10 Best Church Management Software Available In 2024
Church Management Software (ChMS) is an essential tool for modern churches, helping leaders manage everything from membership data to events, appointments, and financial accounting. There are so many available platforms that choosing the right one for your church can become overwhelming. This guide highlights the pros and cons of the top ChMS solutions to help you make the best choice for your church’s needs.
What is Church Management Software?
Church Management Software is designed to simplify church operations by centralizing administrative tasks, member management, communication, or finance. It helps churches efficiently manage their day-to-day operations such as tracking attendance, handling donations, managing events, and communicating with members. Using such software, churches can reduce administrative workload, improve member engagement, and make better decisions.
Key Features Of The Best Church Management Software On The Market
When searching for software for your church, consider which features align with your church’s goals. Here is a checklist of must-have features that should be available in the software you will be choosing:
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Membership and Attendance Tracking
This is the core function of most ChMS solutions. It enables churches to maintain detailed records of their members, including contact information, attendance at services or events, contributions, or volunteering. Some software allows you to segment your database into groups for more personalization. -
Communication Tools
Keeping your congregation engaged is crucial. ChMS platforms often have built-in communication tools like mass texting, email, and push notifications. Some software includes features to send customized messages based on member activity or preferences; or provide advanced email editing capabilities. -
Event and Volunteer Management
This feature lets you coordinate church events like services, retreats, and community outreach using event planning tools, including registration management, volunteer scheduling, and role assignments. -
Online Giving and Donation Management
Online giving tools make it easy for members to donate via credit card, bank transfer, or mobile app. These platforms often integrate directly with accounting systems to track and report real-time donations. Recurring donations and end-of-year giving statements simplify financial management. -
Church Accounting
Financial management is critical, especially for churches that manage large budgets, staff payroll, and vendor payments. Many ChMS platforms offer comprehensive accounting tools for donations, expenses, budgeting, and reporting. Some software also supports integration with existing accounting platforms like QuickBooks. -
Mobile App Accessibility
With the rise of mobile devices, many ChMS platforms offer mobile apps that allow church leaders and members to access information, communicate, and donate on the go. Such apps are especially useful for churches with younger or tech-savvy congregations. -
Reporting and Analytics
Reporting tools help church leaders stay informed on key metrics like attendance, giving trends, and volunteer participation. These insights make it easier to plan for growth and improve engagement strategies. Some platforms provide customizable reports, so you can track what’s most important for your church. -
Free Data Migration
Data migration can be a significant hurdle for churches transitioning from another system. Many of the best ChMS platforms offer free data migration services, ensuring your membership, donation history, and other vital information are safely transferred without hassle.
Top 10 Church Management Software in 2024
Each church has unique needs, and the market offers a variety of options tailored for different sizes, denominations, and operational styles. Here’s an in-depth look at the 10 best church management software available in 2024:
1. ChMeetings
ChMeetings is a versatile ChMS, suitable for churches of any size and denomination, designed to be used by anyone, tech-savvy or not. It offers a comprehensive features package for affordable prices.
Key Features
- Member Management: Organize and manage detailed member directories, including customizable fields, advanced search, and filters for easy grouping of members into families, households, or groups. ChMeetings plans are based on the number of people, and you can go up to unlimited members.
- Communication Tools: Send mass emails, SMS, and push notifications, or integrate with messaging apps like WhatsApp and Viber to communicate with specific groups.
- Event Planning: Create, manage, and share events with options for both free and paid registrations, complete with mobile check-ins and QR code scanning.
- Volunteer Scheduling: Easily assign and manage volunteers for different tasks and events within the church.
- Appointments: Stay organized with easy tools to schedule appointments between any people in your church, whether members or servants, anytime, anywhere.
- Automated Tasks: Automate tasks related to member engagement, event follow-up, and more, tailoring processes to fit your church’s needs.
- Follow-Ups let you create a list of follow-ups with your congregation members, for visits, care activities, and more.
- Digitally-Signed Forms allow churches to collect data from members, and have them digitally sign the form if needed.
- Church Page Builder with various options to share content online with members and guests.
- Financial Management: Collect and track donations, manage pledges, and generate financial reports. ChMeetings integrates with payment platforms like PayPal and Stripe for seamless online giving.
- Mobile App: Provides members and leaders access to their profiles, events, volunteering, appointments, groups, and other church activities through a user-friendly mobile app. Churches can optionally get a branded mobile app, fully integrated with the ChMS.
- Free Data Migration: Smooth transition from previous systems with free data migration support.
