Looking for church management software? Then go no farther than our selection of the best church management software. It will provide you with a straightforward evaluation of the best free and paid church management software for churches on the market in 2023.
What is a Church Management Software?
Church management software is a technology solution for churches and other religious organizations. The system, also known as ChMS, assists churches in easily organizing, managing, and automating their daily operations. A computerized system may handle jobs ranging from simple to sophisticated. Managing member databases and communications, for example, or tracking online donating.
What is the Cost of Church Management Software?
The cost of church management tools varies depending on the source. Prices range from free to almost $300 per month.
The money you pay will normally be determined by two factors: the features that you require and the size of your church. Cloud-based solutions can also allow you to stretch the cost by paying a monthly subscription rather than a one-time price.
How Should the Best Church Management Software be Chosen?
To get the most out of a church management system, you must select the correct solution with the proper mix of features. While features vary depending on the provider and the church’s needs, several things stay constant. An ideal church management solution would make it simple to record, monitor, and store data for your members. It would also make it easier to register and track member attendance at your church and events.
The software would also handle donation and contribution management, including online giving. Aside from that, search for a system that includes calendar management, reporting and analytics, safe child check-ins, and seamless group interactions. And, because there is a sea of such systems on the market, we’ve produced a list of the best 10 church management software here so you can choose only the best.
Best Church Management Software In 2023
Our picks for the best church management software:
- Wild Apricot – The best free church management system for small churches
- Elvanto – The best all-in-one ChMS
- Breeze church management software – Best for usability.
- Chmeetings – Best value for money
- TouchPoint – The best mobile app experience
- Blackbaud is the best option for managing people, ministries, and payments all in one location.
- Excellerate Church Management is ideal for on-site local network setup.
- Fellowship One is the best all-around option.
- Shelby Systems provides the best CHMs for larger churches.
- Servant Keeper – Excellent for expansion.
Overviews of the best 10 Church Management Software
We attempted to cover a wide range of software in this post, taking into account complexity, pricing points, and functionality. But, more than anything, it will come down to your church and the features and functionality it requires to run better. Take a peek and sign up for some free trials to locate the best church management software for your needs.
#1. Wild Apricot – The best free church management software for small churches
- Price: Free for the first 50 contacts.
- Trial: A 30-day free trial is available (no credit card required)
Wild Apricot is a web-based church management system that helps churches and non-profits handle administrative work, membership, websites, event registration, and other activities.
It is a full-service membership management platform. Manage your contacts, handle payments, send communications, and register event guests with ease. You may also use professionally designed and mobile-friendly templates to create a website for your organization.
Wild Apricot is intended for volunteer-run and small-staff groups, with a user-friendly interface that does not necessitate much technical knowledge. You will also have access to a user community of peers and professionals to obtain help and exchange best practices and expertise.
Pros
- Simple to use
- Pricing that is competitive
- Highly adaptable
Cons
- There is a limited selection of website templates.
#2. Elvanto – The best all-in-one ChMS
- $50 per month
- The demo call is accessible.
Elvanto is a cloud-based all-in-one solution with numerous revolutionary features. It simplifies pastoral and administrative tasks. Plan worship programs, manage funds, and interact with members of the church.
Elvanto offers a comprehensive set of tools with no additional modules or fees. Access control, configurable forms, custom reports, mobile apps, event management, group management, email and SMS messaging, volunteer scheduling, and attendance monitoring are some of the key features.
Elvanto makes it simple to schedule worship sessions and manage volunteers. Make run sheets, schedule volunteers, and gain access to your song database, lyrics, and chords. It includes a simple drag-and-drop interface that makes swiftly establishing service plans for your team swift.
Child check-in, privacy, and safety are just a few of the main features included in Elvanto that help children and youth leaders keep track of everyone in their care.
Elvanto also includes powerful tools for accessing financial data, managing contributions, and connecting with various online giving sources.
Pros
- Excellent integration with third-party financial partners.
Cons
- Some functionalities, such as check-in, are not always reliable.
#3. Breeze Church Management Software – Best for usability.
- Starting at $50 per month
- Instant Demo is available for trial.
Breeze is a simple web-based church management software developed for small to medium-sized churches. The church management software allows you to easily update new data, send bulk emails and text messages, securely track attendance and check-in youngsters, and accept donations online and by text message. Breeze church management software has no contract or set-up fees and provides a data conversion service to help you get started immediately.
Breeze church management software makes it simple to manage your church’s database, interact with members by email or text message, provide online and text donating, check in children safely, organize events and volunteers, run reports, and much more!
Pros
- Data transmission from other systems is simple
- Responsive customer service
Cons
- Some aspects are extremely simple.
#4. CHMeetings – Best value for money
- Price: Free for the first 100 persons. Prices start at $10 per month for up to 250 persons.
- There is no trial available.
CHMeetings is a robust church management system built for churches of all sizes and faiths. Manage church membership, groups, activities, follow-ups, and broadcasts with ease.
By doing everything online, CHMeetings transforms your workflow. You may design registration forms, discover who has already submitted theirs and view event attendance data. The app makes it simple for leaders and members to check-in. You may also provide your members with a simple way to manage their online donations and event costs, as well as readily generate up-to-date financial reports.
Managing the legal, security, and privacy elements of your data are simplified, and you have complete control over which data users can access with account restriction settings. CHMeetings includes cutting-edge security and firewall technologies. Data will be protected regardless of the device used to access it. CHMeetings additionally backs up your data on a daily basis.
