15 Best Online Church Management Software Picks For 2024
10 Best Online Church Management Software Shortlist
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 16 tools reviewed.
Sometimes I think that pastoring is like signing up to be a chef, then finding out that your job is mostly kitchen maintenance. Sure, you still get to cook sometimes, but not nearly as much as you want to. At TheLeadPastor.com, we help you cook more. A lot more.
In this article, we compare, review, and rank the very best online church management tools to help with exactly that. this software takes large chunks of admin and management off your plate, whether it's…
- Managing members
- Organizing events
- Tracking donations
… allowing you to spend more time and energy on things that really move the needle forward for the Kingdom.
Why Trust Our Software Reviews
My writing team and I have been testing and reviewing online church management software since TheLeadPastor.com launched in 2019. As pastors and church leaders ourselves, we know how crucial (and tough) it is to choose the right software.Our team invests in deep research to help you make better software decisions. We've tested over 2,000 tools for various church needs and written more than 1,000 detailed reviews. Learn how we stay transparent and our online church management software review methodology.
The 10 Best Online Church Management Software Solutions Summary
| Tools | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| ChMeetings | From $12/month | Website |
| Breeze ChMS | $50/account/month. | Website |
| Churchteams | No price details | Website |
| Blackbaud | Pricing upon request | Website |
| ChurchTrac | No price details | Website |
| Touchpoint | From $39.60/user/month | Website |
| Planning Center | From $14/month/up to 75 group members | Website |
| Fellowship One | Pricing is available upon request | Website |
| Excellerate | No price details | Website |
| Elvanto | From $50/month/account | Website |
Compare Software Specs Side by Side
Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.
Compare SoftwareHow to Choose Online Church Management Software
As you and your leadership team work through your church’s software selection process, I recommend you keep the following features in mind:
- User-Friendly Interface: Look for software that’s easy for everyone on your team to use. A complicated system can frustrate your volunteers and staff. For example, a simple dashboard that lets you manage members, track donations, and schedule events will save time and reduce errors.
- Scalability: Make sure the software can grow with your church. You might be a small congregation now, but you don’t want to switch software when you grow. Look for features that support larger member databases, more extensive event planning, and bigger donation tracking.
- Integration Capabilities: Check if the software integrates with other tools you use. This could be accounting software, email marketing tools, or social media platforms. Integration helps streamline operations and reduces the need to enter the same data multiple times.
- Cost and Budget: Consider your budget and what you’re getting for your money. Some software might have a higher upfront cost but save money in the long run by reducing administrative work. Compare different pricing plans and see which one offers the best value for your needs.
- Customer Support: Good customer support is vital, especially when you’re dealing with technical issues. Check if the company offers 24/7 support, training sessions, and a strong knowledge base. Reliable support can help solve problems quickly and keep your church running smoothly.
These features will help to ensure that the tool you find not only solves your problems, but also easily adapts to your church’s systems, processes, and staff (without requiring too much heavy lifting for implementation).
Overviews Of The 10 Best Online Church Management Software Solutions
Here’s a brief description of each online church management system to showcase each tool’s best use case, some noteworthy features, and screenshots to give a snapshot of the user interface.
Church management software to help you plan and manage events
Chmeetings is a church management system with an informative dashboard that gives you access to crucial data about your church. You can use it to create member profiles and compile them into a church membership directory. Chmeetings has a mobile app that church members can access to view church news and events. The mobile app also lets members update their information as needed.
Chmeetings is an excellent church management software if your church holds many events because of Chmeetings’ event management feature. You can use it to create events and invite your members and guests using emails, text messages, or mobile app notifications. Chmeetings also has a tool that lets you print name tags, QR codes, and QR tags for attendees so you can control the crowd on ticketed events. You can use Chmeetings to check-in people during events, track attendance, and print reports to gauge the success of your event.
Church management software to help you organize and manage groups
Breeze is an excellent church management system if you have a small church that constantly grows because the software allows you to add as many members as you want without affecting your monthly fee. It has a mobile app that works on Android and iOS mobile devices. If you are using an old church management software, Breeze has an import team to assist you in transferring your data into the new system for free, so you don’t need to worry about losing data. It has a church giving feature that makes giving easier for members through text and online giving.
If you want the best church management software to help you manage small groups, Breeze is your best option because it lets you create and manage small groups within your church. You can use Breeze to automatically add and remove members from groups according to their interests and preferences. Breeze has a messaging tool for sending emails and text messages to groups or individuals to stay connected to members. You can also use Breeze to schedule the sending of messages at a later date so you can concentrate on other critical matters.
