly’s Giving tool (including all features listed above) is absolutely free to use–making this the software of choice for churches looking for a cost-effective financial solution. 

2. Breeze

Breeze is a centralized platform that includes financial reporting, contribution tracking, text giving, a church CRM, attendance tracking, child check-ins, and event registration. It also includes membership management, with the ability to view member profiles based on giving information, or the customizable information of your choice.
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Breeze is a cloud-based church management system that meets all of your basic needs as a church. It's super simple to use, can be accessed on your mobile phone, and offers free data migration. That means financial management is smooth and simple, even for a small church.
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Finally, Breeze is very affordable, at $72 per month.

3. Church Windows

Church Windows is a church finance software that handles a range of needs, including donation tracking, accounting, payroll services, and tax reporting. Church Windows also includes a feature for managing member records and sending emails. Finally, it includes an event scheduler that can help church staff stay on the same page when it comes to event scheduling. 

As far as church finance goes, Church Windows is one of the more capable tools. However, it doesn’t include a tool for receiving payments for small goods or merchandise (such as in a bookstore or coffee shop). And it’s far from being a comprehensive tool for churches. Church Windows won’t help church staff optimize their workflows, or build a website or app to create a better member experience. 

Church Windows’ pricing depends on the version you purchase. It includes desktop versions as well as an online version. Desktop versions with more than one “module” for finances are extremely expensive. For example, if you would like use Church Windows for donations, accounting, and payroll, you’ll pay nearly $500 a month!

4. FellowshipOne 

FellowShip One is church finance software that helps churches manage their finances with tools for accounting (such as accounts payable and accounts receivable), membership management, payroll, offering options for donations (including text by giving), and more. 

FellowShip One is a helpful option for churches looking to streamline their finances and offer more options to their members for giving. However, it doesn’t include a feature for receiving consumer payments, meaning that the church will have to adopt a different software tool for usage in their bookstores, pop-up shops, and coffee stands. It’s also one of the more expensive options, costing $179 per month.

5. ChurchTrac

ChurchTrac is a church finance software that offers tools for fund accounting, tracking inflow and expenses, creating a budget, reconciling statements, and more. ChurchTrac includes features for accepting contributions, generating financial statements, creating pledge campaigns, and more. 

Like Tithe.ly, ChurchTrac is more than just a finance software; it also includes tools for managing people, check-in, and service planning. However, it doesn’t offer the most comprehensive suite of marketing tools. While it does include a website and app builder, for example, it doesn’t include free media.

ChurchTrac is one of the more affordable options ($60 a month for everything, with unlimited names). However, its freemium version doesn’t include comprehensive tools for giving–making this a less-than-ideal option for churches looking for free financial tools. 

6. Subsplash

Subsplash is a church finance software that also helps with engagement and media through offering services like website building, live streaming, and an app. Its giving feature includes options for giving online or by text. It doesn’t, however, appear to offer a very comprehensive set of features for accounting or reporting. And Subsplash’s pricing isn’t transparent; though its giving feature is free, it’s unclear how much additional features cost.

7. ShelbyNext Financials 

Shelby is a church finance software that helps churches to become more efficient and organized with tools for accounting, giving, management, website and app building, worship planning, and background checks.  

The pro’s of Shelby are that it’s one of the more comprehensive software suites available. However, user reviews report that it’s often buggy and that its reporting feature is less than ideal. And some reviewers feel that it’s not very user friendly. 

Finally, Shelby is expensive. The total package costs $179 per month to use.

8. PowerChurch 

PowerChurch Software includes financial management tools for accounting, record keeping, and receiving contributions. It also includes key features for managing membership and planning events. All in all, it’s a comprehensive solution that includes most of what churches need to successfully run internal operations, manage members, and oversee finances.  

The downsides to PowerChurch, however, are significant. First, PowerChurch is not a cloud-based solution. Rather, you need to download it to your own system–consuming additional storage and requiring you to download updates when necessary. Next, PowerChurch requires a significant one-time fee of $395 (plus additional costs for upgrades). They don’t have a free version to allow you to get a basic understanding of the solution before committing–making it a less-than-deal choice for churches.

9. FlockBase 

FlockBase is a church accounting software that includes key features for church management, accounting, check-in, and online giving. Their accounting suite has several benefits, including check printing, budgeting tools, payroll, and reporting. 

Flockbase is one of the more robust church accounting software systems. However, it doesn’t have a super-comprehensive set of tools for marketing. For example, FlockBase doesn’t have tools for marketing–such as a website builder and a tool for custom church apps. Certain tiers include text and email marketing, but they will cost you extra. 

Flockbase is one of the most affordable options, with their basic version costing only $16 a month. However, this option only allows two users at at the same time–making this a challenging solution for mid-sized churches or large-sized churches who would like to add an additional user (or a whole team of additional users). 

10. Realm 

Realm positions itself as a comprehensive church software solution that’s cross-denominational and cross-functional. It includes features for accounting, reporting, communications, church events, child check in, and more. 

However, Realm’s key features are not highly functional. For example, its contributions feature doesn’t include a lot of options for donors, such as text-to-give or giving on a mobile device. Instead, Realm emphasizes its features for processing incoming payments via check. 

Realm costs $34 a month to use, but does not offer a free version. Plus, user reviews report that it’s “lacking on the ministry side.”

Church Finance Software FAQs

There are a lot of church accounting software options. That being said, it can be difficult to make a choice about which accounting solution is right for your church or church organization. One helpful place to start is to look at the answers to some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s).

Why You Need Church Accounting Software?

What Accounting Software Is Good for Churches?

How Do You Count and Record Church Offerings?

How Much Does Church Finance Software Cost?

Why You Need Church Accounting Software?

 You need church accounting software to manage your financial operations, stay streamlined and accurate when it comes to church receipts, and provide a great experience for donors. You need more than a spreadsheet and a dashboard with your bank accounts–you need a tool to help you stay organized and keyed into the needs of your church members.

What Accounting Software Is Good for Churches?

Accounting software is good for churches to help them remain balanced, transparent, and financially healthy.

How Do You Count and Record Church Offerings?

Some financial software will include advanced accounting features that help you track and record church offerings. Tithe.ly, for example, can give you a comprehensive and filtered breakdown of offerings. 

How Much Does Church Finance Software Cost?

 Church finance software typically comes with a monthly price that varies according to functionality and church size. Tithe.ly Giving, however, is completely free to use.