Best Church Management Software (2026)
Honest, independently-compiled comparison of the church management platforms actually worth evaluating in 2026 — what each one costs, who it's really built for, and where it falls short. No paid placements.
Last checked: July 2026
| Platform | Best for | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tithe.lyFree tier Giving-first platform that quietly bought Breeze |
Churches that want giving and management bundled under one login | Free (giving only) – $119/mo (All-Access) | Read review → |
| ChurchTrac The budget-conscious full-featured option |
Small churches that want most features without enterprise pricing | From ~$9/mo, scales with the number of people tracked | Read review → |
| Planning CenterFree tier Pick-your-modules freemium — powerful, can add up fast |
Churches that want to configure exactly the tools they need, product by product | Free tier per module; paid tiers scale per-product | Read review → |
| ChMeetingsFree tier The most generous real free tier under 50 people |
Church plants and very small congregations (under 50 people) | Free under 50 people; $12-$60/mo above that by member count | Read review → |
| Aplos Fund accounting first — not a member database |
Churches that specifically need nonprofit fund accounting, not a ChMS | From ~$79/mo (Lite) to $189+/mo (Advanced) | Read review → |
| Pushpay (ChurchStaq) Enterprise giving and ChMS, quote-only pricing |
Larger and multi-site churches with budget for a managed rollout | Custom quote only — no published self-serve pricing | Read review → |
| Realm (ACS Technologies) Established mid-size option, legacy ACS lineage |
Mid-size churches migrating off an older ACS Technologies system | Typically $100+/mo — confirm current quote directly | Read review → |
The short version
Smallest budget: ChurchTrac (from ~$9/mo) or ChMeetings (free under 50 people) get you the most real features for the least money. Want giving + management bundled: Tithe.ly's All-Access ($119/mo) is the one-vendor answer, though it's really Tithe.ly's giving layer plus the Breeze ChMS it acquired in 2021. Want to pick modules à la carte: Planning Center's free-forever People database plus paid add-ons as you need them. Need real fund accounting, not just a database: that's Aplos, not a ChMS at all. Large or multi-site: Pushpay/ChurchStaq and Realm are built and priced for that scale.
Full reviews
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