How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Rankite is independent; if a vendor ever pays for a featured spot, that listing is clearly labeled Partner.
Key takeaways
- Tithe.ly and Givelify let churches start giving with no monthly fee; Pushpay suits larger churches wanting an integrated engagement platform.
- Planning Center Giving is the natural pick for churches already using Planning Center Services; Subsplash pairs giving with a custom church app.
- Donorbox serves nonprofits beyond churches with strong fundraising pages; Vanco brings decades of church payments experience.
- Compare the real cost: processing fees dominate at low volumes, monthly fees dominate as giving grows; model both.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Tithe.ly | Churches that want giving with no monthly cost | See website | Yes |
 Pushpay | Larger churches wanting an integrated engagement suite | See website | No |
 Givelify | Simple mobile giving with no monthly fee or contract | See website | Yes |
 Subsplash | Churches that want a custom app with giving built in | See website | No |
 Planning Center | Churches already running Planning Center Services | See website | Yes |
 Donorbox | Nonprofits and churches wanting powerful fundraising pages | See website | Yes |
 EasyTithe | Churches wanting straightforward online giving | See website | Yes |
 Vanco | Churches wanting an experienced payments partner | See website | No |
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Mobile giving lets donors give from their phones in seconds: app, text, QR code or web. For churches and nonprofits, the right platform balances processing fees, donor experience and how it fits the rest of church operations. Eight platforms, compared on what actually matters.
#1
Tithe.ly
Best for: Churches that want giving with no monthly cost
Visit tithe.ly
Starting priceSee website
Free planYes
Tithe.ly's Giving plan charges no setup or monthly fee (processing fees apply per gift), which makes it the low-risk starting point for churches new to digital giving. The Tithely app's Quick Give flow and donor experience earn strong reviews, and the platform grows into church management, custom apps and websites as needs expand.
The honest upsell path is the point. Free giving is genuinely free of monthly fees, but text giving, the people database and the app sit on paid tiers. Churches should price the destination, not just the entry, while appreciating that the entry costs nothing monthly.
What we like- Giving plan free to set up with no monthly fee
- Quick Give completes donations in seconds
- Expands into ChMS, apps and websites
Watch out for- Text giving costs extra
- The free tier covers giving only, deeper tools need paid plans
#2
Pushpay
Best for: Larger churches wanting an integrated engagement suite
Visit pushpay.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Pushpay is the integrated play: giving (including text giving) inside a broader church engagement platform with church management, check-in, apps and donor development tools. Larger churches get one vendor for the digital relationship with their congregation, and grant programs help new church plants onboard.
The honest fit is size. Pricing is quote-based and the platform assumes a church with staff to run it; small congregations get more than they need at prices aimed higher. But for churches ready to consolidate engagement technology, Pushpay's breadth is the category reference.
What we like- Giving plus ChMS, kids check-in, mobile app and donor engagement in one
- Everygift donor experience
- Grant programs for church plants
Watch out for- Quote-based pricing aimed at larger churches
- More platform than small churches need
#3
Givelify
Best for: Simple mobile giving with no monthly fee or contract
Visit givelify.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planYes
Givelify keeps it simple: a well-loved giving app with a flat per-donation processing rate and no monthly fees or contracts. Donors give in seconds via app, web or QR code, and churches get analytics and reporting. The app store ratings lead the category.
The honest boundary is scope. Givelify is a giving app, not a church management system; people databases, check-in and follow-up live elsewhere. Churches that only need giving (or already have ChMS) find it ideal; those wanting one platform look at Pushpay or Tithe.ly's paid tiers.
What we like- No signup fee, monthly fee or contract
- Flat processing rate
- Top-rated giving app with fast next-day deposits
Watch out for- Giving-focused
- Churches needing ChMS and check-in run a second system
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Subsplash builds custom church apps (sermons, media, events, groups) with giving integrated, or offers giving standalone. Churches prioritizing mobile engagement get a branded app experience that embeds generosity in the weekly digital rhythm, not a bolted-on donate button.
The honest consideration is strategy. The value compounds for churches whose congregation actually uses an app; churches without that engagement pattern pay for polish they do not use. Evaluate Subsplash when mobile is central to your ministry, not as a generic giving tool.
What we like- Custom church apps with sermons, events and media plus giving
- Giving available standalone or bundled
- Polished mobile experience
Watch out for- Quote-based pricing
- App-centric model suits churches invested in mobile engagement
Starting priceSee website
Free planYes
Planning Center Giving fits churches already scheduling teams in Services: donors, gifts and recurring donations share the same people database and Church Center app, so administration stays unified. The free tier (up to 10 donations monthly) and donation-count pricing suit small churches precisely.
The honest math is modular. Each Planning Center product carries its own plan, which suits churches that like choosing parts but adds up for churches wanting everything. For existing Planning Center churches, though, Giving is the obvious native choice.
What we like- Giving shares people records with Services and Church Center
- Free up to 10 donations monthly
- Modular pricing, pay for what you use
Watch out for- Each product priced separately
- Less of a full engagement suite than Pushpay
#6
Donorbox
Best for: Nonprofits and churches wanting powerful fundraising pages
Visit donorbox.org
Starting priceSee website
Free planYes
Donorbox serves the broader nonprofit world: polished donation forms, crowdfunding-style pages, recurring giving and integrations, deployable on any website in minutes. Churches that also run community nonprofits, and nonprofits generally, get fundraising-first tooling rather than church management.
The honest distinction is focus. Donorbox does not do church management, kids check-in or sermon apps; it does donations extremely well. Organizations whose need is fundraising (not church operations) should prefer it over church suites.
