That list will become your compass as you evaluate church management systems (often called ChMS). No matter how many bells and whistles a tool has, if it doesn’t help solve your church’s real challenges, it’s not the right fit. The right church software helps you move beyond mass communication and into personalized engagement. Whether it’s welcoming a first-time guest, reminding a small group about their meeting, or checking in with a volunteer, a good ChMS will help you connect consistently without exhausting your team. To help you out, we put up a list of the best accounting software for churches, yet there should be no single answer that will work for everyone.
Especially fitting is the church chart of accounts for small churches. These additional features can make a difference when choosing a church accounting solution, because it can simplify many other processes, not just accounting. That’s why we recommend that you assess the tools we mentioned above from all angles and see how each could potentially help you run your church smoothly and do your accounting in one place. Aplos is a cloud-based nonprofit and church accounting package that automates the tracking of donations, the creation of giving statements, and the generation of customizable reports.
Centralized Budgeting and Expense Tracking
- These options have great features, easy-to-use interfaces, and top-notch customer support.
- I’ve dealt with the same headaches and tested plenty of tools along the way.
- The software has a grant management feature that enables churches to track grants, manage proposals, and report on grant-related activities.
- A good system should keep things organized, save time, and make compliance easy—not the opposite.
- The best church accounting software offers full accounting functionality at affordable nonprofit prices.
This cloud system controls your church’s cash flow, pledges, and conducts limitless payroll transactions. As I mentioned at the beginning, the vast majority of churches are small and don’t need an over-complicated double-entry accounting solution, like Quickbooks. Most just need a single-entry fund-based accounting system to categorize expenses, monitor bank accounts, and manage restricted funds.
But this is a big thing to avoid because it makes the books messy and creates an accounting nightmare. Part of good financial stewardship requires your church to use fund accounting for managing and tracking all donations and expenses. This type of accounting separates revenue and expenses into different categories, depending on their use. We recommend Shelbynext financials because of the wide range of features it offers. It combines your church management and financial management to get the hassle out of your hands.
It aims to remove the accounting tasks off your hands and let you focus on the mission of your church. While this openness is important, your church can also get mandates from the government to give some form of reports. Hence, it is paramount that you give the best reporting and keep proper bookkeeping of your congregation’s finances. However, while there are lots of accounting software for accounting functionalities, there is a need you use proper Church accounting software for this purpose. Which accounting software you choose should be based on your needs as a church.
PowerChurch – Best Overall Church Accounting Software
If you compare Realm to other accounting tools we have already discussed, it is the most attractive cloud-based platform for churches. This software might have fewer accounting tools; however, it is the most suitable software for churches by providing simple accounting solutions. Quickbooks is the gold-standard accounting software, but can be much too complex for church bookkeeping. Try ChMeetings for a more user-friendly experience and fast adoption by servants. Easily import your transaction data from Quickbooks and experience one of the easiest church accounting software out there!
Best Church Accounting Software To Manage Finances In 2025
Its integrated suite ensures all your church’s financial processes are not only managed but also linked in a cohesive system for maximum efficiency and control. Aplos is another popular choice for church bookkeeping, offering a cloud-based accounting platform that integrates with popular giving apps. Aplos’s intuitive interface allows for easy management of funds, tracking of donations, the creation of professional-grade financial reports, and much more. Some useful reporting features to look out for include budgeting and forecasting tools, graphical representations of financial data, and the ability to track donations and expenses by specific categories. These features can help keep your church’s finances organized and provide insights into areas that may require adjustments or improvements. By managing your church finances, you ensure stability, transparency, and long-term sustainability.
Consider how easy they are to use, how well they integrate, their reporting tools, and their customer support. This will help you find the best software for your church’s money needs. PowerChurch Plus and Shelby Financials are for churches that need a lot.
