Top Aplos Church Accounting Software Alternatives to Upgrade Your Church Management
Selecting a church management software, requires you to understand how different platforms address your specific needs. ChMeetings and Aplos are two available options for churches
looking for software that can help with church administration and accounting. Let’s compare them below, to help you choose the one that can best contribute to your church’s mission.
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What is ChMeetings?
ChMeetings is an all-in-one church management system that offers features such as member management, communication, giving, event organization, forms, appointments, accounting, reporting, and more. It can help churches of all sizes streamline administrative tasks, connect with members , manage church finances, and more.
What is Aplos?
Aplos is a fund accounting software for nonprofits and churches, offering a basic set of church management features, and focusing on complex financial management, reporting, and donation tracking.
How do ChMeetings & Aplos help with Member Management?
Both platforms offer member management, but ChMeetings provides more tools that help engage members, track their involvement, or segment them into groups, for communication and participation purposes. Aplos’s member features focus more on donor profiles and financial interactions. Here is a quick comparison table of member management features for the two platforms:
| Feature | ChMeetings | Aplos |
|---|---|---|
| Member Profiles | Yes | Yes |
| Groups | Yes | Limited |
| Attendance Tracking | Yes | No |
| Custom Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Family Management | Yes | Limited |
| Member Directory | Yes | No |
| Member App | Yes | No |
What are their Communication features?
ChMeetings offers various communication channels: email, text, push notifications, or quick access to messaging apps. Aplos can send donor-related communications, but doesn’t cover a wide range of potential church communication scenarios. Below is a breakdown of what each platform offers:
| Feature | ChMeetings | Aplos |
|---|---|---|
| Email Blasts | Yes | Yes |
| SMS Messaging | Yes | Yes |
| Push Notifications | Yes | No |
| Quick Access to Messaging Apps | Yes | No |
What about Event Management?
ChMeetings has a dedicated Events module with multiple event management tools, allowing you to create events, manage registrations, track attendance, schedule volunteers, and more. Aplos can help collect donations for events but does not offer dedicated event management features.
| Feature | ChMeetings | Aplos |
|---|---|---|
| Events & Calendars | Yes | Limited |
| Online Registration | Yes | No |
| Guest Registration | Yes | No |
| Paid Events | Yes | No |
| Event Donations | Yes | Yes |
| Event Communication | Yes | No |
| Volunteer Scheduling | Yes | No |
| Check-in | Yes | No |
| Service Plans | Yes | No |
How do they handle reporting?
ChMeetings provides ready-made reports on members, attendance, giving, or events, as well as several pre-built accounting and budgeting related reports. Aplos includes detailed financial reporting, including custom reports.
How do their Financial Management features differ?
ChMeetings comes with contributions management features, including online giving, as well as a dedicated accounting module with essential features. Aplos offers complex accounting, budgeting, and financial reporting. Here is how they compare overall, in terms of general financial management:
| Feature | ChMeetings | Aplos |
|---|---|---|
| Online Giving | Yes | Yes |
| Donation Tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Accounting | Yes | Yes |
| Budgeting | Yes Essential |
Yes Complex |
| Payroll Integration | No | Yes |
| Financial Reporting | Yes Pre-built |
Yes Pre-built & Custom |
| Pledges | Yes | Yes |
How much does each cost?
Both ChMeetings and Aplos offer tiered pricing plans, so you can start small and only spend more if your church grows or you need additional features.
Costs for small churches, without accounting features
With ChMeetings, if you are a small church of under 50 members, then you can start using it for free, and get access to core features such as member and donation management, events, calendars, forms, and more. If your church has 51 to 100 members or you want features like online giving, pledges, paid events, volunteer scheduling, or push notifications, ChMeetings’ Basic plan costs $12/month or $120/year.
Aplos does not offer a free plan and their lowest price as of September 2025 is for the Lite plan, at $79/month. This includes features such as donor management, and accounting options like balance sheets, income statements, or reconciliation.
Costs for ChMS plus Accounting features
With ChMeetings, Accounting is available with the Growth plan, starting at $25/month or $250/year for 250 members. Your costs may go up to $60/month or $600/year if your church manages up to 5.000 members. Aplos’ Lite Plan costs $79/month and includes their essential set of accounting features.
Overall, ChMeetings offers almost everything that Aplos does, in terms of accounting, plus an all-in-one church management solution, all starting at about a third of Aplos’ cost. You won’t spend Aplos’ price even if you manage a large church of up to 5000 members. Other important differences are that Aplos only allows 2 admin users, and does not offer budgeting with the Lite plan. On the other hand, ChMeetings does not offer custom reports or 1099 Management.
