10 Best Church Bookkeeping Software for Ministries

"Best Church Bookkeeping Software for Ministries" refers to digital tools that help churches and ministries keep accurate records of their finances and report them in a way that follows the rules for nonprofit and faith-based accounting. These platforms do more than just simple bookkeeping. They help with budgeting, tracking donations, fund accounting, and following the rules about money that only religious groups are able to follow. The "best" software usually has strong features, is affordable, is easy to use, works with church management systems, and is easily expanded to fit different church sizes. Choosing the optimal alternative lowers administrative burden and enhances decision-making while ensuring ministries preserve financial integrity, openness, and accountability.

The 10 best church bookkeeping software for ministries are listed below.

Ministry Brands: Ministry Brands has a set of financial and management tools for churches that are meant to help with accurate bookkeeping, tracking donations, and fund accounting. It works well with other ministry tools and is perfect for churches that want a complete answer that does everything.

Xero: Xero is a cloud-based accounting tool that is known for being easy to use, automated, and able to track finances in real time. It's not just for churches, but it has the potential to be changed to fit the needs of nonprofits and keep track of funds.

ChurchTrac: ChurchTrac is a program that helps churches handle their finances and keep their records. It has tools for tracking donations, making budgets, and doing basic fund accounting. It's easy to use and doesn't cost a lot of money, so small to medium-sized groups should consider it.

Sage Intacct: Sage Intacct is a powerful financial management system designed specifically for charities. It includes advanced accounting tools, real-time reporting, and records that are ready for an audit. It works great for big groups that need to be able to grow and keep an eye on their money.

QuickBooks Online Advanced: QuickBooks Online Advanced has more features, like reporting that is easy to customize, user rights, and automation tools that are made for people who need to keep complicated books. It's not just for churches, but a lot of charities use it because it's reliable and flexible.

Aplos: Aplos is made for churches and groups, and it has great features for tracking donors, keeping track of funds, and making financial reports. It's perfect for small to medium-sized churches because it's easy to use and has a CRM built in.

ParishSOFT: ParishSOFT is designed to meet the needs of Catholic churches and dioceses. It offers fund accounting, offertory tracking, and financial control at the diocesan level. It's perfect for faith-based groups with difficult needs because it's built with churches in mind.

ACS Technologies: ACS Technologies offers a complete set of financial and management tools for churches, including budgeting, payroll, and accounting software designed specifically for missions. It's very popular with medium-sized to big churches because it is easily expanded and is designed to fit the needs of churches.

Shelby Financials: Shelby Financials is part of the ShelbyNext suite and is a powerful accounting program for churches that run more than one school. It allows them to make detailed financial reports, keep track of the funds, and connect to other church tools.

IconCMO: IconCMO is a cloud-based service for managing church finances and members. It has built-in fund budgeting and tracking for contributions. It's cheap, easy to use, and made to fit the needs of small to medium-sized churches.

1. Ministry Brands

Ministry Brands is a cloud-based church management suite that is designed to help nonprofit organizations with their bookkeeping and accounting needs. All of these features are built into a single platform; fund accounting, tracking donations, fixed asset management, payroll, planning, and reports that are ready for audit. The cheapest plan for Ministry Brands costs about $9 to $19 a month, and the price goes up depending on the benefits and the size of the congregation. Users like how easy it is to use and how centralized access to financial info is, but new users may need some time to get used to it. Customer service knows a lot about church technology and provides assistance with teaching and quick responses. The pros of Ministry Brands are that it works well with other programs, has a lot of features that are useful for churches, and has strong compliance tools. The cons are that it is hard to learn at first, and the costs potentially go up as more modules are added.

2. Xero

Xero is a cloud-based accounting tool that small to medium-sized churches like because it is easy to use and gives real-time financial information. It has tools for keeping books like bank feeds, automated reconciliation, billing, managing expenses, and integrating payroll through Gusto. Prices for Xero start low (for example, $20/month after a trial), and savings are available for nonprofits. People like how easy Xero is to use, how many users it allows, and how well it works on mobile devices, but it doesn't have real native fund accounting. Customer service is usually quick to respond, but there isn't any phone help available. Strong automation, strong connections, and collaboration tools are some of the pros. Cons include payroll expenses exclusively through third-party add-ons and no integrated fund-based accounting.

