A guide for small churches
Best church management software for small churches: how to choose
What a small church needs first, what you can skip, how the pricing models work, the questions to ask, and the main options.
Who wrote this: this guide is written by Steven Chen, co-founder of Churchory, one of the options described below. We've tried to describe every product fairly, using each company's own public pages (checked in October 2026), and we say where others are the better choice. Prices and features change, so check each site before you decide.
Start with what a small church needs most: one shared list of your people, grouped into households, that the right people can see. Then add the one ministry that costs you the most time, whether that's volunteer schedules, kids check-in or event sign-ups.
Choose the product whose pricing you can predict, whose app your volunteers will actually use, and whose team will help you move your data. Try two or three on a real Sunday before you sign anything.
- What a small church needs first
- What you can skip for now
- How the pricing works
- Questions to ask before you sign
- The options at a glance
- The main options
- A two-week trial plan
- Common questions
What a small church needs first
Church management software, often called a ChMS, keeps your people in one place and runs ministries from that list. Large churches use dozens of features. A small church usually needs four things, in this order.
- A people directory with households. One record per person, families linked together, member status, and contact details. Everything else reads from this, so if it's awkward, everything will be.
- A way to reach people. Email or app notifications to the whole church or one group, from the same list, without exporting to another tool.
- Permissions. A kids leader sees their group's children and care notes; the welcome team sees names. A small church has many volunteers touching the system, so this matters more, not less.
- The ministry that hurts most. Pick one: volunteer scheduling, kids check-in, events and sign-ups, small groups, or giving. Fix that, then add the next.
What you can skip for now
- Multi-campus tools, unless you have more than one campus.
- Advanced reports and dashboards. A small church can answer most questions from a filtered list.
- Workflow automation. Useful at scale; at 80 people, a pastor's follow-up list often works better.
- Fund accounting, if your treasurer already uses accounting software. If you want your books in the same system, that narrows your options a lot, so decide early.
- A custom-branded app, at first. Most products include a member app; your own branded one is a nice addition, not a requirement.
How the pricing works
Church software is priced in four main ways. None is better in general; each suits a different kind of church.
| Model | How it works | Suits | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| By people | Every feature included; your tier is set by how many people you track. | Churches with a steady roll that want everything. | The price steps up as you add visitors and children. |
| By product or usage | Separate products, each priced on its own, sometimes with free starting levels. | Churches that need two or three things done well. | Several bills, and tiers that move with usage. |
| One bundle | One price for most or all features. | Churches that want one number for the budget. | Paying for parts you won't use. |
| By quote | Price after a demo, sometimes with a contract term. | Larger or multi-campus churches. | Contract length and what happens at renewal. |
Whatever the model, ask two numbers: what you'd pay this year, and what you'd pay if your church doubled. A tool that's cheap at 60 people and expensive at 150 can still be the right choice, as long as you know it going in.
Questions to ask before you sign
- What will we pay now, and what if we add every visitor and child?
- Is there a contract, or can we cancel any month?
- Who moves our data in, and does that cost extra?
- How do we get our data out if we leave?
- Is there a free plan or trial, and does it need a card?
- Does the giving tool take a percentage of gifts, on top of card processing fees?
- What does a volunteer see on their phone? Can we try it as one?
- Who answers when we need help, and how?
- Which features are still in beta or coming soon?
- Does kids check-in print to the label printer we already have?
The options at a glance
Seven common choices for small churches, listed alphabetically. Every entry comes from that company's own public pages, checked in October 2026. Prices aren't shown for other companies because they change; follow the source links in the next section.
| Product | How it's priced | Free plan or trial | Kids check-in | Member app |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeze | One flat monthly rate, unlimited people | 30-day trial | Not listed on its pricing page | Admin app; church apps in the Tithe.ly bundle |
| Churchory | Free Core, then per product or one price for everything; no people-count tiers | Core free; 45-day trial, no card | Kids product | Free member app; own branded app in Churchory One |
| ChurchTrac | By number of names tracked, all features included | 30-day trial, no card | Included | Website and app included |
| Planning Center | Each product by its own usage tier | Free People database; free starting levels | Check-Ins product | Church Center, shared by Planning Center churches |
| Pushpay | Quote-based, with 1, 2 or 3-year contract options | Free demo | Included | Custom church app |
| Subsplash | Subsplash One by church size and usage, not published | Not stated | In Subsplash One | Custom-branded mobile and TV apps |
| Tithe.ly | All-Access bundle, or separate plans | 30-day trial; free giving | In All-Access | Custom church app |
The main options
Who each one suits, and who should think twice. Sources are linked under each entry.
