Online Giving Platforms for Churches: Complete Comparison Guide for 2026
Choosing the right online giving platform can increase your church's donations by 30-50%. This guide compares every major church giving platform on features, fees, and ease of use.
## The Complete Guide to Online Giving Platforms for Churches
Online giving is no longer optional for churches that want to maintain financial health. According to Barna Group's 2025 study on church generosity, congregations that offer digital giving options receive 32% higher per-capita donations than those relying solely on cash and checks. For a church with 200 regular attenders, that difference can mean $50,000-80,000 per year in additional giving.
But not all giving platforms are equal. Some excel at mobile giving. Others offer the best donor analytics. Some are free. Others cost hundreds per month. This guide compares every major online giving platform for churches in 2026, so you can choose the one that fits your congregation's size, budget, and goals.
---
## Quick Comparison: All Major Church Giving Platforms
| Platform | Monthly Cost | Processing Fee | Text-to-Give | Mobile App | Recurring Gifts | Best For | |----------|-------------|---------------|--------------|------------|----------------|----------| | **Tithe.ly** | Free | 2.9% + 30¢ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Small-mid churches | | **Planning Center** | Free | 2.9% + 30¢ | No | Yes | Yes | PCO users | | **Breeze** | $72/mo (incl. ChMS) | 2.9% + 30¢ | Yes | Yes | Yes | All-in-one users | | **Pushpay** | $200+/mo | 2.9% + 30¢ | Yes | Yes (branded) | Yes | Large churches | | **Subsplash** | Custom | 2.9% + 30¢ | Yes | Yes (branded) | Yes | App-focused churches | | **Givelify** | Free | 2.9% + 30¢ | No | Yes | Yes | Simple giving needs | | **Kindrid** | $0-49/mo | 2.9% + 30¢ | Yes | No | Yes | Text-to-give focus | | **Vanco** | Custom | Varies | Yes | Yes | Yes | Denomination-connected |
---
## Detailed Platform Reviews
### 1. Tithe.ly — Best Free Giving Platform
**Monthly cost:** $0 (giving tools are free; ChMS is separate at $49-199/month) **Processing fees:** 2.9% + 30¢ per credit/debit transaction; 1% + 30¢ for ACH
Tithe.ly has established itself as the default recommendation for churches launching online giving. The reason is simple: the giving platform is genuinely free. There are no monthly fees, no per-transaction surcharges beyond standard processing, and no feature restrictions on the free tier.
**Key giving features:** - **Online giving page** — Embeddable on your church website. Clean, mobile-responsive design. - **Tithe.ly giving app** — Donors download the app, find your church, and give in under 30 seconds. - **Text-to-give** — Donors text a keyword to a number and receive a giving link. Great for in-service announcements. - **Recurring gifts** — Monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly automatic giving with easy donor management. - **Donor portal** — Donors can view giving history, update payment methods, and download tax statements. - **Multiple funds** — General fund, missions, building fund, special campaigns — donors choose where to direct their gift. - **Cover the fees** — Optional checkbox allowing donors to add the processing fee to their gift.
**What sets Tithe.ly apart:** The giving app. Most platforms require donors to visit a website. Tithe.ly's app creates a frictionless mobile giving experience that drives higher adoption rates, particularly among younger donors.
**Limitations:** Tithe.ly's free giving tools do not include member management, check-in, or volunteer scheduling. For those features, you need their paid ChMS ($49-199/month) or a separate platform. Also, text-to-give costs extra at $19/month.
**Best for:** Any church wanting to launch online giving immediately with zero upfront cost. Pair with [Planning Center Free](/reviews/planning-center) for member management.
---
### 2. Planning Center Giving — Best for Planning Center Users
**Monthly cost:** $0 (processing fees only; no subscription) **Processing fees:** 2.9% + 30¢ per credit/debit; 0.5% + 30¢ for ACH (one of the lowest ACH rates)
If your church already uses Planning Center for people management, volunteer scheduling, or check-in, adding Planning Center Giving is a no-brainer. There is no additional subscription cost — just standard processing fees.
**Key giving features:** - **Integrated donor profiles** — Giving data links directly to member profiles in Planning Center People. No manual reconciliation. - **Recurring gifts** — Monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly scheduling with automatic retry on failed payments. - **Donor portal** — Via the Church Center app, donors manage their giving, view history, and update payment methods. - **Fund management** — Unlimited funds and campaigns with individual giving pages. - **Batch management** — Process cash and check donations alongside digital gifts for complete giving records. - **ACH at 0.5%** — Planning Center offers one of the lowest ACH processing rates in the industry, saving churches significant fees on bank transfer donations.
