Church finance software is a powerful tool that can help users maintain precise accounting of funds, donations, and expenses to ensure the accounting of financial resources. With the help of finance software, churches can manage payrolls easily so church leaders can devote more time addressing the needs of their members. If you are looking for finance software for your church, here are some of the best finance software you can choose from.
Related Read: How To Conduct Church Financial Management + Best Practices
The Best Church Finance Software
Here’s a shortlist of the best finance software:
- Xero
- QuickBooks Online + Breeze
- PowerChurch Plus
- CDM+
- Realm Church Management
- One Church Accounting
- FlockBase
- Church Windows
- Elexio Church Accounting
- Aplos
Finance Software Comparison Criteria
What do I look for when I select the best finance software? Here’s a summary of my evaluation criteria:
User Interface (UI): I'm looking for a software interface that makes sense to accountants and non-accountants alike, as some churches may not have a dedicated bookkeeper.
Usability: I’m looking for a tool that can be used by any church member helping out with the books. Is it easy to use and understand for users without an accounting degree?
Compatibility: Can you use it to connect with other vital devices like check readers. How about credit and debit card readers or mobile kiosks?
Value for $: Does it have features that justify its pricing?
Church Finance Software: Key Features
1. Payroll: a feature that allows users to automate payroll, ensuring that employees receive accurate salaries to prevent payroll disputes.
2. Bank reconciliation: allows users to spot discrepancies and errors between bank balance and book balance.
3. Reporting and analytics: allows users to generate financial reports to assess the church’s financial standing.
4. Tax calculations: automatically calculate, file, and pay taxes ensuring compliance with government regulations.
Overviews of the 10 Best Church Finance Software
Here’s a brief description of each finance software to showcase each tool’s best use case, some noteworthy features, and screenshots to give a snapshot of the interface.
1. Xero – Best for small churches
Xero is a church accounting software you can use to safely accept donations online so you can replenish funds for your church’s operations and expenses. You can use it to track expenses and settle your bills so your church can continue operating and serving its members. Xero also enables users to track accounts receivables and payables, allowing church administrators a clear view of their churches’ cash flow.
Xero is best for small churches because it has a basic interface ideal for straightforward and recurring pay runs. A small church can use Xero to compute payroll, and it allows churches to pay employees manually or via batch payments depending on the church’s preference. Xero gives you the option of a third-party payroll app as your church grows and your payroll needs become more complex.
Xero pricing starts at $30 per month.
2. QuickBooks Online + Breeze – Best for tax calculations
QuickBooks is a church accounting software you can use to automatically run payroll daily so you can concentrate on your ministerial duties for your congregation. You can use QuickBooks to manage employee benefits to ensure employee satisfaction and increase loyalty. It has a time-tracking functionality ensuring that timesheets are correct and preventing payroll disputes.
QuickBooks is best for settling taxes because it automatically calculates, files, and pays payroll taxes for users after setup completion. QuickBooks also provides users with a guarantee that tax calculations are accurate, and QuickBooks promises to cover up to $25,000 of payroll tax penalty if the calculations are incorrect.
QuickBooks pricing starts at $35 per month plus $4 per employee per month.
3. PowerChurch Plus – Best for issuance of checks
PowerChurch Plus combines church management and a church accounting system you can use to balance your accounts and produce auditable trails to enhance accountability. It also has a simplified payroll system to plug in specific requirements that will automatically compute for you. The system also allows you to track restricted gifts to ensure compliance with FASB 117.
PowerChurch Plus is best for religious organizations that issue many checks for their transactions because of its Quick Check feature. You can use Quick Check to print checks for issuance to suppliers, partner organizations, utility companies, and payroll. PowerChurch Plus also allows you to keep an accurate record of issued checks to ensure that your account stays balanced and has available funds for your checks.
PowerChurch Plus pricing starts at a one-time payment of $395 per user.
4. CDM+ - Best mobile app version
CDM+ is a fund accounting software designed specifically for the unique needs of churches and nonprofits. You can use it to track your income and expenses, ensuring that you have enough funds to attend to your ministry’s needs. Church leaders can use CDM+ to generate reports about the church’s financial health and share them with boards, committees, and staff to give them a clear view of its structure and financial standing.
CDM+ is best for those who work remotely because it has a mobile app version that you can use on iPhones and Android mobile devices. CDM+ mobile allows users a safe and secure way of accessing sensitive financial information. CDM+ also has features available on church management software like access to the member database, calendar management, and push notifications.
CDM+ pricing starts at $100 per month per user with a charge of $5 per month per additional user.
5. Realm Church Management - Best for accurate timesheets
Realm Church Management is a product of ACS Technologies and has a donation management functionality you can use to track donations and generate year-end reports for compliance purposes. Its online giving feature allows you to accept contributions anywhere you are through Realm Church’s mobile app. Realm Church Management provides your church members with the option to contribute through online donations, text giving, or credit cards and debit cards.
ACS Technologies’ Realm Church Management is best for those looking for a nonprofit accounting software they can use as a timesheet management system. Users can use it to specify roles, ensuring that employees receive pay commensurate with their positions. You can also use Realm Church management to review timesheets, ensure accurate payrolls, and avoid disputes.
Realm Church Management’s pricing starts at $29 per month.
