Honest comparisons
ChurchStacks vs. the rest.
We looked at every major church platform. Here's an honest breakdown of how we compare — including where they're stronger.
ChurchStacks vs Planning Center
Powerful, but built for the megachurch — not yours.
Planning Center is the most widely used ChMS in the US. It's modular, deep, and genuinely good. The problem: it was designed for large churches with multiple staff. Getting full value means paying for every module separately, and the learning curve is steep for a small team.
Planning Center pricing
$0–$239+/mo per module (à la carte)
ChurchStacks pricing
Free up to 40 members · from $39/mo all-in-one
| Feature | ChurchStacks | Planning Center | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member Management | Yes | Yes | |
| Giving & Donations | Yes | Yes | |
| Events & RSVP | Yes | Yes | |
| Volunteer Scheduling | Yes | Yes | |
| AI Insights & Intelligence | Yes | Partial | AI only via third-party Zapier integrations — not built-in |
| Church Website Builder | Yes | Partial | Church Center app is free; publishing module is limited |
| All-in-one pricing | Yes | No | Each module billed separately — full suite costs $100–$200+/mo |
| No Annual Contract | Yes | Yes | |
| Built for small churches | Yes | Partial | Scales with size but complexity assumes dedicated admin staff |
Where Planning Center falls short
- Modular pricing adds up fast — 5 modules easily exceeds $150/mo
- No native AI features — requires third-party integrations
- Complex setup — assumes dedicated admin staff
- Learning curve is steep for a one-pastor church
- Overkill for churches under 200 members
Where Planning Center is genuinely good
- Very mature platform with a large community
- Industry-leading scheduling and volunteer tools
- Strong mobile apps for members
ChurchStacks vs Breeze ChMS
Simple and affordable — but too limited to grow with.
Breeze is beloved for its simplicity and flat pricing. It's easy to set up and has a clean UI. But simplicity comes at a cost: no AI, limited reporting, and a feature set that often leaves growing churches looking for something more. Their website builder is basic.
Breeze ChMS pricing
$72/mo flat (all features included)
ChurchStacks pricing
Free up to 40 members · from $39/mo with AI included
| Feature | ChurchStacks | Breeze ChMS | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member Management | Yes | Yes | |
| Giving & Donations | Yes | Yes | |
| Events & RSVP | Yes | Yes | |
| Volunteer Scheduling | Yes | Yes | |
| AI Insights & Intelligence | Yes | No | No AI features — not on their roadmap |
| Church Website Builder | Yes | Partial | Breeze Sites exists but is very basic — limited templates |
| All-in-one pricing | Yes | Yes | Flat $72/mo — simple and predictable |
| No Annual Contract | Yes | Yes | |
| Built for small churches | Yes | Yes |
Where Breeze ChMS falls short
- No AI or predictive insights whatsoever
- Website builder is too limited for most churches
- Limited giving analytics and reporting depth
- Feature-frozen — slow to ship new capabilities
- No integrations with modern payment platforms
Where Breeze ChMS is genuinely good
- Easiest ChMS to set up and learn
- Predictable flat pricing — no surprises
- Good customer support reputation
ChurchStacks vs Elvanto
Feature-rich on paper — complex in practice.
Elvanto (now part of Tithely) offers a broad feature set but has long had a reputation for a dated interface and inconsistent support. Pricing scales by active adult count which becomes unpredictable as you grow. Being absorbed into a larger product suite has added friction rather than value.
Elvanto pricing
$19–$413+/mo based on active adult count
ChurchStacks pricing
Free up to 40 members · from $39/mo — simple, flat tiers
| Feature | ChurchStacks | Elvanto | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member Management | Yes | Yes | |
| Giving & Donations | Yes | Yes | |
| Events & RSVP | Yes | Yes | |
| Volunteer Scheduling | Yes | Yes | |
| AI Insights & Intelligence | Yes | No | No AI features |
| Church Website Builder | Yes | No | No website builder included |
| All-in-one pricing | Yes | Partial | Single product but pricing scales unpredictably with active adults |
| No Annual Contract | Yes | Yes | |
| Built for small churches | Yes | Partial | Entry price is low but UI complexity doesn't suit small teams |
Where Elvanto falls short
- Dated, unintuitive interface — needs a full redesign
- Absorbed into Tithely — harder to buy standalone
- Pricing scales unpredictably by active adult count
- No AI or smart recommendations
- Difficult onboarding without a tech-savvy admin
Where Elvanto is genuinely good
- Broad feature coverage across all ChMS areas
- Group management is genuinely solid
- Service planning tools included
ChurchStacks vs Church Community Builder
Enterprise ChMS priced out of reach for most churches.