What we like- Fast, embeddable donation forms and fundraising pages
- Nonprofit-friendly pricing
- Works beyond churches for any cause
Watch out for- Less church-specific (no ChMS, check-in)
- Platform fee structure needs reading
Starting priceSee website
Free planYes
EasyTithe does the fundamentals well: online and mobile giving, recurring donations, text giving and reporting, with a free starting option and church-focused positioning. Small churches that find the big suites overwhelming get the essentials without the enterprise apparatus.
The honest trade-off is ecosystem. Integrations, app depth and advanced engagement features trail Tithe.ly and Pushpay. But for churches whose requirement is literally "let our people give online easily," EasyTithe's simplicity is a feature, not a gap.
What we like- Simple setup with free starting option
- Covers online, mobile and text giving basics
- Church-focused support
Watch out for- Smaller vendor with less ecosystem than leaders
- Advanced features trail the big suites
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Vanco has processed church payments for decades, bringing institutional reliability: online giving, mobile, text and kiosk options with strong ACH/e-check support that reduces processing costs on large gifts. Finance teams value the reporting and the vendor's longevity.
The honest comparison is experience. App-first competitors offer slicker donor flows; Vanco offers proven operations. Churches prioritizing payment reliability, low ACH costs and a vendor that has seen everything often prefer the veteran.
What we like- Decades serving churches and nonprofits
- Broad payment options including ACH and e-check
- Established support infrastructure
Watch out for- Less modern donor experience than app-first competitors
- Quote-based pricing
How we chose
We selected established giving platforms with real church and nonprofit adoption, covering free entry points, integrated suites, app-first options and fundraising specialists. We weighed fee transparency, donor experience, mobile quality and how each fits church operations. Pricing comes from each vendor's own pricing page; unverifiable plans are marked "See website." No hands-on testing was performed.
What to look for before you buy
Model the true cost at your volume. Processing fees dominate for small churches; monthly fees dominate as giving grows. Calculate both at your current and projected giving before choosing.
Test the donor experience yourself. Give $1 through the app, text and web flows. Friction you feel, your donors feel; the best platform is the one donors actually complete.
Check the data portability. Recurring donors are hard to migrate; ask how transfers work before committing, and prefer platforms with documented migration processes.
Finally, confirm the operational fit. If you need ChMS, check-in and apps, a suite beats a giving app plus three other systems. If you only need giving, do not pay suite prices for it.
Fee structures decoded: what nonprofits actually pay
Mobile giving fees look small as percentages and add up fast as dollars. A clear picture of the real cost helps nonprofits choose honestly between platforms instead of discovering the math after launch. The total cost has three layers: platform fees, processing fees and extras.
Platform fees are the subscription or per-feature charges. Some platforms charge a flat monthly fee ($0 to $99+), others take a percentage of donations, and several do both. A "free" platform that takes 1 percent of donations costs a $500k-a-year nonprofit $5,000 annually; a $79/month flat fee costs $948. Do the arithmetic on your actual donation volume; the cheaper headline is often the expensive choice at scale.
Processing fees are mostly unavoidable and mostly similar: around 2.2 to 2.9 percent plus $0.30 per transaction for cards, less for ACH bank transfers (often under 1 percent). Where platforms differ is whether donors can cover the fee ("donor covers costs" checkboxes), which typically recovers 70 to 90 percent of processing costs without hurting conversion. If a platform lacks donor-covered fees, add the full processing cost to your comparison.
Text giving has its own economics. Carrier billing (charged to the phone bill) involves mobile carriers taking a significant cut and slow payouts; modern text-to-donate usually routes to card or digital wallet payment with standard processing fees. Ask exactly how text donations flow and when the money arrives; "instant" marketing often means 2 to 7 day payouts.
Watch the extras: fees for additional users, premium support, custom branding, data exports, CRM integrations and event features. Some platforms advertise low base pricing and charge for everything a working nonprofit needs. Request an itemized quote for your first year including every add-on you will use.
Finally, compare against your current cost, not against zero. If staff currently spend 10 hours a month on manual donation entry and receipting, the platform's fee buys back that time. The honest comparison is total cost of the platform versus total cost of the manual process (fees plus staff time plus errors). Most nonprofits find the platform wins, but the math should be explicit.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way for a church to accept online giving?
Tithe.ly's Giving plan and Givelify both start with no monthly fee (processing fees per gift apply). For very low volumes this is the cheapest path; costs shift as volume grows.
What are typical processing fees for church giving?
Card gifts typically cost around 2.9% plus $0.30; bank transfers (ACH) cost less, often around 1% or a flat fee. Exact rates vary by vendor and volume; always confirm on the pricing page.
What is text giving?
Donors text an amount to a dedicated number and complete the gift via a secure link. It is popular for in-service giving; some platforms include it, others charge monthly for the number.
Can donors cover the processing fee?
Many platforms offer fee-cover options where donors can add a little extra so the church receives the full gift. Check whether your chosen platform supports it.
How do churches migrate recurring donors between platforms?
Carefully: recurring gifts usually must be re-established by donors on the new platform unless the vendor offers migration tooling. Plan communication and overlap periods; this is a major switching cost.
Do giving platforms integrate with church accounting?
Most integrate with or export to accounting systems and church management software. Verify your specific accounting setup during the trial, not after signing.
Sources we checked (9)
- https://www.tithe.ly
- https://www.pushpay.com
- https://www.givelify.com
- https://www.subsplash.com
- https://www.planningcenter.com
- https://www.donorbox.org
- https://www.easytithe.com
- https://www.vancopayments.com
- https://pushpay.com/blog/church-giving-platforms-church-plants/
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has spent more than a decade helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through search. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.