Church management software with workflow automation feature for handling repetitive tasks
ChurchTeams is a church management solution to empower you with tools like a membership management feature for maintaining a directory of members. It has a giving platform to make donating easier for members. It also has a volunteer management feature for scheduling and communicating with volunteers. ChurchTeams has an informative dashboard to keep you updated on the state of your church and its programs.
Getting simple tasks out of the way can help you concentrate on managing your church, and ChurchTeams can help you with its workflow automation feature. You can automate the sending of welcome notes to new members or follow-ups to absentee members to help you sustain the growth of your ministry. ChurchTeams can also help you automate sending reminders to volunteers of their schedules and roles to ensure you have enough manpower for events.
Blackbaud is a cloud-based church management solution to help you manage online giving, small groups, and ministries. This church software provides church members with online giving options to send tithes, recurring donations, and one-time contributions easily. It has a volunteer management feature to monitor volunteer positions, roles, and schedules. You can use Blackbaud to manage church events, including online registration and payments for ticketed events.
Church leaders need fundraising events to sustain their outreach programs, and Blackbaud is an excellent church software for planning and executing successful fundraisers. You can use Blackbaud to ensure that you can communicate with team members to make planning events easier. Blackbaud also lets you monitor how team members are doing on their assigned tasks so you can offer assistance if needed. You can also use Blackbaud to create reports about your fundraisers to assess their effectiveness.
Blackbaud offers a free trial and customized pricing upon request.
Churchtrac is church management software that combines a wide variety of tools to help you manage your church to help you grow your membership. It has a membership management feature to help you create a directory of members allowing you to send mass emails and text messages with ease. Churchtrac’s giving feature enables you to track donors and contributions. It also has church accounting software that lets you monitor cash inflow and expenses so you can manage your church’s financial health.
Worship services are at the heart of any church, and Churchtrac can help you plan and execute worship services that your members would love. You can use Churchtrac to create a detailed outline of worship services, so volunteers and staff are on the same page during events. Churctrac lets you maintain a comprehensive library of worship songs, ensuring that you can find appropriate songs for various worship services quickly. This church management solution also lets you send email and text reminders to volunteers to remind them of their schedules and roles.
Church management software with a fully-integrated and customizable mobile app
Touchpoint has many church management features to help you take care of your flock, including an email tool to help you promote events and share news with your congregation. It also has a giving feature so a church member can send a donation to help shore up your church’s fund. Touchpoint also has church administration tools like volunteer management, distribution of worship guides, and financial reporting.
Having a mobile app is one of the best ways to stay connected with the church and team members. Touchpoint’s customizable mobile app can help you manage your church better. It has a self-check-in feature so members can register their attendance during their events. Church leaders can use the mobile app to create sermon notes to guide them during worship services. Touchpoint’s mobile app has an accounting feature that lets church members review their giving history and statements.
Touchpoint integrates with other tools like OnlineGiving, Twilio, and Sage.
Touchpoint provides pricing details after a live demo.
Planning Center is church management software with different features to help you take care of your congregation, including a calendar feature for managing events and scheduling resources like facilities and equipment. It has publishing capabilities to create custom web and app content for your members. It also has a giving feature for processing, accounting, and reporting donations.
Maintaining an accurate record of church members is critical for any church because getting to know their members helps church leaders craft programs and services that will serve their congregation better. Planning Center allows you to create an accurate membership database with important details like personal information, contact details, and anniversaries. You can add notes like donations, activities, and group participation to know what activities your church members are interested in. Planning Center also allows you to include background checks to keep young church members safe.
Fellowship One is church software with different tools you can use to manage your congregation effectively. It has a church accounting feature to help you manage your church’s finances. Fellowship One also has a payroll feature to help you ensure you pay your staff correctly and on time. It has an event management feature to plan events, manage resources, send invitations, and manage registration.
Having a website is one of the best ways for a religious organization to welcome new visitors and keep existing members updated. If your church doesn’t have a church website, Fellowship One can help you create and host one. It has a user-friendly editing mode to help you customize your website. Fellowship One can help you create an SEO-friendly website to make it easier to find online. It has a wide variety of website templates you can use to have your website up and running quickly.
Excellerate church management software features like member tracking and attendance tracking can help you monitor the growth of your church and implement plans to sustain the said growth. You can use it to generate church directories to help you connect with members. You can also use it to monitor a pledge, donation, or contribution for records keeping and accounting purposes.
Excellerate Church Management software is an excellent option to increase your church membership because it allows you to track visitors to your website and convert them to leads. With the help of Excellerate, you can send follow ups so you can schedule visits or invite prospects to church events. Excellerate also lets you gauge your success in converting new members so you can improve your methods and attract new members.