6. One Church Accounting – Best for financial dashboards
One Church Accounting has a bank integration feature that provides users a convenient way of importing and categorizing bank transactions for accurate reconciliation. It has a chart of accounts feature to have a complete listing of every account in a general ledger allowing you an easy-to-understand view of your fund’s subcategories. Its budgeting feature will enable you to track your annual budget and ensure that your expenses are within your church’s financial capability.
One Church Accounting is best for those who want customizable dashboards for easier viewing of financial records. This church accounting software presents you with graphs and metrics to have an overview of your income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow in a user-friendly and easy-to-understand format. With the real-time data of One Church Accounting’s dashboards, you can immediately address financial concerns and prevent them from becoming major issues.
One Church Accounting’s pricing starts at $24 per month billed annually. Users can try this church management software for free for 14 days.
7. FlockBase – Best for bank reconciliation
FlockBase is a church management software you can use to compute payroll, pay your staff and comply with IRS regulations. A fund accounting feature allows you to track your fund balances and ensure that your programs have enough funding. FlockBase also has a robust reporting feature you can use to view balances, funds, and expenses on different levels of your organization.
FlockBase is the best church accounting software if you want one with a robust bank reconciliation feature that allows you to match your bank balance with your book balance. FlockBase’s bank reconciliation feature allows you to immediately detect accounting and bank errors so you can correct them immediately. This feature also helps your church prevent and detect fraud to protect the fund and needs of your church.
FlockBase pricing starts at $29 per month for five simultaneous users. FlockBase offers users a 14-day free trial.
8. Church Windows – Best for offline version
Church Windows is a church management system that can also serve your church’s accounting needs like payroll, accounts receivable, financial reporting, and tax computations. You can use it in event registration, child check-in, and post-event reporting so you can assess the effectiveness of your church’s services. Church Windows allows you to send SMS and email communications to ensure that church members are up-to-date with what’s happening in your church.
Church Windows is best for those who want a software solution that works even with no internet connection because it still allows you to work offline. You can still view and update membership records even if you have no internet connectivity meaning you are always productive. Church Windows also allows you to its accounting program offline with records automatically updated once you have internet connectivity to work on your laptop in an area where you don’t have a reliable internet connection.
Church Windows’ desktop version requires a one-time payment of $303 per module, $556 for two modules, $796 for three modules, and $856 for four modules.
9. Elexio Church Accounting – Best cloud-based accounting solution
Elexio is a church management system you can use to manage your church’s database, ensuring that you have up-to-date information on all your members. You can also use Elexio to automate simple and repetitive tasks to streamline workflow so you can concentrate on ministering to your flock. Elexio’s church accounting feature is an add-on you can purchase to ensure that your church complies with government requirements even if you don’t have a CPA on board.
Elexio is best for those who want access to their ChMS while working remotely because Elexio is a cloud-based system. You can use Elexio wherever you are as long as you have an internet connection. Since it is a cloud-based system, other team members will automatically see any updates or changes you implement on the system, ensuring that there won’t be any conflicts or discrepancies.
Elexio’s pricing starts at $35.13 per month for one user.
10. Aplos – Best for reporting and analytics
Aplos is a church accounting software with a robust suite of features, including fund accounting, bank integration, bank reconciliation, pledge tracking, and check to print. It also has an integrated payroll system to ensure that all employees receive accurate salaries helping you avoid payroll disputes and ensuring employee satisfaction. Aplos also has a donor portal that allows church members to contribute to your church safely and securely.
Aplos is best for those who need to generate financial reports so they can get a clear view of their church’s financial health. You can use Aplos to generate budgeting reports to ensure that expenses stay within budget. Aplos also allows you to generate donation reports to give you a better idea of where contributions are coming from and plan how you can improve them.
Aplos integrates with Gusto Payroll System.
Aplos pricing starts at $29.50 per month. Aplos offers a 15-day free trial.
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Other NGO finance software options
Here’s a few more that didn’t make the top list. Some are church-specific but others are simply NGO-friendly with free or low-cost plans.
- Gusto - Best for Payroll Systems
- Gyve - Best for tithe & donation collection
- ChurchTrac - Best for Recurring Transactions
- Sage Intacct - Best for Financial Forecasting
- ACS Technologies - Best for Vendor Management
- IconCMO - Best for CRA Compliant Receipts
- AccountEdge Pro - Best for Custom Paychecks
- ZipBooks - Best for Recording Receipts
- Botkeeper - Best for Automation
- Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT - Best for Fraud Prevention
Is QuickBooks good for churches?
Yes, QuickBooks is good for churches because it can help churches in bookkeeping and financial management (see also church bookkeeping software here). QuickBooks also allows churches to track donations and generate financial reports.
What software do churches use?
There are several software systems that churches can use depending on their needs. A church can use a website builder if it doesn’t have a website or wants to improve its existing website. A church can also purchase donor management software if it wants a system to manage donors and contributors efficiently.
Related Read: 10 Best Church Data Management Systems In 2023
What do you think about these financial software?
Finance software can help churches that want to make payroll and expense tracking easier. Using finance software can help church leaders save time because they can automate payroll and accounting needs to concentrate on taking care of the needs of their congregation. If you want to learn about other useful software, sign up with The Lead Pastor newsletter so you can receive the latest news about software systems that can help you manage your flock.
For even more information, check these articles out:
- Complete How-To Guide To Church Records Management
- Complete Guide To Church Management For Lead Pastors
- Guide To Church Conflict And Crisis Management
And for more tools to help you keep up with your growing church: