Church management software (ChMS) keeps member records, groups, check-in and communication in one place. For the church office and treasurer, the questions that matter are narrower: how does giving get recorded, can donors get year-end statements, and how does the money reach the books? Some systems include full fund accounting. Others handle giving well and send it to separate accounting software such as QuickBooks Online.
Every product below was checked on the vendor's own website in September 2026, and we describe only the giving and accounting features those pages list. Features and plans change, so confirm the details with the vendor before you switch. Payroll features are noted where they exist, but church payroll, including clergy housing allowances, is a matter for the church's tax adviser.
If you would rather have someone keep the books, see our list of church bookkeeping services and Danielson Bookkeeping's church bookkeeping page.
How we chose
- Still sold to churches in September 2026, confirmed on the vendor's own site
- Includes online giving or donation records, with giving statements or donor reports
- Includes accounting, or states a documented path into accounting software
- Built for churches, or for churches and nonprofits
- Features described only as the vendor's own pages list them
Planning Center
Planning Center is a set of church products, including People, Services, Groups, Check-Ins, Registrations and Giving. Its pricing page lists People with a free unlimited database, and Giving priced in tiers by monthly donation volume, starting with a free tier.
Giving lists cash and check batches, pledge campaigns, recurring gifts, in-kind donations, donor reports by fund, and donor statements by email or mail, with donors able to self-serve. Planning Center has no accounting product; its Giving page says it has no QuickBooks integration but offers CSV exports that can be imported into most accounting software.
- Donor statements by email or mail, plus donor self-service
- Reports filterable by donor, fund, campus and donation type
- Free People database; Giving has a free starting tier
- Modular products, so a church adds only what it uses
Worth knowing
- No built-in accounting or QuickBooks integration; giving reaches the books by CSV export
- Card and ACH processing fees are separate from the subscription
Tithely Church Management (formerly Breeze)
Breeze ChMS has been rebranded as Tithely Church Management, according to the Breeze site. Tithely lists Giving (online form, mobile app, text-to-give, pledges), Church Management, a church app, websites and a free People database, with an All Access bundle.
Tithely does not list its own accounting product. Its help center documents a QuickBooks Online integration that pushes online gifts, cash and check batches, pledges and event payments into QuickBooks Online, either as daily deposits or individual sales receipts, with Tithely funds mapped to QuickBooks funds.
- Online, app and text giving, plus pledge campaigns
- QuickBooks Online integration with fund mapping
- Choice of daily deposit or per-transaction posting
- Breeze customers are now on Tithely Church Management
Worth knowing
- The QuickBooks integration supports QuickBooks Online only, not QuickBooks Desktop
- No built-in general ledger; accounting stays in QuickBooks
Realm by ACS Technologies
Realm is ACS Technologies' online church management software. It lists Realm Giving (online, mobile app and text) and a double-entry nonprofit accounting system that tracks funds, departments, committees and projects, with budgeting tools and a choice of cash or accrual methods.
Realm's accounting page says it integrates with Realm Giving by letting you post giving batches to the general ledger as deposits, with giving funds linked to ledger accounts. Payroll is listed as a separate tool within Realm's accounting section.
- Built-in double-entry fund accounting
- Giving batches post to the general ledger as deposits
- Budgeting and cash or accrual accounting
- Payroll available as a separate Realm tool
Worth knowing
- Accounting and payroll are add-on tools rather than included in every plan; confirm with ACS
- A larger system to learn than a giving-only product
Aplos
Aplos is nonprofit and church accounting software that describes itself as a true fund accounting system, where every transaction is tied to a fund. It also lists online giving, text giving and one-click monthly, quarterly or annual contribution statements.
Its church management pages list people and household records, group and ministry involvement, a portal for small groups, and event registration. Donors can use a portal to manage their giving, view history and download statements.
- Fund accounting built in, with restricted and designated funds
- Online and text giving that feeds the fund records
- Contribution statements by print or email
- People, groups and event tools alongside the accounting
Worth knowing
- Built for nonprofits of all kinds as well as churches
- Its church management tools are lighter than dedicated ChMS products; compare them with your needs
PowerChurch Plus
PowerChurch Plus is desktop church management software covering membership, contributions and accounting. Its accounting modules list fund accounting with restricted funds and bank reconciliation, accounts payable, accounts receivable and payroll.
PowerChurch says contributions posted in its Contributions module can update Fund Accounting with income and deposit information. PowerChurch also sells a separate cloud product, PowerChurch Online.
- Fund accounting, AP, AR and payroll modules
- Contributions can post to fund accounting automatically
- Bank reconciliation and standard church financial statements
- Desktop and online editions
Worth knowing
- PowerChurch Plus is desktop software; check PowerChurch Online if you need browser access
- Online giving isn't described on the accounting page; confirm how online gifts come in
Pushpay ChMS (formerly Church Community Builder)
Pushpay acquired Church Community Builder, and Pushpay's ChMS is its successor. The ChMS page lists member profiles, attendance, check-in, groups, volunteer scheduling, communication and reporting, with giving history kept inside the same member records.
Pushpay does not sell its own accounting product. Its integrations page lists QuickBooks Online, Sage Intacct and Aplos for accounting, and Gusto for payroll.
- Giving and member records in one system
- Accounting integrations listed for QuickBooks Online, Sage Intacct and Aplos
- Check-in, groups, volunteers and communication tools
- Reporting and dashboards across attendance, giving and engagement
Worth knowing
- Accounting happens in a separate, integrated product
- Pricing isn't shown as a simple list; request a quote
ShelbyNext (Shelby Systems)
Shelby Systems' ShelbyNext Financials is church accounting software with a general ledger, accounts payable and receivable, payroll and bank reconciliation, following nonprofit net asset accounting standards.
Shelby's accounting page says ShelbyNext Financials integrates with its church management, online giving and church app products, so giving and member data can connect to the books.
- General ledger, AP, AR and bank reconciliation
- Payroll with tax calculations and deductions
- Integrates with Shelby's ChMS and online giving
- Suits churches with schools, daycares or several revenue streams
Worth knowing
- A full accounting suite, which may be more than a small church needs
- Pricing isn't published on the accounting page
How to choose
- Decide where the books live. If your church already keeps QuickBooks Online, a ChMS with a good QuickBooks integration may be enough. If not, a system with built-in fund accounting avoids a second product.
- Check fund tracking end to end. A gift designated in the giving system should land in the same fund in the books without re-keying.
- Look at statements. Confirm the system produces year-end contribution statements in the form your donors need.
- Ask who will use it. Volunteer treasurers need something they can learn quickly and hand on.
- Plan the move. Ask how member and giving history transfer, and budget time for it.
Software doesn't replace fund accounting
Every system above can record gifts. None of them decides whether a gift is restricted or designated, or keeps a designated balance from being spent on the light bill. That takes a clear fund structure and a monthly reconciliation. See restricted, designated and general funds and QuickBooks for church fund accounting.
Danielson Bookkeeping works in QuickBooks Online and offers fund accounting, giving records and year-end statements, and church payroll processing, coordinated with the church's tax adviser on matters such as housing allowances.
