Church budgets aren’t business budgets. You’re balancing restricted and unrestricted funds, seasonal giving patterns, capital campaigns, and ministry budgets — all with volunteer leaders who may not have financial backgrounds. The right planning tools make your church budget clear, collaborative, and accurate.

We compared the top financial planning tools for churches on whether they handle fund-based budgeting, ease of use for volunteer leaders, and price.

Quick Comparison

1. Aplos — Best All-in-One Church Financial Planning

Aplos handles budgeting, fund accounting, donation tracking, and reporting in one system. Create budgets by fund, track actual vs. budget, and generate board-ready financials — all without spreadsheets.

Pros:

• Budget by fund (restricted, unrestricted, designated)
• Budget vs. actual reporting by fund and department
• Board-ready financial statements
• Cash flow projections
• Donation revenue forecasting based on giving trends
• Custom report builder for board presentations
• Easy enough for volunteer treasurers to use
• Fund balance reports that make sense to church leaders

Cons:

• $59/month starting price
• No ministry budget request workflow (pastors submit budget requests outside the system)
• Budgeting features are good but not as flexible as spreadsheets
• Limited multi-year budgeting
• No capital campaign-specific budgeting

Pricing: Accounting + Donations $59/month

Best for: Churches that want fund-based budgeting and board-ready reports in one system.

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2. ChurchTrac — Best Budget for Small Churches

ChurchTrac includes budgeting in its all-in-one church management system — and it’s free for churches under 75 members. Create budgets by fund, track actuals, and generate reports that your board can actually understand.

Pros:

• Free for churches under 75 members
• Budget by fund and department
• Budget vs. actual reporting
• Fund balance tracking
• Board-ready financial reports
• All-in-one with membership, attendance, and giving
• Simple enough for volunteer treasurers
• Flat pricing that doesn’t increase with attendance (up to limits)

Cons:

• Interface is dated
• Budgeting is less customizable than Aplos or spreadsheets
• No cash flow projections
• No multi-year budgeting
• Limited forecasting
• Reporting could be more flexible
• No ministry budget request workflow

Pricing: Free (under 75 members); $29-79/month based on size

Best for: Small churches that need budgeting included in their church management system at no extra cost.

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3. QuickBooks — Best if Your Treasurer Knows It

If your church treasurer is a CPA or professional bookkeeper who already knows QuickBooks, the budgeting tools inside QuickBooks work. You can create budgets by class (which approximates funds), run budget vs. actual reports, and generate financial statements. It’s not designed for churches, but it works.

Pros:

• Most treasurers and CPAs already know it
• Budget vs. actual reporting by class
• Good cash flow projections
• Customizable financial reports
• Your CPA can log in and review
• Integrates with everything

Cons:

• No true fund-based budgeting (classes are a workaround)
• Fund balance reports require manual adjustments
• Not designed for church terminology (ministries vs. departments)
• Budget entry is manual (no ministry budget requests)
• Higher-tier plans required for advanced reporting
• Learning curve for volunteer leaders without accounting background

Pricing: Simple Start $30/mo; Essentials $60/mo; Plus $90/mo

Best for: Churches whose treasurer or CPA insists on QuickBooks and is comfortable with class-based fund workarounds.

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4. Google Sheets — Best Free and Simple

For churches with simple budgets (one or two funds, under $100K annual budget), Google Sheets handles budgeting for free. Create a budget template, share it with your finance team, and update it in real time. It’s not fancy, but it works.

Pros:

• Completely free
• Real-time collaboration (multiple people can edit simultaneously)
• Easy to share with board members
• Customizable (build exactly the budget you need)
• Good for simple budgets with 1-2 funds
• Templates available online
• No learning curve

Cons:

• No fund accounting (you build it manually)
• No integration with giving or accounting data
• Manual budget vs. actual updates
• Error-prone (wrong formulas, accidental deletions)
• Doesn’t scale past simple budgets
• No audit trail
• No board-ready formatting (you format manually)

Pricing: Free

Best for: Very small churches with simple budgets and a volunteer treasurer who’s comfortable with spreadsheets.

Get Google Sheets →

How to Build a Church Budget (Regardless of Tool)

No matter which tool you choose, here’s how to build a church budget that works:

Step 1: Start with Giving Trends

• Review the last 12-24 months of giving
• Identify seasonal patterns (summer dip, year-end spike)
• Project next year’s giving conservatively (assume 95% of current trends)
• Don’t budget based on what you hope will happen

Step 2: Gather Ministry Budget Requests

• Ask each ministry leader to submit a budget for the year
• Provide a template so requests are consistent
• Ask for needs, not wants — what’s the minimum to operate effectively?
• Budget meetings should happen 2-3 months before the fiscal year starts

Step 3: Build the Budget by Fund

• General Fund budget (unrestricted giving and expenses)
• Designated Fund budgets (building, mission, youth — each fund tracks separately)
• Capital Fund budget (if applicable)
• Never co-mingle restricted and unrestricted funds in the budget

Step 4: Build in Margin

• Add 5-10% margin for unexpected expenses
• Don’t budget to zero — leave breathing room
• Create a contingency line item

Step 5: Present to the Board

• Use your financial planning tool to generate board-ready reports
• Show budget vs. last year’s actuals
• Highlight significant changes (new ministries, staffing changes, capital projects)
• Be transparent about assumptions (giving projections, expense increases)

Step 6: Review Quarterly

• Budget vs. actual reporting every quarter
• Adjust mid-year if giving is significantly above or below projections
• Don’t wait until year-end to discover you’re over budget

Our Top Pick

For most churches, Aplos provides the best combination of fund-based budgeting, board-ready reports, and ease of use. For small churches (under 75 members), ChurchTrac is free and includes budgeting in its all-in-one system. For churches whose treasurer insists on QuickBooks, use QuickBooks with class-based funds. And for very simple budgets, Google Sheets works — just be careful with formulas.

SoftDecide helps churches, nonprofits, and small organizations find the right software. Our comparisons are independently researched. We may earn a commission if you purchase through links on this page — at no extra cost to you.