Church Community Builder (CCB), now owned by Pushpay, is a robust platform used by hundreds of large churches. It has deep community and group management tools. But it's enterprise software — pricing requires a sales call, implementation takes months, and it's simply not designed for churches under 500 members.
Church Community Builder pricing
Quote-based — typically $200–$600+/mo, annual contract
ChurchStacks pricing
Free up to 40 members · from $39/mo — sign up in minutes, no sales call
| Feature | ChurchStacks | Church Community Builder | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member Management | Yes | Yes | |
| Giving & Donations | Yes | Yes | Integrated with Pushpay giving platform |
| Events & RSVP | Yes | Yes | |
| Volunteer Scheduling | Yes | Yes | |
| AI Insights & Intelligence | Yes | Partial | AI People Search added in 2025 — still limited vs. full AI layer |
| Church Website Builder | Yes | No | No built-in website builder |
| Transparent Pricing | Yes | No | "Contact sales" — no pricing published online |
| No Annual Contract | Yes | No | Annual contracts required |
| Built for small churches | Yes | No | Pricing and complexity designed for 500+ member churches |
Where Church Community Builder falls short
- "Contact sales" required — no self-serve signup
- Annual contracts with significant minimum spend
- Implementation takes months — not plug-and-play
- Priced entirely out of reach for average-sized churches
- Complexity requires a dedicated admin or IT person
Where Church Community Builder is genuinely good
- Very deep community and group management tools
- Strong discipleship and care tracking
- Highly customizable for large operations
ChurchStacks vs Tithe.ly
Great giving tools — but the suite is fragmented.
Tithe.ly started as a giving platform and has acquired its way to a broader suite including Elvanto, a website builder, and mobile apps. The giving tools are genuinely good. But as a full ChMS, the experience is patched together — different products with different UIs, inconsistent data, and pricing that's confusing to navigate.
Tithe.ly pricing
$72/mo (core) · $119/mo (all access) · website $19/mo extra
ChurchStacks pricing
Free up to 40 members · from $39/mo — one product, one price
| Feature | ChurchStacks | Tithe.ly | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member Management | Yes | Yes | |
| Giving & Donations | Yes | Yes | Best-in-class giving tools — their original product |
| Events & RSVP | Yes | Yes | |
| Volunteer Scheduling | Yes | Yes | |
| AI Insights & Intelligence | Yes | No | No AI features across any of their products |
| Church Website Builder | Yes | Partial | Sites product exists but costs extra ($19/mo + $149 setup) and is basic |
| Unified experience | Yes | No | Multiple acquired products — inconsistent UX and data models |
| No Annual Contract | Yes | Yes | |
| Built for small churches | Yes | Yes |
Where Tithe.ly falls short
- Multiple acquired products — inconsistent UI across features
- Website builder costs extra and is underpowered
- No AI layer across any product
- Support quality varies by product (different teams)
- Pricing is confusing — hard to know what you actually need
Where Tithe.ly is genuinely good
- Best-in-class giving and donation processing
- Large integrations ecosystem
- Mobile giving app is polished and reliable
ChurchStacks vs Subsplash
Great for media and apps — not for church management.
Subsplash is the go-to platform for churches that want a branded mobile app and strong sermon media delivery. It does that exceptionally well. But as a ChMS, it's shallow — giving and basic contact management are there, but it lacks the depth of a real management platform, and the price for what you get is high.
