The main difference between Pushpay and Tithe.ly is that Tithe.ly is more cost-effective and offers more functionality. Tithe.ly is the simple to use and powerful alternative to Pushpay®.
If you're comparing Tithe.ly and Pushpay® (a.k.a., eChurchGiving or eChurch) to figure out which one you are going to use for your church online giving, then you’re in the right place.
As you consider your options for online and mobile giving, we want to make the decision as easy as possible for you. So, we’ve put together some info to help you decide which mobile giving app + online giving tool is best for your church.
Pushpay is a platform for making online payments. Pushpay is located in both the USA and New Zealand, which is why you'll hear terms such as "Pushpay NZ" (New Zealand), "Pushpay AU" (Australia), or Pushpay USA.
Using Pushpay, a donor can make a one-time payment to a church or nonprofit organization, or they can set up recurring gifts. Typically, they can make the gift with their preferred payment method and form of currency.
Pushpay processing provides processing services. The company was originally started in New Zealand, which is why Pushpay AU and Pushpay NZ are listed on the public stock exchange.
Although Pushpay offers multiple services now (including volunteer management, event management, and donor management), the Pushpay group did not start as a company that offered church management software. Its core offering are payment processing services, which are typically used by churches or other faith-based organizations. Pushpay makes it simple for an individual party to give, and for churches to make a basic request for payment (such as for event registration).
Like most any other payment processor, Pushpay allows users to use their preferred payment method. This can include giving on mobile devices, giving on a desktop, or giving via text message. Donors can use debit cards, credit cards, and more to give.
Pushpay processing provides processing services via an online platform. In theory, any organization or individual can use Pushpay to receive payment on various computing devices.
Churches can adopt Pushpay as a standalone tool, accessible from their website. Donors can then set up a simple account to make recurring gifts or one-time payments. They can use the method of payment that best fits their needs, typically with credit or debit cards. To make a payment, they also need to provide basic contact information, such as their email address (this is also how they'll receive a receipt for making a recurring gift or one-time payment, essentially a notice through email).
Like most any other payment processor, Pushpay gives the option for donors to cover the payment of fees for transactions.
Pushpay allows organizations to receive online payments and donations with a variety of payment methods.
Pushpay provides an easy-to-use platform for donors looking to give to an organization or church online. Donors can give with a variety of payment methods and set up recurring giving with Pushpay.
The biggest con of Pushpay is that it’s very expensive! They require a minimum monthly fee of $199 that can increase to more than $7,000 a month.
Another downside is that the Pushpay app hasn't been updated in 4+ years! With changes in technology and cyber-security, it's important that apps are updated on a somewhat regular basis in order to meet the ever changing demands of our digital world.
If your church or nonprofit organization wants to provide the ability for donors to make online payments, you most likely use a tool like Pushpay.
If you're using Pushpay's payment processing services, then you may not be aware that there are tools to help you boost user satisfaction. While Pushpay processing does a decent job with donation collection and gift management, there are alternatives that can help increase user satisfaction and make life even easier for your admin team.
To identify the best alternative to Pushpay processing, we looked at the full range of capabilities that a church management software can offer in addition to payment processing. That includes event management, volunteer management, gift management, campaign management, and more. We also looked for a tool that, like Pushpay, would allow an individual party to cover the payment of fees for the recipient.
Finally, we identified a tool that would make giving easy with a range of payment methods–credit cards, debit cards, checks, and more. Donors should be able to use their preferred payment method. Safety and security are also a priority: payment processing services should not accept unauthorized payments.
Tithe.ly is a payment processor that allows donors to give on their desktop or mobile devices. Using Tithe.ly, donors can use their preferred payment method or method of payment, cover the payment of fees, and make a one-time or recurring gift.
Tithe.ly is more than a payment processor, however. It offers an entire suite of tools for churches, including event management, gift management, volunteer management, and marketing campaign management.
Tithe.ly's payment processing services work similarly to Pushpay's payment processing services. Donors can use a range of computing devices–their mobile device, desktop, or tablet, for example–to log onto the platform, input a gift (or set a recurring gift), choose their method of payment, opt to cover the payment of fees for transactions, and click "give."
If churches choose to use the entire suite of Tithe.ly tools, Tithe.ly's giving platform integrates with other products–such as for event management and volunteer management. Tithe.ly's giving platform also offers tools for donor management and gift management, such as reporting features.