Here is how the two platforms compare in terms of features and pricing when you want both church management and accounting features:
| Feature | ChMeetings Growth $12-60/month |
Aplos Lite $79/month |
|---|---|---|
| Church Management | ||
| Users | Limited to plan member count (250-5000). All members can be users, too. | 2 |
| Advanced Member Management | Yes | No |
| Advanced Events Organization | Yes | No |
| Mass Communication (Email, SMS, Push Notifications) | Yes | No |
| Digitally Signed Forms Collection | Yes | No |
| Mobile Church App for members & admins | Yes | No |
| Advanced Donation Management | Yes | Yes |
| Pledges | Yes | Yes |
| Third-Party Integrations | Yes | No Requires the Core plan, $129/month |
| Automated Tasks | Yes | No |
| Appointments | Yes | No |
| Reports | Yes | Yes |
| APIs | Yes | Yes |
| User Roles & Permissions | Yes | No Requires the Core plan, $129/month |
| Accounting | ||
| Accounting Dashboard | Yes | Yes |
| Accounts & Transactions Management | Yes | Yes |
| Accounts Payable / Receivable | No | No Requires the Core plan, $129/month |
| Fund Accounting | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Sync (USA & Canada) | Yes | Yes |
| Reconciliation | Yes | Yes |
| Budgeting & Budget Reports | Yes | No Requires the Core plan, $129/month |
| Balance Sheet & Income Statement by Fund | Yes | Yes |
| Check Printing | Yes | Yes |
| Reports | Yes Pre-Built |
Yes Pre-Built & Custom |
| 1099 Management | No | Yes |
| Unlimited Support | Yes | Yes |
Migrating to ChMeetings Is Easy & Hassle-Free
We understand that moving to a new church management system can feel overwhelming. That’s why ChMeetings makes the transition as smooth as possible:
Free Data Migration on Any Paid Plan
When you subscribe to any of our paid plans, our team will take care of migrating your existing data into ChMeetings at no extra cost. You can focus on your ministry while we handle the heavy lifting.Accounting Data Migration Included
Unlike many systems, ChMeetings doesn’t just bring over your people and events data, we also handle accounting and giving data migration. This ensures that your financial history moves with you, so you never lose track of past contributions, pledges, or reports. This is one of the key reasons churches choose us over other platforms.-
Powerful Import Tools for Do-It-Yourself Migration
Prefer to manage the process yourself? ChMeetings offers built-in import tools to help you move your data quickly and accurately. Upload your information in bulk, organize it with ease, and start using ChMeetings right away. Guidance Every Step of the Way
Whether you choose our free migration service or use the self-service tools, our support team is here to guide you through the process, ensuring your transition is seamless.
Which software is best for your church?
Choose ChMeetings if:
- You are looking for a comprehensive church management system that helps you manage members, communicate, collect donations, organize events, track attendance, etc.
- You want a budget-friendly, high value-for-money, all-in-one solution that can help streamline administrative tasks and foster deeper engagement within your community.
- Your accounting is mainly focused on online giving, donation tracking, accounts & funds management, budgeting, bank sync & reconciliation, & check printing; and you don’t have complex financial reporting requirements (or you use a separate tool for accounting).
Choose Aplos if:
- Complex financial management is a must.
- You need 1099 Management, detailed budgeting, or complex financial reporting.
- You are willing to integrate with other platforms for broader church management features or have simpler needs in areas like event management or member engagement.
The best choice you can make definitely depends on your church’s priorities. If you focus on community engagement and streamlined operations, ChMeetings is probably a better fit. If you need complex accounting features, then Aplos might serve you better. If, by any chance, you require all of the above, then it might be worth considering a combination of both platforms. Both offer free trials (15 days for Aplos, and 30 days for ChMeetings), so why not try them out and see for yourself?
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ChMeetings vs. Aplos FAQ
What are ChMeetings and Aplos for?
ChMeetings is designed for church management, focusing on member data, events, groups, communication, donation collection, forms, accounting, and more. Aplos is a nonprofit and church accounting software that includes fundraising, donor management, and accounting features, but without covering broader church management features.
Which software is better for financial management and accounting?
Aplos is generally stronger in dedicated church accounting features, offering general ledger, budgeting, and financial reporting. ChMeetings offers an accounting module covering the essentials for most churches, but it is not meant for complex financial management.
My church needs an all-in-one church management solution. Which one is best?
ChMeetings is excellent for church operations management. It provides comprehensive tools for member profiles, events with ticketing, volunteers and attendance tracking, group management, targeted communication via email, sms, or push notification, forms, appointments, an accounting module, and a powerful app builder so your church can offer a mobile app to members and admins alike. Aplos is a dedicated church accounting app and does not offer church management features.
Does either software handle online giving and donations?
Yes, both can help your church manage online giving and track donations. Both integrate this with a built-in accounting module, for more accurate finances
Are there significant differences in pricing?
The two platforms’ pricing models vary. ChMeetings pricing is primarily based on the number of members your church manages. Aplos offers different tiers based on the features included. Overall, ChMeetings’ pricing is lower than Aplos.
Which software is easier to use for non-technical staff?
This can be subjective, but our users find ChMeetings’ interface intuitive for church management tasks. Aplos’s accounting features might have a steeper learning curve for those unfamiliar with accounting principles, but its general interface is also user-friendly.
Can I manage volunteers and groups with both platforms?
ChMeetings has dedicated features for volunteer scheduling, group management, and communication within those groups, making it very effective to manage these activities. While Aplos can track contacts and donations related to groups, its group management isn’t as tailored for church operational needs as ChMeetings; and there are no volunteer scheduling features.
What communication methods do ChMeetings and Aplos provide?
ChMeetings offers integrated communication tools that help you send mass emails, SMS messages, and push notifications to members, groups, volunteers, and more. Aplos primarily focuses on donor communication via email, and SMS messaging.
Do ChMeetings and Aplos offer reporting features, and how do they differ?
Both platforms offer reporting. ChMeetings provides reports on attendance, membership demographics, giving, and accounting. Aplos provides financial reports, donor reports, and fundraising analytics, which are more detailed on the financial side.
When should we consider using both?
This is a great choice if you need both a powerful church management solution, and complex financial administration capability. You might consider using ChMeetings for daily operational and member management needs, and Aplos for dedicated accounting and financial reporting. You can exchange data between them via the ChMeetings & Aplos APIs, or via available export and import features in both platforms.