Breeze
A simple church management system, now owned by Tithe.ly and called Tithely Church Management.
- Good fit if
- You want a straightforward system on one flat monthly plan with unlimited people.
- Think twice if
- You need kids check-in or a member app for your congregation in the same plan. Neither is listed on the Breeze pricing page; both are part of the Tithe.ly bundle.
Sources: breezechms.com/pricing, get.tithe.ly/pricing
Churchory
Our product. Church management software for small and mid-size churches, launched in 2026 by a husband-and-wife team.
- Good fit if
- You want to start free and add only what you need. Core (the people directory, households, roles, church-wide email and push, and the member app) is free with no time limit. Products like groups, events, Sunday serving, kids check-in, care, chat and voting are $250 a year each, or $25 a month. Churchory One is $1,490 a year for everything, including your church's own branded app. There are no people-count tiers or contracts, there's a 45-day trial with no card, and the team moves your data for free.
- Think twice if
- You need fund accounting (Churchory doesn't do it), texting or a church website today (both are in beta and not on sale yet), or the reassurance of a company with a long track record.
Source: churchory.com/pricing
ChurchTrac
An all-in-one system serving churches since 2002, still run by its founder.
- Good fit if
- You want every feature in one plan, including fund accounting, and your attendance is fairly steady. Pricing is set by the number of names you track.
- Think twice if
- You add many visitors and children and don't want the price tied to that count.
Source: churchtrac.com/pricing
Planning Center
A set of separate products (people, services, check-ins, groups, giving and more) with a free people database.
- Good fit if
- You need one or two products done very well, especially worship and service planning, and like starting on free levels. Each product is priced by its own usage tier, with no contracts.
- Think twice if
- You'll need many products and want one predictable price, or your volunteers find several separate products confusing.
Source: planningcenter.com/pricing
Pushpay (Church Community Builder)
Giving, church management (formerly Church Community Builder, now called ChMS) and a custom church app, built to serve churches up to multi-campus size.
- Good fit if
- You're a larger or multi-campus church that relies on deep giving analytics and process tools.
- Think twice if
- You want a published price or month-to-month terms. Pricing is by demo, with 1, 2 or 3-year contract options.
Source: pushpay.com/pricing
Subsplash
Strongest at branded church apps, websites and sermon media, with church management in Subsplash One.
- Good fit if
- A polished branded app, website and media library matter most to you.
- Think twice if
- You want a published price. Subsplash One is priced by church size and usage, and the price isn't published.
Source: subsplash.com/pricing
Tithe.ly
Started with online giving; now sells an All-Access bundle with church management, a custom app, a website and texting. It also owns Breeze.
- Good fit if
- Giving is your starting point and you want an app and website in the same bundle.
- Think twice if
- You only need one or two ministries covered and don't want a bundle.
Source: get.tithe.ly/pricing
There are many more, including ChMeetings, Elvanto, Realm, Servant Keeper and PowerChurch. The questions above work for any of them.
A two-week trial plan
Most products offer a free plan or trial. Use it on real work, not a demo tour.
- Day 1: import a copy of your people list. Note how it handles households and duplicates. (If your list is messy, clean it up first; it takes an afternoon.)
- Day 2: set up the one ministry you most need: a volunteer schedule, a kids room, or an event.
- Day 3: invite two volunteers who aren't comfortable with technology. Watch them use it on their phones.
- Day 7: run one real Sunday on it alongside your current setup.
- Day 10: email support with a real question. Note how fast and how well they answer.
- Day 14: compare. Choose the one your volunteers found easiest, not the one with the longest feature list.
Common questions
What is the best church management software for small churches?
There isn't one answer. The best fit depends on what your church needs most, how you prefer to pay, and who will use it. Start with one shared people list with households, add the ministry that costs you the most time, and try two or three products on a real Sunday before you decide.
How much does church management software cost for a small church?
It ranges from free plans to several hundred dollars a month. Prices are set in different ways: by how many people you track, by which products you use, as one bundle, or by quote. Ask each company what you would pay now and what you would pay if your church doubled.
Do small churches need church management software?
Not always. A shared spreadsheet, calendar and group text can work well for a small church. Software helps when one family's details live in several places, when only one person can find anything, or when Sunday depends on reminders sent by hand.
What is a ChMS?
ChMS stands for church management system, another name for church management software. It keeps a church's people directory and runs ministries like groups, events, volunteer schedules, kids check-in and giving from that one list.
More practical guides for small church teams at Small Church Admin.