Churchsoft Assist vs Paxton Church & Charity Accounting Software
Churchsoft Assist
churchsoft.comPaxton Church & Charity Accounting Software
paxtonsoftware.co.ukSide by side
| Figure | Churchsoft Assist | Paxton Church & Charity Accounting Software |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $40/mo | £50/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 3 | 4 |
| Spec score · Church Accounting Software | 9.2 (#2) | 8.6 (#8) |
| Company history | The pricing page says Churchsoft has helped churches since 1998. | Paxton says it was established in 1979 and has offices in Rushden, Northamptonshire. |
| Deployment | Assist is offered as browser-based online software or a standalone desktop program. | The product is offered as a cloud service and as a Windows desktop program. |
| Documentation | The documentation page provides a PDF user guide for version 2021 plus download and update links. | Public documentation includes online instructions, trial guidance, Standard and Advanced procedure guides, transaction and donor import guides, and a Members manual. |
| Founded | Churchsoft says it has helped churches since 1998. | 1979 |
| Headquarters | Churchsoft lists 402 Regency Circle, Anderson, South Carolina 29625. | The registered office is 61a High Street South, Rushden, England, NN10 0RA. |
| Purpose | Churchsoft Assist is church-management software for people, attendance, contributions, fund accounting, messaging and reporting. | Paxton Church & Charity Accounting is built for charities and churches, combining fund accounting, donation handling and charity reporting. |
| Security | The vendor describes triple-redundant infrastructure, a military-grade data center, continuous backups and antivirus/security software. | Paxton states that its online service is hosted in a UK data centre with current security certificates and three password-protected security layers. |
| Support | Online subscriptions include unlimited toll-free technical support, backups and updates. | Subscriptions include telephone and email helpdesk support, maintenance, updates and new features. |
Plans
Churchsoft Assist
- Assist 2022$40 a month
- Assist Online$40 a month
- Assist Desktop$898, paid once
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
Churchsoft Assist
Churchsoft Assist is church management software for tracking people, attendance, contributions, fund accounting, SMS messaging, and email. The suite includes more than 50 ready-to-use apps, with tools for membership, groups, attendance, scheduling, prayer, and pastor portals. Accounting features include contributions, a chart of accounts, general ledger, pledges, and payroll. Assist can send emails and texts; a purchase or subscription includes unlimited emails and 1,000 texts, with additional texts sold in packs of 1,000. The maker says churches can add unlimited records. The product is available online through a browser or as a standalone desktop program. Assist Online works on Mac, smartphones, and tablets with an internet connection; the desktop edition requires Windows, including on Mac through a virtual program. The Assist 2022 plan costs $40.00 per month and includes the suite online with unlimited users. There is no free plan, but a trial includes the apps and functions of the purchased program and is limited to 25 records. Online customers receive ongoing technical support; desktop customers receive 90 days of free support.
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.