Tithe.ly also offers material for marketing purposes, helping churches to create great content with simple design features for customizing free media. Ultimately, Tithe.ly Media can help churches create great marketing for their event management and campaign management without hiring expensive marketing partners.
Cost-effectiveness is the first reason to use Tithe.ly over Pushpay. Pushpay has a high monthly subscription cost, but Tithe.ly offers its online giving platform for no monthly cost. Tithe.ly's commitment to customer success and user satisfaction is also based on a rich history of ministry.
Though the Pushpay group also offers a suite of church management tools, Tithe.ly is more committed to user satisfaction and customer success than Pushpay processing. In fact, a customer success representative calls every single new customer to check in and make sure they are thriving.
Finally, Tithe.ly offers a super-comprehensive set of tools that can help churches to thrive in every department. As mentioned above, Tithe.ly media offers free material for marketing purposes. And Tithe.ly websites offer the ability to create an awesome website without developer tools or a developer platform.
Whether you're an organization or individual making a donation, Tithe.ly is the simpler, more cost-effective payment tool.
Below you’ll find the information you need to help you compare Pushpay vs Tithe.ly, including features, customer experiences, Pushpay pricing, and thoughts from current Tithe.ly customers who have made the switch. In short, you'll find that Tithe.ly is a great alternative to PushPay.
(Editor’s Note: We’re obviously biased. But we want to be factual and accurate in our information. So please let us know if we’ve misrepresented anything or if something is incorrect. You can contact us here.)
Tithe.ly was made by pastors and ministry-minded folks to help build the kingdom of God. One of the founders of Tithe.ly was a pastor for 30 years, our lead developer is the worship director at his church, another partner was a youth pastor for four years, and the rest of the employees at Tithe.ly are active in their local church.
At Tithe.ly, we want to help your church or ministry increase giving and generosity so that you can better serve your community and reach the world for Jesus.
We have simple and low pricing. There is NO monthly fee unless you keep text giving after the free trial. If you keep this feature, then you will only pay $19 per month. Per transaction, you only pay 2.9% + $0.30, with discounted rates based on giving volume. Pushpay requires a minimum monthly fee of $199 that can increase to more than $7,000 a month ($84k+ per year) depending on the size of your church or ministry. Also, your monthly fees will most likely go up once your contract hits renewal time.
On top of the expensive monthly Push Pay fees, they also have a per transaction fee that is similar to the rate at Tithe.ly. If you compare prices, you will pay significantly more for Pushpay than you will with Tithe.ly. Tithe.ly is a great PushPay competitor.
You’ll also pay Pushpay fees for chargeback fees, refund fees, deposit rejection fees, PCI fees, etc. Tithe.ly has NO fees for chargebacks, refunds, PCI security, deposits, rejections, or any other miscellaneous fees. Lastly, Pushpay has increased their monthly pricing a few times over the past 18 to 24 months from under $100/mo to now a minimum of $199/mo just to have the platform. Plus, your monthly fees will go up after your initial contract expires.
You don't have any contracts or long-term commitments with Tithe.ly. That’s right! You have nothing to sign or commitments to make when you choose to use Tithe.ly. You also don't need to sign a contract to get reduced pricing, which is a requirement by Pushpay® if you want to receive a discounted per transaction fees or monthly fees. You’ll be asked to sign a two- to three-year commitment. Why doesn't Tithe.ly have contracts? Well, we believe that once you start using Tithe.ly, you and your church will love it so much that you won’t want to go anywhere else.
We understand technology is useless sitting on the shelf. We also know that many churches lack the technical know-how or creative staff to realize the full potential of digital-giving tools. That’s why we put a LOT of energy into creating custom launch material for every church that uses Tithe.ly. From slides and printed giving cards, to social media graphics and web-page design, our team will work with you one-on-one to make sure you have everything you need to successfully launch your new giving solutions.
And in case you didn’t pick up on it, you will get the phone number and email address of a real person you can call for help at any time. As anyone who has ever adopted a new software tool knows, a person hearing your questions and giving advice is huge. We believe that in-person sessions over the phone are critical for supporting our customers.
Tithe.ly's customer success team is also available to give basic accounting advice, answer accounting questions, and provide applicable accounting insights for anyone that has questions about how gift management works.
That’s right! It will take you five minutes or less to sign up for Tithe.ly, and you’re live the second you hit the final submit button. No paperwork. No need to create a new merchant account. No 2-3 day waiting period to “go live.” You simply fill out an online form in minutes and voilà—you’re live!