Subsplash pricing
Custom quote — no pricing published (typically $200–$400+/mo)
ChurchStacks pricing
Free up to 40 members · from $39/mo — transparent, published pricing
| Feature | ChurchStacks | Subsplash | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member Management | Yes | Partial | Group and community tools, but limited traditional member database |
| Giving & Donations | Yes | Yes | Giving platform is solid — 2.3% card + 1% ACH rates |
| Events & RSVP | Yes | Yes | |
| Volunteer Scheduling | Yes | Yes | |
| AI Insights & Intelligence | Yes | No | No AI features |
| Church Website Builder | Yes | Partial | Part of the platform but not a standalone focus — limited customization |
| Transparent Pricing | Yes | No | Custom quotes only — no pricing published online |
| No Annual Contract | Yes | Partial | Contract terms not publicly disclosed |
| Built for small churches | Yes | No | Complex pricing and high cost — not designed for sub-200 churches |
Where Subsplash falls short
- No published pricing — requires a sales conversation
- Weak ChMS depth compared to dedicated platforms
- Expensive for what's included on the management side
- No AI or intelligence layer
- Not designed for day-to-day church administration
Where Subsplash is genuinely good
- Best mobile app builder for churches
- Excellent sermon media delivery and streaming
- Strong media and content experience for members
ChurchStacks vs Pushpay
Built for large churches. Priced for large churches.
Pushpay is the dominant platform for large and mega-churches. It's well-funded, enterprise-grade, and genuinely powerful — with recent AI features added in 2025. But it's priced to match: starting costs typically exceed $500/mo with annual contracts required. It was never intended for the average church.
Pushpay pricing
Custom quote — typically $500–$2,000+/mo, annual contract
ChurchStacks pricing
Free up to 40 members · from $39/mo — month-to-month, no contract
| Feature | ChurchStacks | Pushpay | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member Management | Yes | Yes | |
| Giving & Donations | Yes | Yes | World-class digital giving and donor analytics |
| Events & RSVP | Yes | Yes | |
| Volunteer Scheduling | Yes | Yes | |
| AI Insights & Intelligence | Yes | Partial | AI People Search + Genny assistant launched 2025 — still early stage |
| Church Website Builder | Yes | No | No built-in website builder |
| Transparent Pricing | Yes | No | No pricing published — contact sales required |
| No Annual Contract | Yes | No | Annual contracts are standard |
| Built for small churches | Yes | No | Explicitly targets 1,000+ member churches |
Where Pushpay falls short
- Annual contracts with high minimum spend
- Designed and priced exclusively for large churches
- Implementation requires dedicated onboarding support
- No self-serve signup — everything goes through sales
- Transaction fees on top of subscription cost
Where Pushpay is genuinely good
- Best-in-class donor analytics at scale
- Strong engagement and communication tools
- Deeply integrated giving + management platform
ChurchStacks vs Faithlife / Logos
Great Bible software. A confusing church platform.
Faithlife is best known for Logos Bible Software — one of the most respected tools for pastors. Their church platform (Logos Equip) was an ambitious attempt to build a full management suite. In practice, the ChMS side is underdeveloped, the product lineup is confusing, and the platform has been deprioritized as Logos focuses on their core Bible study product.
Faithlife / Logos pricing
Logos $12–$30/mo · Equip pricing unclear — requires contact
ChurchStacks pricing
Free up to 40 members · from $39/mo with clear, published pricing
| Feature | ChurchStacks | Faithlife / Logos | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member Management | Yes | Partial | Basic people management in Logos Equip — not a true ChMS |
| Giving & Donations | Yes | Partial | Online giving available via Servant Keeper integration — not native |
| Events & RSVP | Yes | Yes | |
| Volunteer Scheduling | Yes | Partial | Not a primary focus — limited tools |
| AI Insights & Intelligence | Yes | Partial | AI sermon tools in Logos — but no management or giving AI |
| Church Website Builder | Yes | Yes | Website builder included in Logos Equip |
| Transparent Pricing | Yes | Partial | Logos subscription is clear; Equip pricing requires contact |
| No Annual Contract | Yes | Partial | Standard SaaS model but Equip terms unclear |
| Built for small churches | Yes | Partial | Accessible price but ChMS side is too underdeveloped to rely on |
Where Faithlife / Logos falls short
- Confusing product lineup — unclear what you actually need to buy
- ChMS is underdeveloped vs. the Logos Bible study focus
- Giving and management are third-party integrations, not native
- Platform feels deprioritized — slow development on the church side
- No dedicated support for church admin workflows
Where Faithlife / Logos is genuinely good
- Logos Bible Software is best-in-class for pastors and preachers
- Free church media tools (Faithlife TV, Sermons) have real value
- Strong theological and sermon preparation resources
The bottom line
Every church deserves great software — not just the ones with big budgets.
Try ChurchStacks free →