Elvanto is a cloud-based church management system, so you can access its tools without installing them on your computer. It has a worship planning tool to help you plan services and manage volunteers. Elvanto also has tools to make your church safer for children, including a child check-in feature and privacy and security tools to protect the information of young worshippers. It also has a church giving tool to track pledges and donations. This online giving tool also gives you access to your church’s financial data to assess your church’s financial state.
One of the best ways to attract more members is by showing members how much your church cares for them, and if you want church management software to promote engagement, then Elvanto is an excellent option. You can use Elvanto to track members and send follow-ups to encourage participation in church activities. It has a pastoral care notes tool to help you create notes about specific members who require your guidance. Elvanto has a reporting tool for creating reports quickly that you can share with your pastoral team to help you craft future programs.
Elvanto integrates with other church management solutions like SongSelect, Tithe.ly, Mailchimp, and PayPal.
Other Options
Here’s a few more that didn’t make the top list.
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- The Top Church Management Software Options Available Today
Selection Criteria for Online Church Management Software
When selecting the best online church management software, we looked first for functionality and meeting specific use cases that matter most to pastors and church leaders.
Here's how we evaluate them:
Core Online Church Management Software Functionality - 25% of total weighting score:
Common features for online church management software typically include member management, donation tracking, event scheduling, communication tools, volunteer management, reporting and analytics, mobile access, accounting integration, customizable dashboards, and online giving.
To be considered for inclusion on my list of the best online church management software, the solution had to support the ability to fulfill common use cases:
- Manage member information and track engagement
- Track and report donations
- Schedule events and manage registrations
- Communicate with members through email and text
- Organize and coordinate volunteers
Additional Standout Features - 25% of total weighting score:
- Unique automated scheduling
- Integration with social media platforms
- Mobile app with full functionality
- Customizable dashboards
- Innovative volunteer management tools
Some tools leverage new features like drag-and-drop event scheduling and advanced analytics dashboards, providing functionality that goes above and beyond generic software.
Usability - 10% of total weighting score:
- Simple, intuitive interface
- Drag-and-drop features
- Easy navigation
- Clear, uncluttered design
- Customizable settings
Onboarding - 10% of total weighting score:
- Availability of training videos
- Interactive product tours
- Pre-built templates
- Chatbots for quick support
- Webinars for in-depth training
Customer Support - 10% of total weighting score:
- 24/7 support availability
- Live chat and phone support
- Comprehensive knowledge base
- Quick response times
- Availability of one-on-one training sessions
Value For Money - 10% of total weighting score:
- Competitive pricing plans
- No hidden fees
- Discounts for non-profits
- Transparent pricing structure
- Comprehensive features included in base price
Customer Reviews - 10% of total weighting score:
- Consistently positive feedback
- High ratings on multiple platforms
- Testimonials highlighting ease of use
- Reviews mentioning strong customer support
- Frequent updates based on user feedback
Choosing the right online church management software means focusing on the features and criteria that matter most to your church's operations. This approach ensures you spend less time on administrative tasks and more time on ministry.
Trends in Online Church Management Software for 2024
Online church management software is growing and shifting at a rapid pace. We’ve tasked some of our team with monitoring the product updates, press releases, and release logs of the most popular tool providers in order to reveal key trends shaping the industry. Here’s what we’re seeing:
- AI and Automation: Many tools are incorporating AI to automate routine tasks like member follow-ups and donation tracking, making operations more efficient.
- Mobile Optimization: Enhanced mobile apps allow users to manage church activities on-the-go, ensuring accessibility and convenience.
- Integration with Social Media: New features enable seamless integration with social media platforms for better engagement and communication with the congregation.
- Enhanced Data Analytics: Tools are providing more advanced analytics and reporting capabilities, offering deeper insights into member engagement and church activities.
- User Customization: Increasing customization options for dashboards and reports allows users to tailor the software to their specific needs.
- Volunteer Management: Improved volunteer management features streamline the process of scheduling, communication, and task assignments.
- Online Giving: Upgrades in online giving tools make it easier for members to donate, with features like recurring donations and text-to-give options.
- Security Enhancements: Enhanced security measures, such as two-factor authentication and encrypted data storage, ensure the protection of sensitive information.
- Event Management: Advanced event management tools support more complex event planning and registration processes.
- Declining Use of Paper-Based Tools: Features that focus on paperless administration, such as digital document storage and e-signatures, are becoming more common, reducing the need for physical paperwork.