Pros
- Very affordable, providing a wide range of features for some of the lowest prices on the ChMS market
- Scalable, with the ability to serve large churches without performance issues
- Easy to use by anyone, tech-savvy or not, thanks to the modern interface, designed for simplicity.
- A dedicated team that provides frequent updates, responsive support, and a comprehensive help center.
Cons
- The API may not be enough for the needs of larger churches.
- Less flexible reports.
- Limited export options, to .csv, Excel, and .pdf.
Pricing
ChMeetings provides a free-forever plan, including many essential features that churches can use to run their operations.
Paid plans are very affordable, costing between $12-$60 per month. The $60/month plan provides unlimited people storage and unlimited features. If you subscribe annually, you pay for 10 months instead of 12, so annual paid plans start at $120. The optional branded app costs $45/month or $450/year.
2. Planning Center
Planning Center is essentially a set of tools with a shared people database. It is customizable and scalable, making it suitable for both small and large churches.
Key Features
- Member Management with unlimited members and group capabilities.
- Communication Tools: Texts and mobile notifications. Email is only available through a Mailchimp integration.
- Event management with registration, volunteers, child check-in, calendars, and service planning.
- Mobile app for both members and leaders.
- Giving, including online giving.
Pros
- Customizable and scalable.
- Powerful service planning features.
- A rich collection of integrations.
Cons
- The fact that Planning Center consists of a separate set of tools can make it complex.
- Although there are many available third-party integrations, they are not open to developers.
- Planning Center can become costly for churches that need most of the provided features.
Pricing
Planning Center lets churches start for free, and charges based on features and usage. There are some pre-built plans available, based on the number of donations. Costs range between $15 for unlimited people plus 75 donations per month; and $1559 per month for unlimited features. There are no annual discounts.
3. Breeze
Breeze is a versatile ChMS, offering a variety of features packed into an easy-to-use interface.
Key Features
- Member Management with unlimited members and groups.
- Communication Tools: Email, text.
- Event management with registration, volunteers, child check-in, calendars, and service planning.
- Automated Tasks and Follow-ups
- Forms.
- Background Check.
- Giving, including online giving.
- Mobile App, including custom apps.
- Free data migration service.
Pros
- User-friendly interface and helpful support center.
- Useful for overall church management.
- Integrated with Tithe.ly for giving, website building, or custom church apps.
Cons
- Breeze does not provide a built-in accounting system.
- Although many users find Breeze user-friendly, some users report various user experience issues.
- Limited integrations and a requirement to contact support to get the API Key.
Pricing
Breeze does not offer a free plan. Prices start at $25/month for 100 people and two admins, $75/month for unlimited people, and $119 for a bundle including unlimited people, worship tools, custom church apps, and website-building tools.
4. Tithe.ly
Tithe.ly stands out for its strong focus on giving and donor management and provides additional tools to help churches streamline overall operations.
Key Features
- Member Management with unlimited members, households, and groups.
- Communication tools: Email and text.
- Background checks for volunteers and leaders.
- Event management with registration, volunteers, child check-in, calendars, and service planning.
- Giving, including online giving.
- Mobile App, including custom apps.
- Free data migration.
Pros
- Powerful donation collection and management tools.
- Comprehensive set of features, covering most church operations.
- Good support and training resources.
Cons
- User experience may be more complex.
- Communication between bundled tools reportedly needs improvements.
- People report that customer service could be more responsive.
Pricing
Tithe.ly provides ChMS features as part of their All Access bundle, which costs $119 per month, with no annual discounts available.
5. PushPay
Pushpay is a comprehensive church management platform designed to streamline church operations, enhance community engagement, and simplify giving processes.
Key Features
- Member database with advanced search and filtering.
- Communication tools (email, SMS, app notifications).
- Integrated giving and donation management tools.
- Event management with registration and attendance tracking.
- Volunteer and group management.
- Reporting and analytics for church activities.
Pros
- An all-in-one solution combining giving, event management, and communication tools.
- User-friendly interface with a mobile app for on-the-go access.
- Strong integration with other church tech tools like accounting software.
Cons
- Higher cost compared to some alternatives, especially for smaller churches.
- The learning curve for new users due to its extensive features.
- Limited customization options in reporting for specific needs.
Pricing
Pushpay offers customized pricing based on the size and needs of the church, with higher costs for larger congregations or those requiring additional features like custom app development. Prices are not disclosed on their website.
6. Churchteams
Churchteams is a church management software designed to enhance member engagement, streamline operations, and simplify administrative tasks for churches of all sizes.
Key Features
- Member management with advanced search and filtering capabilities.
- Communication tools (Email, texts).
- Small group management and tracking.
- Online giving and contribution tracking.
- Event and volunteer management tools.