**What sets Planning Center apart:** The integration with the broader Planning Center ecosystem. When a pastor views a member's profile, they see attendance, group participation, volunteer service, and giving history in one place. No other platform matches this depth of integrated data.
**Limitations:** No text-to-give feature. No standalone giving app (giving is accessed through the Church Center app, which requires a Planning Center subscription). The giving experience, while clean, is slightly less mobile-optimized than Tithe.ly's dedicated giving app.
**Best for:** Churches already using Planning Center that want seamless data integration. Compare options in our [Breeze vs Planning Center guide](/compare/breeze-vs-planning-center).
---
### 3. Breeze Giving — Best All-in-One Giving + Management
**Monthly cost:** $72/month (includes full ChMS — giving is not a separate product) **Processing fees:** 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction
Breeze does not sell giving as a standalone product. It is included in the $72/month all-in-one subscription alongside member management, check-in, events, email, and SMS. For churches that want one platform for everything, this simplicity is the primary appeal.
**Key giving features:** - **Online giving page** — Clean, embeddable form with mobile-responsive design. - **Text-to-give** — Included in the base price. Donors text a keyword to give. - **Recurring gifts** — Monthly, bi-weekly, weekly scheduling. - **Integrated donor records** — Giving data is automatically linked to member profiles. - **Fund designations** — Multiple giving categories with separate reporting. - **Batch entry** — Record cash and check donations for complete records. - **Year-end statements** — One-click generation for all donors.
**What sets Breeze apart:** The all-in-one value. A church paying $72/month for Breeze gets giving, member management, check-in, email, SMS, events, and reporting. Buying these features separately (Tithe.ly ChMS + giving, or Planning Center modules) typically costs more.
**Limitations:** Breeze's giving interface, while functional, is less polished than Tithe.ly's dedicated giving app. No custom-branded giving app. Text-to-give functionality is more basic than Tithe.ly's implementation.
**Best for:** Churches under 500 members that want giving integrated into a complete, simple management platform. Read our [Breeze review](/reviews/breeze) and [Tithe.ly vs Breeze comparison](/compare/tithely-vs-breeze).
---
### 4. Pushpay — Best for Large Church Giving Analytics
**Monthly cost:** $200-500+/month (custom pricing) **Processing fees:** 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction
Pushpay is the premium option — and the most expensive. It is designed for churches processing $250,000+ in annual digital giving that need enterprise-level donor analytics, engagement scoring, and campaign management tools.
**Key giving features:** - **Custom-branded giving app** — Fully white-labeled iOS and Android app under your church's name and design. - **Donor engagement scoring** — Identifies at-risk donors based on giving pattern changes. - **Lapsed giver recovery** — Automated outreach to donors who have stopped giving, with re-enrollment prompts. - **Campaign management** — Build multi-phase giving campaigns with goals, progress tracking, and segmented communication. - **Advanced analytics** — Giving trend reports, demographic breakdowns, fund performance, and predictive analytics. - **Text-to-give** — Full text-to-give functionality with custom keywords. - **Recurring gift optimization** — Smart prompts to convert one-time donors to recurring givers.
**What sets Pushpay apart:** Analytics depth. While other platforms show basic giving reports, Pushpay identifies donor behavior patterns — who is about to stop giving, which campaigns drive the highest engagement, and how giving patterns correlate with attendance. For churches where giving represents a seven-figure annual revenue stream, this intelligence is worth the premium.
**Limitations:** Price. At $200-500+/month, Pushpay costs 3-7 times more than alternatives. The platform also focuses heavily on giving — it is not a full ChMS, so you will need a separate platform for member management and scheduling.
**Best for:** Churches with 1,000+ members and $500K+ annual giving. See our [Pushpay review](/reviews/pushpay) and [Tithe.ly vs Pushpay comparison](/compare/tithely-vs-pushpay).
---
### 5. Subsplash Giving — Best for Churches With Custom Apps
**Monthly cost:** Custom pricing (typically $100-300/month for app + giving) **Processing fees:** 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction
Subsplash combines giving with a premium custom-branded church app. If your church wants a professional mobile presence that includes giving, sermon streaming, event registration, and push notifications — all under your church's brand — Subsplash delivers.
**Key giving features:** - **In-app giving** — Giving is built into your custom church app, not a separate giving app. - **Recurring gifts** — Full recurring gift management. - **Text-to-give** — Standard text-to-give functionality. - **Push notification giving prompts** — Send giving reminders as push notifications to app users. - **Media integration** — Sermon audio/video and giving in one app, creating natural giving moments after content consumption.
**Best for:** Churches that want a premium, branded mobile app that includes giving alongside media and community features.