These features help ensure financial control, allowing nonprofits to monitor spending, allocate resources efficiently, and meet donor and regulatory expectations. Yes, many churches benefit from using accounting software to manage their finances, especially if they have a high volume of daily transactions. Accounting software can help churches track their income and expenses, automate invoicing and payment processes, produce financial reports, and manage their payroll. Churches and religious institutions need to manage their accounts, finances and donations – or risk causing confusion or potential financial crises. With the right accounting software, these organizations can improve their accuracy, save time, and better manage their finances. From cloud-based solutions to desktop apps, here is a list of the five best accounting software for churches and religious institutions.
ShelbyNext Financials (Great choice for church payroll software)
If as a leader, you’re in search of a church accounting software that is free to use but does not dial down on the essential features you need, then Wave accounting is a no-brainer. PowerChurch Plus is primarily an on-premise desktop software best suited for small and mid-sized churches, although it has cloud-based software and mobile apps. As the name indicates, PowerChurch has a powerful reach, extending its features and capabilities beyond the average bookkeeping software. Designed by a CPA and executive pastor, Aplos targets the specific needs of churches. Its report and analytics feature allows you to monitor real-time data, including cash flow, funds balances, online giving, and bills. There are still others with fantastic features and uses, although they all share the same purpose as church management solutions.
- Users can organize their chart of accounts by fund, track income and expenses, manage disbursements such as bill payments and check printing, and reconcile bank and credit card statements.
- It’s one of the few church bookkeeping software that’s able to scale adequately for larger churches without losing functionality.
- Aplos is a cloud-based nonprofit and church accounting package that automates the tracking of donations, the creation of giving statements, and the generation of customizable reports.
- The software also provides secure access controls, allowing accounting professionals to set role-based permissions and encryption to protect sensitive financial data.
However, it doesn’t have a super-comprehensive set of tools for marketing. For example, FlockBase doesn’t have tools for marketing–such as a website builder and a tool for custom church apps. Certain tiers include text and email marketing, but they will cost you extra.
Unlike some other options on this list, QuickBooks has not built a specific tool for church accounting and management. Bookkeeping means recording these actions to allow churches to pull best bookkeeping software for churches reports to inform donors and the government on their financial history easily. Araize FastFund is a comprehensive financial management solution that integrates accounting, fundraising, and payroll into a single platform. Designed for mid-sized nonprofits, it helps organizations track donations, manage expenses, and ensure compliance with nonprofit accounting standards. Effective budgeting is the foundation of strong nonprofit financial management. A robust nonprofit budget software should offer core budgeting functions, including tracking actuals versus budget, fund accounting, allocations, and grant management.
Aplos is a cloud-based church administration and accounting solution that expands with your community. Smaller firms may use Wave’s free and authentic double-entry accounting to keep track of their finances. Hosted in the cloud, it allows users to view their data from any location, insert unlimited collaborators, and take a job from a single login. Also, another critical factor to the effectiveness and integrity of a church’s accounting system is maintaining complete and accurate data on which church projects are supported, as well as how that money is spent. The first step is to find the highest rated church bookkeeping software. ChMeetings accounting comes with ready-made reports that provide instant insight into your financial standing, including income, expenses, money allocation, balance sheet, and more.
With automated expense tracking, invoicing, and real-time reporting, Xero is an excellent choice for organizations managing multiple funding sources. It also offers nonprofit discounts, making it an affordable option for smaller teams. For larger churches that require robust and scalable financial management, Sage Intacct is an enterprise-level solution that offers powerful fund accounting, budgeting, and reporting tools.
IconCMO even allows churches to schedule, register, and track attendance for events, such as classes, meetings, and fundraisers. Xero is a cloud-based accounting software that allows businesses to manage their financials, including invoicing, bill payments, expenses, and bank reconciliation. If you don’t need an all-in-one church management and accounting solution, providers like QuickBooks and Xero are market leaders for a reason.
You can keep your books on paper (although we wouldn’t recommend it); or use Excel or any other spreadsheet software. For example, when you need to perform more advanced tasks such as comparing your recorded transactions to your bank statements, you’ll notice that it can get extremely time-consuming. That’s why we have dedicated accounting software that automates much of this work. So, you need church bookkeeping software to simplify your processes and work less on keeping the books in check.
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