3. ChurchTrac

ChurchTrac is a cheap, all-in-one platform for managing a church that includes basic accounting, tracking donations, making budgets, and keeping track of funds. ChurchTrac has clean user interfaces made for smaller ministries and bookkeeping tools that allows it to enter data by hand, print checks, and reconcile. Basic plans start at about $8 a month. It's easy to use and quick to set up, but users say it doesn't have a lot of complicated financial reporting options. Customer service is quick to respond and focused on the mission. The pros are that it's cheap, easy to use, and quick to set up. The cons are that it has basic features and is unable to be customized as much for complicated accounting needs.

4. Sage Intacct

Sage Intacct is a cloud-based financial management system designed for nonprofits and larger churches. Sage Intacct has controls for compliance, budgeting, fund accounting, and thorough financial reporting. It has automated processes, support for multiple entities, and documentation that is ready for an audit. Custom quotes are used to set prices, which shows that it meets enterprise-level needs. Users like how deep it is and how it can be scaled up or down, but they say it's hard to learn. Customer service is very skilled, but sometimes users need extra help with implementation. Strong features and support for multiple campuses are pros. Cons include high cost and complexity.

5. QuickBooks Online Advanced

QuickBooks Online Advanced has strong reporting tools, multi-user roles, tracking for classes and funds, and payroll integration. Churches are able to use these features to keep track of their funds. Prices start at about $38 a month, and go up for more advanced plans. Users like how flexible, familiar, and integrated QuickBooks Online Advanced is, but church-specific fund management needs class sets to be done by hand. Support choices include calling and chatting online. Supports a lot of features and connections; downsides include the need for changes to make it work for nonprofits and higher payroll costs.

6. Aplos

Aplos is made to help churches and groups manage their funds. It has tools for budgeting, tracking donations, accepting online donations, and electronically filing IRS Form 990. Plans for Aplos start at about $59 a month and go up or down depending on the number of features and the size of the group. Users like how easy it is to use, how it has a donor database, and how it has specialized support. However, they point out that budgeting and automation are only available with higher-tier plans. Customers really like the customer service. It's easy to use and has features that are specific to churches. The cons are that it's getting more expensive and doesn't automate transactions as well.

7. ParishSOFT

ParishSOFT is a type of accounting software designed specifically for Catholic churches. It helps with things like keeping track of the offertory, managing donations, and reporting to the bishop. It works very well with parish and diocesan processes. Prices are based on the size of the parish. The ParishSOFT system is comforting and familiar to Catholic users, but it seems inflexible in non-Catholic environments. Contexts within the church provide opportunities for support. Benefits include diocesan and church-specific reporting; drawbacks include being restricted to Catholic administration and being less appropriate for other denominations.

8. ACS Technologies

ACS Technologies offers a complete system for managing and accounting for churches. ACS Technologies system includes budgeting, tracking contributions, fund accounting, payroll, and financial reports. Medium-sized to big churches like it because it's cloud-based and scalable. Prices depend on the module and size. Users say it has a lot of features but is harder to learn. Help is given to church clients with a lot of training. A completely integrated church solution is advantageous; however, it is overwhelming for smaller churches and necessitates an investment.

9. Shelby Financials

Shelby Financials is a powerful part of ShelbyNext that was made for churches with more than one site. Shelby Financials has powerful bookkeeping tools like fund accounting, budgeting, tracking fixed assets, and detailed reporting. Prices are based on what users want and are usually higher. Users like that it has controls for large businesses and financial tools that are specific to churches, but the design appears old and hard to understand at times. Help with church finances is what they do best. Benefits include support for multiple sites and a lot of financial information. Drawbacks include high cost and an older-looking user interface.

