Church Windows vs ChurchFinance
Church Windows
churchwindows.comChurchFinance
churchfinance.ioSide by side
| Figure | Church Windows | ChurchFinance |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $17.08/mo | $71/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 20 | 3 |
| Spec score · Church Accounting Software | 9.0 (#6) | 8.1 (#13) |
| Security controls | Administrators can create users with per-user permissions, and inactive users remain in records for audit history. | ChurchFinance states that traffic uses HTTPS/TLS, sensitive credentials are encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM, passwords are hashed, and daily backups are taken. |
| Support | Support tiers provide resource materials, help files, webinars, software updates, phone and email support, with higher tiers adding training and consulting. | The contact page says the team will respond to messages within 24 hours and offers sales, product-demo, and partnership assistance. |
Plans
Church Windows
- 1 module · Standard · Desktop$19 a month
- 1 module · Deluxe · Desktop$29 a month
- 2 modules · Standard · Desktop$39 a month
- 3 modules · Standard · Desktop$49 a month
- 1 module · Elite · Desktop$59 a month
- 1 module · Standard · Web$69 a month
- 1 module · Deluxe · Web$79 a month
- 2 modules · Standard · Web$89 a month
- 3 modules · Standard · Web$99 a month
- 1 module · Elite · Web$109 a month
In their own words
Church Windows
Church Windows provides church-management modules for membership, scheduling, donations, accounting, and payroll. Membership stores family records and involvement; Scheduler organizes calendars, locations, equipment, and event duties. Donations tracks pledges and giving, while Accounting uses fund accounting with reporting, exports, and direct imports from Donations and Payroll. Payroll generates checks, reports, and tax forms, updates federal and state tax tables and forms, and supports electronic filing through Aatrix. Web and Desktop editions have identical features: Web uses secure remote desktop access, while Desktop is installed locally. Desktop requires a 64-bit Windows computer. Web pricing includes one shareable seat with one user at a time; each additional concurrent seat costs $50 per month. Plans start at $19 a month for one Desktop module with Standard support on a 12-month contract. A free working trial is available, with Windows download access; Mac or Web trial access requires calling the company.
ChurchFinance
ChurchFinance is cloud-based financial management software for churches and religious organizations. It records income and expenses using categories, funds, recurring entries, bank rules, CSV imports, and an audit trail. Budgeting covers annual plans, ministry-scoped budgets, fund accounting, and budget-versus-actual tracking. Reports include income statements, fund summaries, cash-flow and reconciliation reports, giving statements, and board packets.
Online giving accepts cards, ACH bank transfers, and Apple Pay through Stripe, for one-time or recurring gifts, with no ChurchFinance platform fees. The free Starter plan covers one team member. Growth is $71 a month, billed annually at $853, and Ministry is $134 a month, billed annually at $1,609. The service says it uses HTTPS/TLS, encrypts sensitive credentials at rest, hashes passwords, and takes daily backups; it has not pursued SOC 2 or HIPAA certification. Users can export donor, transaction, and fund data as JSON or CSV. An auditor portal provides scoped, read-only, time-bound access.