Pros
- Pricing is tiered based on church size and is quite reasonable.
- Security and firewall features that are up to date
Cons
- The mobile app may benefit from some enhancements.
#5. TouchPoint – Best mobile app experience
- $300 per year (based on a 100-member church)
- There is no trial available.
TouchPoint is a comprehensive cloud-based church management software system that helps church leaders and administrators of mid-sized to big churches search for an off-the-shelf, highly customizable ChMS. A completely integrated mobile app assists you with membership management, volunteer management, kid check-in, discipleship groups, ministry participation, tithing, events, media, and more.
Pros
- Tech help that is responsive
- Best-in-class mobile application
Cons
- The learning curve for the initial setup is considerable.
- Updates are being implemented slowly.
#6. Blackbaud – Best for centralized management of people, ministries, and payments.
- Contact Blackbaud for a price quote.
- There is no trial available.
Blackbaud Church Management Software is a cloud-based platform that allows you to manage all of your people, gifts, communications, events, and volunteers in one place.
Using a single source of data, you may better understand how your congregation interacts with your church. Financial Management, Payments, and more are all connected on a single digital platform. Tithes and online giving for your congregation can be made easier with one-time and regular giving options through a connected giving app. Using full member and family profiles, Faith Journey tracking allows you to gain a better understanding of your members.
#7. Excellerate Church Management – Excellent for on-site local network setup.
- Price: Free for the first 50 members. Prices start at $145 for 100 members (some features omitted).
- There is no trial available.
Excellerate Church Management Software is a comprehensive and versatile system that can be tailored to your church’s specific needs, such as membership management, visitor follow-up, small groups, fundraising, kid check-in, volunteer scheduling, and more.
Pros
- There is a choice between cloud-based and on-premise installation.
- There is no monthly fee for on-site installations, and the cost varies according on church size.
Cons
- Access to technical support is not free.
- SQL knowledge is advantageous.
#8. Fellowship One – the best all-in-one solution.
- Monthly fees begin at $19.60.
- Trial: None are available.
The church management software package of tools from Fellowship One enables easy access to and automatic management of member data. Assimilate new visitors quickly and lessen your staff’s effort. Members can access and edit their own data while also remaining connected to the community via a centralized, online environment.
As your church increases in size, you may automate communication through bulk email, use appealing newsletter designs, quickly target specific demographics or groups, and retain quality personal connections with all of your members.
Pros
- All-in-one answer
Cons
- Not very user-friendly
- Outdated User Interface
#9. Shelby Systems – the best CHM for larger churches.
- Starting at $35.13 per month
- Trial: None are available.
Shelby Arena is a comprehensive church management software system that includes powerful ministry-focused tools and seamless connectivity with Shelby Financials and ShelbyNext Giving. It can assist you in increasing your outreach to current and potential new members through a variety of methods.
It is a cloud-based membership management application for mid-size to big churches that assist with child check-ins, attendance tracking, lodging reservations, and more.
Pros
- Unrestricted access to technical assistance and training materials
- Monthly cost based on church size is competitive.
Cons
- The desktop app is only available for Windows.
- The complicated interface necessitates some technical understanding.
- The software is not constantly updated.
#10. Servant Keeper – the best for expansion.
- Starting at $10 per month plus app licenses
- A free demo is available.
Powerful, user-friendly church management system for attendance monitoring, donor management, mass communication via email or text, child check-in, bespoke financial reporting, and much more! Available on a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, and iOS/Android. Servant Keeper provides both a cloud-based and on-premise system that works on your church’s network.
Pros
- Choose between on-premises and cloud-based solutions.
Cons
- The desktop app necessitates the purchase of a costly license for each computer on which it is used.
Criteria for Comparing Church Management Software
It is worthwhile to consider what constitutes an excellent church management software solution. I examined the church management tools for inclusion on this list using the following criteria:
- Price/quality ratio: How reasonable is the pricing in relation to its features, capabilities, and use case? Is the price straightforward, transparent, and adaptable? How well-designed is the user interface (UI)? Does it have clear displays and simple navigation? Is this resource management system simple to learn and master? Are there tutorials and training available? Are the company’s tech and user support good?
- Features and Functionality: How numerous and how powerful are the essential features and functions provided?
- Integrations: Is it simple to integrate with other tools? Are there any pre-built integrations?
- Customizable: Can you adjust and alter the software to meet the specific demands of your church and team?
- Varying tools should be compared because they have varied price points, different functionalities (such as timesheets, costs, approval workflows, and task management), and different 3rd party connectors.
Note: Alternatively, you can resolve to create an App for your church. This will enable you to bring in all the functionalities you need that are not available in the above-listed Apps.
Conclusion
What do you believe we’re overlooking? What more tools do you recommend, and what would you add to these reviews of church management software?
If you have any recommendations, tips, or thoughts on how to use this type of software, please share them in the comments section below.
Church Management Software FAQs
What does church management software do?
Church management software automates basic administrative, management, and reporting duties for churches and religious organizations. These feature-rich apps are designed to improve communication, streamline daily operations, and foster collaboration.
How do I start a church app?
- Enter a name for your church app. Select a design that meets your requirements and includes your institution’s trademarks.
- Add the functionality you require.
- Test and publish your app.
How much does it cost to create an app for your church?
Their custom apps have many more capabilities, but the setup charge is $999.95. Either plan comes with a 30-day free trial. Price: Depending on the number of users, prices range from $19.95 per month to $129.95 per month. A bespoke app requires a $995 setup cost.
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