5 Best Online Giving Platforms for U.S. Churches

In today’s digital age, offering easy online giving is essential for churches. A great giving platform can help your congregation donate securely from anywhere, while simplifying management for church staff. Below, we highlight five of the best online giving tools (for U.S.-based churches) that pastors love. Each platform is focused on giving (not full church management systems) and is described with key features, plus a few pros and cons to guide your decision.

1. Tithe.ly

Tithe.ly is a widely-used giving platform built for churches, offering web, mobile, text, and even kiosk giving in one system. It’s known for its ease of use (even seniors find it simple) and includes features like recurring donations, donor management, and integrations with other church tools.

Pros:

• Affordable solution with no required monthly fee for basic use, and backed by strong customer support.
• Offers multiple ways to give (mobile app, text, online) with a user-friendly experience for all ages of your congregation.

Cons:

• Some advanced integrations outside the Tithe.ly ecosystem can be limited.
• The interface can feel a bit overwhelming or “busy” for non-tech-savvy users at first.

2. Pushpay

Pushpay is a robust church giving platform that supports donations via mobile app, online forms, text messaging, and even in-person kiosks. Churches appreciate its intuitive user interface and rich engagement features – it even helps nurture one-time givers toward becoming recurring supporters with tools like text-to-give and a custom church app.

Pros:

• Comprehensive features that integrate well with your church’s other systems, plus excellent analytics for tracking giving trends.
• Provides strong onboarding support and coaching (to help you launch successfully) and prioritizes high-level security for safe, worry-free giving.

Cons:

• Pricing is on the higher side – Pushpay can be costly for smaller churches, with tiered plans and annual contracts.
• The platform’s breadth of features means setup can be complex, and it may take time to learn all the tools effectively.

3. Givelify

Givelify is a mobile-first giving app that lets church members donate in just a few taps on their smartphone. It stands out for its simplicity and speed – there’s no complicated setup for donors, and church leaders get real-time tracking of donations and helpful reports in an easy dashboard.

Pros:

• Incredibly simple for members to give (the app’s three-tap giving process is very intuitive).
• Provides useful donation tracking and reporting for church staff, without a steep learning curve.

Cons:

• Limited options to customize the giving experience or branding on the web – you’re mostly using Givelify’s standard app interface.
• Focuses purely on donations, lacking extra church management features some larger organizations might want (it’s not a full ChMS).

4. Donorbox

Donorbox is a popular online fundraising platform used by many churches and nonprofits to collect one-time and recurring donations. It’s known for its easy setup and flexible form builder – you can embed donation forms on your website or share a link, enable text-to-give, and manage donors without any monthly subscription fees (you just pay processing fees).

Pros:

• Budget-friendly with no monthly fees, and it’s mobile-friendly – donors can give via a form on your site or their phones with ease.
• Feature-rich for fundraising: supports recurring gifts, text-to-give, peer-to-peer campaigns, and more, even though it remains simple to use.

Cons:

• Transaction fees can be a bit higher on this platform (Donorbox itself asks for an optional small platform fee), which might impact costs for larger donation volumes.
• Customization of the donation forms is fairly basic – you might have limited control over the design beyond your logo and colors.

5. easyTithe

easyTithe is a long-trusted church giving solution that supports donations via mobile app, online giving pages, text-to-give, and even kiosks in your lobby It’s straightforward for churches to set up – there’s a free starter plan with no setup fee – and it allows members to schedule automatic recurring tithes for consistent giving habits. easyTithe also integrates with the free MinistryOne church app, so your congregation can give and engage with church content in one place.

Pros:

• Offers a free plan (no monthly cost) with core online and mobile giving, and no upfront fees to get started.
• Easy for donors to use – they can give via credit, debit, or ACH and set up recurring donations in a few clicks.
• Includes a complimentary church app integration (MinistryOne) for additional features like viewing sermons or registering for events, alongside in-app giving.

Cons:

• Certain advanced features like dedicated giving kiosks or an online store for merchandise are only available on higher-tier paid plans.
• The built-in reporting tools have limited flexibility – creating custom reports often requires exporting data to a spreadsheet for further analysis.

Each of these online giving platforms can help your church boost generosity and streamline donations. The “best” choice depends on your ministry’s size, budget, and specific needs – so consider which features matter most to your church (e.g. text giving, integration with your database, or low fees). By picking a solution that fits your community, you’ll make giving easier for your members and free your team to focus on ministry. Happy giving!