10. IconCMO

IconCMO is a cloud-based church management and banking tool that small churches are able to use for $35 a month to do fund accounting, payroll, tracking donors, and reporting on contributions. The design is clean and works well on mobile devices. Users have given it good feedback. Support is quick, but there are times when there are delays. Benefits include being inexpensive, church-focused, and user-friendly; drawbacks include having fewer sophisticated features and integrations than larger platforms.

How to Choose Church Bookkeeping Software?

To choose church bookkeeping software, follow the steps below.

Determine whether payroll is required, donation tracking, event budgeting, or sophisticated fund accounting in addition to basic bookkeeping.

Make sure the program has fund accounting capability, which is needed to differentiate between restricted and unrestricted church funds.

Pick software that has an easy-to-use design and works with the tech skills of the team when choosing bookkeeping software.

Choose a platform that is capable of adjusting to the church's size, number of donors, and level of financial difficulty.

Check to see if it works with tools like ChMS (Church Management Software), donation sites, and payroll services.

Give priority to vendors whose customer service is responsive and whose onboarding tools are helpful for churches.

Check the price against your budget and see what's included. Some companies charge extra for things like taxes or extra users.

Choose providers that are made for churches or nonprofits to make sure to follow tax rules and file as a nonprofit.

Choose cloud-based options so that pastors, treasurers, and admins receive real-time updates and updates from anywhere.

Find churches of the same size and faith to learn about the pros and cons of each plan.

What is the average price of Church Bookkeeping Software?

The average price of church bookkeeping software typically ranges from $20 to $100 per month, depending on the church's size and features. Plans as low as $8–$35/month are available from companies like ChurchTrac and IconCMO. Plans in the middle range, like Aplos or QuickBooks Online Advanced, cost an average of $59–$90/month. Enterprise-level platforms with more features, like Sage Intacct, ACS Technologies, or Shelby Financials, need unique quotes and cost several hundred dollars a month because they have a lot of users and need specific modules. Setup, training, or features like donor and payroll portals cost extra.

Are there Free Church Bookkeeping Software?

Yes, there are free church bookkeeping software options available, but it usually only has a few functions. Some free accounting programs, like Wave or GnuCash, are useful to handle simple church finances, but they don't have built-in tools for managing funds or donors. Some tools made just for churches, like ChurchTrac, have free versions that small congregations use for a short time. However, these are likely to lack powerful features like fund segmentation, gift receipts that are compliant with IRS rules, or integrated payroll, all of which are necessary for full church financial management.

What are the Benefits of Church Bookkeeping Software?

The benefits of church bookkeeping software are listed below.

Accurate Fund Tracking: Keeps track of and separates specific funds (like tithes, missions, and building).

Simplified Donor Management: Records gifts automatically and makes contribution statements.

Streamlined Budgeting: It gives clear dashboards for planning ahead and keeping track of your spending.

Compliance Support: Keeps IRS records up to date, files reports, and keeps track of 501(c)(3) standards.

Reduced Human Errors: Lessens the chance of making mistakes or losing info.

Cloud Access & Collaboration: The feature lets multiple users securely handle finances from afar.

Integrated Reporting: The feature makes financial reports in real time for board and leadership meetings.

Time-saving: Automates jobs that need to be done over and over again, like tracking transactions, bank reconciliation, and payroll.

Audit Preparation: Guarantees thorough, traceable documentation for external audits or evaluations.

Data Security: Bookkeeping for churches stores and backs up private church financial data safely.

Are there any differences between Church Bookkeeping and Church Accounting Software?

Yes, there are differences between church bookkeeping and church accounting software, even though they are often sold together in one platform. The main tasks that church accounting software does are daily financial tasks like keeping track of ledgers, recording transactions, and matching up bank statements. Church accounting software, on the other hand, offers more comprehensive financial oversight, including budgeting, fund accounting, financial reporting, and adherence to nonprofit laws. Church bookkeeping software vs church accounting software vary greatly in their roles. Reading and entering numbers correctly is what bookkeeping is all about. Accounting, on the other hand, is about understanding, planning, and making financial decisions. Some platforms only have simple tools for keeping books, while others, like Aplos or Sage Intacct, offer full accounting systems designed just for churches.