Tithe.ly gives you six ways to give: mobile giving app (iOS & Android), text-to-give, online giving, kiosk giving, and admin gift entry. We focus on making each of these tools awesome so that you can have best-in-class giving for your members. Our goal is to help you offer many ways your members can give so that they can pick the one that suits them best.
Everything we share with those who use our products is about giving and ministry–not “paying.” What is more, we will soon place more control in the hands of churches who use our product by allowing you to customize the design of the platform to match your church brand. That includes the arrangement of content to create a payment platform that looks like "you."
We’re technologists who love building products that encourage giving and generosity. Here are a few of the innovative features we’ve built into our product that you will not find in any other church giving system.
We give you full visibility into how much you’ve raised through our platform with the associated Tithe.ly fees for every transaction in real-time! No monthly statements to sort out. No guessing. No complication. We provide complete transparency for every penny donated so that you know exactly how much you raised, what fees Tithe.ly charged, and how much was deposited into your bank account at the transaction and deposit level.
Through our detailed reporting and financial dashboard, all you have to do is log in to see everything whenever you’d like. On top of providing transaction-level transparency, we make deposit reconciliation a snap by showing you every deposit. Each deposit report will give you the Tithe.ly fees, the total amount deposited, the number of gifts, amounts deposited by fund, and detail for every transaction included in the deposit.
Tithe.ly is the world’s largest global giving provider for churches and ministries. We support churches in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, and Japan. If you lead a church in any of these countries, then you can use Tithe.ly’s giving tools to raise money in nearly any form of currency. We’re focused on helping churches and ministries all around the world raise the funds they need to support the work of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Pushpay may be a good option for churches that are looking for payment processing services that allow users to use their preferred payment method. Pushpay offers a wide range of features and capabilities that can be helpful to churches. However, Pushpay may not be the best choice for churches that are looking for flexible terms and low costs.
Tithe.ly is a great option for churches that are looking for the "full package" of giving tools, admin tools, marketing tools, and more at a great price. Tithe.ly's full suite of products can help churches of all sizes (and budgets) to build a comprehensive strategy for generosity and engagement.
Tithe.ly customers also reap the benefits of getting support from a team that's available at a wide range of business hours. Tithe.ly's support team is available from the business days of Monday-Friday from 5 AM to 6 PM PT, offering in-person sessions with a customer success representative over the phone. (Pushpay's business hours and business days aren't as clear on their website, although they do list a support email here where you can presumably reach a customer success representative.)
Tithe.ly customers also have peace of mind knowing that they won't receive unsolicited emails or malicious content.
Pushpay is by far the more expensive alternative to Tithe.ly. Pushpay charges a minimum of $199 per month (explained above), and Tithe.ly's full suite of products is only $119 a month. If you're interested in using Tithe.ly Giving as a standalone tool, it will only cost $19 a month.
To check out Tithe.ly's user agreement, click here. To check out Pushpay's user agreement, click here. These user agreements may include additional terms that help users to understand the legal, financial, accounting, and administrative terms of both platforms.
Tithe.ly's user agreement includes information about making an intellectual property claim, taking legal action, statutory claims, license terms, common law claims, and additional registration terms that may be applicable. Additional terms may include information about customer content, customer responsibilities, and representative action.
Pushpay's user agreement includes information about making an intellectual property claim, license terms, taking legal action (such as a claim involving a business interruption), statutory claims, common law claims, information about the credit card company used by donors, collective actions, and additional registration terms. Additional terms involve information about common control, agents for quality control, design promotions, and more.
Here's what customers are saying about Tithe.ly.
"What I like most about Tithe.ly giving is the user interface! It's modern, sleek, runs great on desktop and mobile. The typical church online giving experience has been lost in platforms that provide a user interface that looks like it was built by a non-design-minded programmer from 1990. We wanted to remove any obstacle from our online giving. People are used to great payment experiences online, so ours needed to match that experience. Now it does because we launched Tithe.ly. It has been well received, and the reports from our members have been overwhelmingly positive about how easy it is to use." – Clint
"Tithe.ly has been easy to integrate with our existing website. Even our less technologically savvy members have found it easy to use. It has helped increase our giving over the past year." – Steven
Pushpay® is a great product. But it’s not the right fit for every church due to Pushpay® pricing being higher overall, potential locked-in contracts, and significant monthly platform fees. Be sure your church is evaluating all of your options and making the right choice for your congregation!
