Church Windows vs Paxton Church & Charity Accounting Software
Church Windows
churchwindows.comPaxton Church & Charity Accounting Software
paxtonsoftware.co.ukSide by side
| Figure | Church Windows | Paxton Church & Charity Accounting Software |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $17.08/mo | £50/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 20 | 4 |
| Spec score · Church Accounting Software | 9.0 (#6) | 8.6 (#8) |
| Deployment | Desktop is installed locally on Windows, while Web uses a hosted secure remote desktop connection accessible from Apple or Windows computers. | The product is offered as a cloud service and as a Windows desktop program. |
| Documentation | Documentation includes searchable context-sensitive help, module help files, a Resource Center, webinars, workbooks and a free Getting Started course. | Public documentation includes online instructions, trial guidance, Standard and Advanced procedure guides, transaction and donor import guides, and a Members manual. |
| Founded | 1987 | 1979 |
| Licence | The EULA grants a non-exclusive limited proprietary licence and prohibits modification, copying, sublicensing and redistribution except for backup. | The public pages do not identify an open-source licence or provide source-code licensing terms. |
| Praise: support | Reviewers repeatedly describe support as responsive, knowledgeable, friendly and useful for troubleshooting and training. | Trustpilot reviewers repeatedly describe the support team as responsive, helpful and quick at solving issues. |
| Support | Support tiers provide resource materials, help files, webinars, software updates, phone and email support, with higher tiers adding training and consulting. | Subscriptions include telephone and email helpdesk support, maintenance, updates and new features. |
| Trial | A free working trial is available; the downloadable trial is Windows-compatible, while Mac or Web trial access requires calling the company. | A no-obligation free trial lasts 30 days. |
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
Paxton Church & Charity Accounting Software
- Standard£50 a month
- Standard£50 a month
- Advanced£75 a month
- Advanced£75 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.
Paxton Church & Charity Accounting Software
Paxton Church & Charity Accounting Software is paid accounting software designed for churches and charities. It runs through a cloud-hosted online version and a Windows desktop version, with access also listed for iOS, macOS and the web. Standard provides multi-fund accounting, purchase ledger, budgets, donations and Gift Aid, document attachments, Charity Commission reports, transaction imports, VAT processing through Making Tax Digital, user access levels, and telephone and email support. Advanced adds sales ledger, invoicing, sales analysis, foreign-currency processing, project analysis and project budgets. Reporting follows Charity Commission SORP requirements and can produce a SOFA in Charity Commission format. The software manages Gift Aid and creates an HMRC-format schedule. Bank transactions can be imported from statements, but there is no automatic bank feed. Standard costs £50 a month and Advanced £75 a month, excluding VAT, with a 30-day trial and no free plan.