All in all, we believe that these trends highlight the ongoing efforts to make online church management software more efficient, user-friendly, and finely-tuned to the needs of modern church operations.
What is Online Church Management Software?
Online church management software is a web-based tool that helps churches manage their daily operations. It keeps track of members, schedules events, handles donations, and communicates with the congregation. Think of it as a digital assistant that organizes everything from volunteer schedules to financial records, making church management easier and more efficient.
Features of Online Church Management Software
When choosing online church management software, it's important to look for features that help reduce time spent on operations. This allows us to focus more on ministry. Here are the top features to look for:
- Automated Scheduling: Helps manage events and services without manual input, freeing up time for ministry tasks.
- Member Management: Keeps all member information in one place, making it easy to track attendance and engagement.
- Donation Tracking: Automatically records donations, simplifying financial reporting and reducing administrative work.
- Email and Text Messaging: Centralizes communication, ensuring everyone gets important updates quickly and efficiently.
- Volunteer Management: Organizes volunteer schedules and tasks, making it easy to coordinate and utilize volunteers effectively.
- Reporting and Analytics: Provides insights into attendance, donations, and engagement, helping make informed decisions.
- Event Registration: Simplifies event planning and registration, reducing the time spent organizing events.
- Mobile Access: Allows access to the software from anywhere, making it easier to manage church operations on the go.
- Integration with Accounting Software: Streamlines financial management by syncing with existing accounting tools.
- Customizable Dashboards: Lets you personalize the dashboard to show the most important information at a glance, saving time on navigation.
Using software with these features means less time spent on managing operations and more time dedicated to ministry. These features make it easier for us to focus on what really matters – serving our congregation and community.
Benefits of Online Church Management Software
Using online church management software offers several key benefits for users and organizations. These tools streamline operations, improve communication, and enhance overall efficiency. Here are five primary benefits to consider:
- Streamlined Administrative Tasks: Automates routine tasks like scheduling, member management, and donation tracking, freeing up time for more important activities.
- Improved Communication: Centralizes communication with built-in email and text messaging tools, ensuring everyone stays informed and connected.
- Enhanced Data Management: Keeps all member information, donation records, and event details in one place, making it easy to access and manage data efficiently.
- Better Event Planning: Provides tools for organizing and managing events, from registration to follow-up, simplifying the entire event planning process.
- Increased Financial Transparency: Tracks donations and finances accurately, providing clear reports and helping maintain financial transparency within the organization.
These benefits show how online church management software can make daily operations more efficient, allowing users to focus more on their core mission. By streamlining tasks, improving communication, and enhancing data management, this software supports the growth and effectiveness of church organizations.
Costs & Pricing for Online Church Management Software
Most of the software providers offer pricing plans that cater to various needs and budgets, offering a range of features to help manage church operations effectively.
| Plan Type | Average Price | Common Features | Best For... |
| Free Plan | $0 | Basic member management, event scheduling, email support | Small churches, church plants |
| Basic Plan | $30/month | Member management, donation tracking, event scheduling, email and text messaging | Small to mid-sized churches |
| Standard Plan | $60/month | All Basic features, plus advanced reporting, volunteer management, online giving, mobile access | Growing churches needing more features |
| Premium Plan | $100/month | All Standard features, plus customization options, integration with accounting software, enhanced security, priority support | Large churches with complex needs |
| Enterprise Plan | Custom Pricing | All Premium features, plus dedicated account manager, custom development, comprehensive training | Very large churches, multi-site organizations |
When selecting a plan, consider the size of your church, your budget, and the specific features you need to streamline your operations and focus more on ministry.
Online Church Management Software Frequently Asked Questions
Can online church management software help with tracking and managing our church's outreach programs?
Yes, most church management software includes features for managing outreach programs. You can track volunteer hours, program attendance, and communication with participants. This helps you keep everything organized and see the impact of your outreach efforts.
How do these tools support multi-campus churches or church networks?
Many church management tools offer multi-campus support. They allow you to manage data separately for each location while providing an overview of your entire network. You can schedule events, track attendance, and manage finances for each campus from one central dashboard.
Are there features that assist with managing church facilities and equipment?
Yes, many church management software solutions include facility management features. You can schedule the use of rooms and equipment, track maintenance needs, and ensure everything is ready for services and events. This helps avoid scheduling conflicts and keeps your facilities in good shape.
Can this software integrate with our existing church website and other online platforms?
Most church management software can integrate with your existing website and other platforms. This includes social media, email marketing tools, and accounting software. Integration helps streamline your operations, making it easier to manage everything from one place.
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