Appy Pie Church App Maker

Overview

Appy Pie Church App Maker is a no-code, AI-assisted way to build a branded app for a church or ministry. It suits teams that want sermons, giving and member activities in one mobile destination. Its focus is engagement, not church administration, and publishing to app stores requires a paid plan.

Key features

Sermons and live services

Churches can offer sermon audio through podcast feeds and offline listening, and embed YouTube Live or Vimeo streams with chat. Connections to Church Online Platform streams widen the live-service options. That combination is useful for congregations serving both in person and remotely, though it does not include live real-time translation.

Giving and connections

Giving can connect to Stripe, Tithe.ly, Pushpay or Planning Center Giving, but requires a payment processor account. Churches can also link to Planning Center Kids or Rock RMS check-in. These connections help bring existing services into the app; the product does not replace the systems behind them.

Member participation

Events with RSVP, small-group directories and messaging, prayer requests, Bible reading plans and volunteer scheduling give members several ways to participate between services. Push alerts can be segmented on the paid church app plan, which is more useful for targeted updates than treating every notification as a broadcast.

Pricing

The free plan costs 0.00 USD per free and allows unlimited edits and previews, with rollout limited to members. It is a reasonable way to shape and review an app, but it cannot publish to app stores.

The paid church app plan starts at 16.00 USD per month. It adds Google Play and Apple App Store publishing, giving at commercial volume, live streaming for full congregations and advanced push segmentation. The church-app pricing is framed as a starting monthly rate; the general app-builder trial lasts 7 days and is for developing and testing an app for personal, non-commercial use.

Separate app-builder plans show different prices and quotas in AUD: Basic is 18.00 AUD per month, with Android, 500 push notifications and 500 downloads per month; Gold is 36.00 AUD per month, with Android, 1,000 notifications and 1,000 downloads per month; Platinum is 60.00 AUD per month, with Android and Apple platforms, 2,000 notifications and 2,000 downloads per month. Each includes Google Play publishing on Basic and Gold, while Platinum includes app-store publishing. Basic provides email support, Gold adds chat, and Platinum adds call support. The pricing page also displays AU $36 for Basic, AU $72 for Gold and AU $120 for Platinum, so buyers should confirm the applicable amount and plan before committing.

Enterprise has custom pricing and includes Platinum features, unlimited app creation and push notifications, a custom number of API calls and a dedicated account manager. Google Play and Apple App Store fees are separate from Appy Pie's plans.

Platforms

The church app supports Android, iOS and web. Paid plans support native Android and iOS store publishing, with signed .aab and .ipa builds. The free plan's member-only rollout makes it a preview and limited distribution option, not a public store launch.

Who it's for

Community churches, youth and college ministries, worship teams, missions and church plants are among the intended audiences. It is strongest for organizations that want a branded channel combining media, giving and member activities. Churches seeking a full management system, in-app music licensing, carrier-billed text donations or real-time translation should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Sermon audio, live streaming, giving, groups and member activities cover a broad range of congregational needs in one app.
• Pros: Connections to familiar giving, streaming and check-in services can complement tools a church already uses.
• Pros: The free plan permits unlimited edits and previews, so a team can prepare its app before paying to publish.
• Cons: Public store publishing requires a paid plan, and store fees are additional costs.
• Cons: The free rollout is member-only, while the paid plans with numeric quotas cap monthly downloads and push notifications.
• Cons: It is not a full church management system and lacks real-time translation, music licensing and carrier-billed text donations.

Alternatives

Consider Church App Builders to compare the broader category. Subsplash Church App is worth considering if a free giving plan with no setup costs matters; card and ACH processing fees still apply. Choicely Church App may suit a team comfortable with a free plan based on daily credits, signup bonuses and public mobile apps.

ChurchPlan is a candidate for churches prioritizing a free forever plan with unlimited members, online giving and a personalized church app. Church Compass is a paid alternative with a free trial and a $14.99/mo soft white-label add-on. Churchory is a paid option with a free trial and a plan priced at $89.00 USD per month for up to 250 people.

Tithely Custom Church App is a paid alternative at $89/mo, with cancellation any time without penalty and no lengthy contracts. OnlineGiving.org Church Mobile App is another paid option, with contact-for-pricing terms. MyChurch Cloud Custom Mobile Apps is worth comparing if a published Foundation plan at $39.00 USD per month for up to 500 contacts and three staff users fits better.

Verdict

Choose Appy Pie Church App Maker if your church wants one branded app for sermons, giving and member participation, and can budget for paid store publishing plus separate store fees. Look elsewhere if you need church management rather than an engagement app, or if the missing translation, music-licensing or text-donation capabilities are essential.