- Attendance tracking with integrated check-in systems.
- Free data migration if your dataset is small or less complex.
Pros
- Affordable pricing with features tailored for small and medium-sized churches.
- Automated workflows simplify communication and administrative processes.
- User-friendly interface.
Cons
- Fewer integrations compared to other platforms, limiting flexibility with external tools.
- Reporting options may not be as robust or customizable as larger platforms.
- Some users find the interface less modern compared to alternatives.
Pricing
Churchteams offers tiered pricing based on the number of members. Prices start at $37/month for up to 200 members. To store up to 10.000 members, ChurchTeams costs $227/month. For more than 10.000 members, churches must inquire about pricing. There is no free plan and no annual discounts available on their website.
7. Flockbase
Flockbase is a church management solution designed to handle essential administrative tasks, with a focus on small to medium-sized churches.
Key Features
- Member management with detailed profiles.
- Online giving and donation tracking.
- Event scheduling and attendance tracking.
- Payroll and accounting management.
- Check-in systems for children’s ministry.
Pros
- Desktop and cloud-based solutions; suitable for churches that prefer to choose.
- Easy-to-use interface with core features for basic church operations.
- Integrated accounting and payroll management.
Cons
- Limited advanced features for larger churches or complex needs.
- Fewer integrations with other church-related software.
- No mobile app for on-the-go access.
Pricing
The Cloud version of Flockbase is priced based on the number of users and the set of features offered by each plan. Their basic plan starts at $24/month for 2 users. Their pro plan, with 10 users, costs $59/month.
The Desktop version comes with 3 plans, costing $139, $169, and $269 per month, depending on the set of features. All plans come with 12 months of support.
8. Faith Teams
Faith Teams is an all-in-one cloud-based church management software designed to help small and medium-sized churches with essential management and communication tasks.
Key Features
- Member management with tagging and filtering options.
- Online giving and contribution tracking.
- Events with attendance tracking, service planning, and volunteer management.
- Email and text communication tools.
- Free data migration service.
Pros
- Only one pricing option that provides everything that Faith Teams offers.
- User-friendly interface with easy access to key features.
- Cloud-based, accessible from anywhere, including on mobile devices.
Cons
- Limited advanced features for larger churches with more complex needs.
- Limited reporting.
- Fewer integrations with external tools compared to alternatives.
Pricing
Faith Teams offers a flat-rate pricing model with unlimited users. It costs $50 per month or $500 per year to get access to all available features.
9. ACS Technologies
ACS Technologies is a robust, full-featured church management system designed for churches of all sizes, offering solutions for communication, finances, and member engagement.
Key Features
- Member management with detailed profiles and customizable fields.
- Integrated accounting and donation tracking tools.
- Event and volunteer management.
- Small group management and communication tools.
- Reporting and analytics for church growth and giving trends.
Pros
- Comprehensive, all-in-one solution for churches of all sizes
- Strong financial management features, including payroll and budgeting
- Extensive support and training resources are available
Cons
- Higher cost compared to other platforms, making it less accessible for smaller churches.
- A steeper learning curve due to the breadth of features.
- Requires desktop software installation for some modules, limiting accessibility.
Pricing
ACS Technologies offers flexible pricing based on specific church needs, with additional costs for advanced modules like accounting, payroll, and event management. It’s a higher-end solution with a custom pricing structure. Pricing is not disclosed on the platform’s website.
10. Servant Keeper
Servant Keeper offers both cloud-based and on-premise options, giving churches flexibility in how to use the software.
Key Features
- Member database with customizable fields and family connections.
- Online giving and contribution tracking.
- Event and attendance management tools.
- Reporting and analytics with customization options.
- Volunteer management and group communication tools.
- Free data migration for their highest-price plan. The service is available at a cost for their other plans.
Pros
- Customizable member profiles and reporting features.
- Scalable for churches of all sizes, from small to large.
- Cloud-based option with a mobile app for easy access.
Cons
- Pricing can increase significantly with add-ons and cloud hosting.
- Some users report the desktop version feels less modern.
- Fewer integrations with external tools compared to larger platforms.
Pricing
Servant Keeper offers three main plans, priced depending on included features. Costs range from $64.99 to $269.99 per month, or from $714.89 to $2969.89 per year.
Conclusion
The best church management software for your church depends on its size, specific needs, and budget. Whether you’re looking for advanced financial management tools, communication features, or event planning solutions, there’s a ChMS that’s perfect for you. Each of the platforms listed offers something unique, so be sure to weigh your church’s requirements against the features and pricing of each option.
For further details, explore our ultimate guide to church software or check out what’s key to successful church management today.