Pushpay vs PayPal for Churches vs Tithely

If your church is exploring online giving options, chances are you’ve come across three popular platforms: Pushpay, PayPal for Churches, and Tithely.

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All three let donors give digitally, offer receipts, and handle multiple payment methods. But when you dig deeper, they differ significantly in pricing, flexibility, simplicity, and features.

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In this guide, we break down the pros, cons, and ideal use cases for each, so you can choose the best giving platform for your church.

*(Editor’s note: We’re obviously biased toward Tithely, but we strive to be fair and factual. If you spot anything inaccurate, let us know!)

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Why Does Your Church Need an Online Giving Platform?

Think of an online giving platform as the modern-day offering plate.

With most of your members spending time online, offering convenient ways to give from phones, tablets, or computers is no longer optional — it’s essential.

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Online platforms make it easy to:

• Accept one-time and recurring gifts
  
• Improve giving consistency
  
• Reach younger, mobile-first donors
  
• Simplify administration and reporting
  

Which Online Giving Platform Is Best?

The best solution will:

• Offer flexible giving methods
  
• Provide excellent customer service
  
• Fit your church’s budget
  
• Scale as your church grows
  

While we’re partial to Tithely, this guide gives you an honest look at all three platforms to help you make an informed decision.

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How to Choose the Right Giving Platform

When comparing online giving platforms, focus on:

• Low monthly cost and minimal add-on fees
  
• Simple, intuitive donor experience
  
• Custom branding options
  
• Support for text giving, mobile giving, and recurring gifts
  
• Tools that don’t penalize growth as your church expands
  

Platform Overviews

Tithely Giving Overview

Key giving options:

• Mobile app
  
• Website integration
  
• Text-to-give
  
• Kiosk giving
  
• Cryptocurrency
  

Cost: Tithely Giving is free to use (standard 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction); paid plans available for All Access features.

With Tithely All Access, churches also get tools for event management, church websites, apps, volunteer scheduling, email/text messaging, and more.

Pushpay Overview

Pushpay is a robust online giving platform used by large churches and nonprofits.

Key giving options:

• Website giving
  
• Mobile app
  
• ACH, debit, and credit cards
  

Pushpay offers tools for donor management, campaigns, events, apps, and volunteer coordination, though many come as add-ons through its ChurchStaq suite.

Cost: Starts at $149/month; scales based on church size.

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PayPal for Churches Overview

PayPal is one of the oldest online payment providers, originally built for e-commerce.

Key giving options:

• “Donate Now” button
  
• Debit/credit card or PayPal account
  
• Recurring giving
  

However, PayPal lacks custom branding, church-focused tools, and administrative features, making it more of a generic payment processor.

Cost: No monthly fee; transaction fees of ~1.99% + $0.49 per gift.

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Flexibility Comparison

• Tithely Giving: Highly flexible — multiple payment methods, integrates with your site, text-to-give, kiosk, and mobile app.
  
• Pushpay: Flexible for large churches with custom integrations, but requires add-ons for full functionality.
  
• PayPal: Limited flexibility, no church-specific features, and no customizable donation pages.
  

Simplicity Comparison

• Tithely Giving: Seamless setup with guided onboarding and customer support.
  
• Pushpay: Smooth donor experience, but admin setup can be complex and time-consuming.
  
• PayPal: User-friendly for donors, but clunky admin setup (11 steps just to install a donate button) and limited support.
  

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Who Should Use Each Platform?

• Pushpay: Large churches with big budgets that want advanced features and are comfortable with long-term contracts.
  
• PayPal: Small nonprofits or churches that just need a basic donation button — but beware of its limitations.
  
• Tithely: Churches that want a full-featured, scalable, and affordable solution designed specifically for church needs.
  
  

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What Real Churches Say About Tithely

“We were live in hours, and giving increased dramatically. Tithely was the best decision for our church.” — Josh

“Easy to integrate, user-friendly for our members, and excellent support. Highly recommend!” — Steven

“The best bang for your buck, period. We love the platform and the team behind it.” — Russ C.

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Final Thoughts

Not all giving platforms are created equal.

If your church wants to:

• Maximize generosity
  
• Minimize admin hassle
  
• Avoid costly contracts
  
• Get tools beyond just donations
  

…then Tithely is the clear winner.

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More Like This

• Pushpay vs easyTithe vs Tithely →
• easyTithe vs PayPal for Churches vs Tithely →

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