---
### 6. Givelify — Best for Instant Setup
**Monthly cost:** Free **Processing fees:** 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction
Givelify is the simplest giving platform available. Churches create an account, verify their identity, and start receiving donations — often within the same day. Donors download the Givelify app, search for your church, and give in seconds.
**Key giving features:** - **Instant setup** — No website integration required. Your church is listed in the Givelify app directory. - **Donor discovery** — New people can find and give to your church through the app's church finder. - **Simple recurring gifts** — Basic recurring gift scheduling. - **Giving reports** — Standard reports for fund tracking and tax statements.
**Limitations:** Very basic compared to Tithe.ly or Planning Center. No text-to-give. Limited customization. No integration with church management platforms. Givelify takes longer to process payouts (5-7 business days vs 1-2 for most competitors).
**Best for:** Very small churches or new church plants that need online giving immediately with zero technical setup.
---
### 7. Kindrid — Best for Text-to-Give
**Monthly cost:** Free tier available; paid plans at $49/month **Processing fees:** 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction
Kindrid focuses specifically on text-to-give and mobile giving experiences. If your primary giving strategy is announcing "text GIVE to 555-1234" from the stage, Kindrid builds specifically for that use case.
**Best for:** Churches that want the best text-to-give experience as their primary digital giving channel.
---
## How to Choose the Right Giving Platform
### Decision Framework
**Question 1: Do you already use a church management platform?** - Yes, Planning Center → Use Planning Center Giving (free, fully integrated) - Yes, Breeze → Use Breeze Giving (included in subscription) - Yes, other → Evaluate Tithe.ly Free as a standalone giving layer - No → Start with Tithe.ly Free for giving, then add management later
**Question 2: What is your church size?** - Under 200 members → Tithe.ly Free or Planning Center Giving - 200-500 members → Breeze (all-in-one) or Tithe.ly + separate ChMS - 500-1,500 members → Planning Center or Pushpay - 1,500+ members → Pushpay or Subsplash
**Question 3: What is your primary giving goal?** - Launch online giving quickly → Tithe.ly Free or Givelify - Increase recurring giving → Pushpay (best recurring optimization) or Tithe.ly - Integrate giving with member management → Breeze or Planning Center - Maximize mobile giving → Tithe.ly or Pushpay (custom app)
For a broader evaluation, read our [guide to choosing church software](/blog/how-to-choose-church-management-software-guide).
---
## Maximizing Online Giving Adoption
Having the right platform is only half the equation. You need to actively promote digital giving to your congregation.
### The 8-Week Adoption Plan
**Weeks 1-2:** Set up the platform, test with staff, embed on your website. Enable recurring giving, multiple funds, and donor receipts.
**Week 3:** Announce from the stage: "We now have online giving. Visit yourchurch.com/give or text GIVE to [number]." Demonstrate the process on screen.
**Weeks 4-5:** Send email tutorials. Share a 60-second video walkthrough. Post on social media.
**Weeks 6-7:** Share impact stories: "Last month, online giving funded 200 meals at the food pantry."
**Week 8:** Encourage recurring giving specifically: "Set up a monthly gift of any amount. It helps us plan, and you will never forget to give."
For the full adoption strategy, read our [guide to increasing online giving](/blog/increase-church-online-giving).
---
## Processing Fee Comparison by Giving Volume
| Annual Digital Giving | Fees at 2.9%+30¢ (Credit Card) | Fees at 1%+30¢ (ACH) | Savings from ACH | |----------------------|-------------------------------|----------------------|-----------------| | $50,000 | $1,530 | $560 | $970 | | $100,000 | $3,050 | $1,060 | $1,990 | | $250,000 | $7,550 | $2,560 | $4,990 | | $500,000 | $14,800 | $5,060 | $9,740 |
**Key insight:** Encouraging donors to give via ACH/bank transfer instead of credit card can save your church thousands per year. Planning Center Giving offers one of the lowest ACH rates at 0.5% + 30 cents. Mention ACH as an option on your giving page and in donor communication.
---
## The Bottom Line
For most churches, Tithe.ly Free is the best starting point for online giving — zero cost, excellent mobile experience, and text-to-give included. If you already use Planning Center, add their free giving module. If you want everything in one platform, Breeze at $72/month includes giving alongside full church management. Reserve Pushpay for large churches where advanced analytics justify the premium price.
The platform matters less than the action. Any modern giving platform will increase your church's giving if you promote it consistently for 8 weeks.
**Compare your options:** [Best online giving platforms](/best/online-giving) | [Tithe.ly vs Pushpay](/compare/tithely-vs-pushpay) | [Tithe.ly vs Breeze](/compare/tithely-vs-breeze)