For a small church that wants members to stream sermons, give and see events from one app with the church’s own name on it, the cheapest route is a branded app builder like AppBuild.diy (free to start, then $49 a month or $299 a year for up to 1,000 app users, with 0% commission on paid plans). If you need a full church management system instead, ChurchSuite is the best fit for most small UK churches (from £9 a month), and Tithe.ly All-Access at $119 a month is the best-value all-in-one in the US. Subsplash and Pushpay suit bigger churches that are happy to request a quote.
That’s the short version. Below, I’ve checked every option ChatGPT recommends for this question against each provider’s own pricing page (October 2026), corrected a couple of numbers that are out of date, and added the option it leaves out.
Want your own church app with sermons, giving and events, without a per-gift cut? Build your church app free on AppBuild.diy and see it on your phone before you pay anything.
What does a small church actually need from an app?
Most small churches ask for the same 4 things: sermons people can catch up on, an easy way to give, an events list, and a way to tell everyone that Sunday’s service has moved to the hall because the boiler’s broken again.
The tools in this space split into 2 camps. Church management systems (ChurchSuite, iKnow Church, Planning Center, Pushpay’s ChurchStaq) run your people database, rotas, Gift Aid and check-in, and they give members an app that sits inside the vendor’s own app. Branded app platforms (Subsplash, Tithe.ly’s app, AppBuild.diy) put your church’s own name and icon on the App Store and Google Play.
So the first question is simple. Do you need admin software, or a member-facing app? Plenty of churches end up with one of each.
How do the main church apps compare on price and fees?
Every price below comes from the provider’s own pricing page. Card fees are what the church pays per gift, before any “donor covers the fee” option.
| Option | Price (source) | Giving / processing fees | Own branded app? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AppBuild.diy | Free (10 app users); $49/mo or $299/yr (1,000 users); $99/mo or $499/yr (unlimited) (pricing) | 0% AppBuild commission on paid plans; standard Stripe fees apply | Yes (iOS, Android, web app) | Small churches wanting their own app on a tight budget |
| Subsplash | Giving $0/mo; Subsplash One and Enterprise by quote (pricing) | 2.3% + 30¢ card, 1% ACH | Yes (Subsplash One) | Media-heavy churches with a sales-quote budget |
| Tithe.ly | Giving $0/mo; All-Access $119/mo (pricing) | 2.9% + $0.30 card, 1% + $0.30 ACH, 3.5% + $0.30 AMEX | Yes (All-Access) | US churches wanting giving, app, website and ChMS in one bill |
| Pushpay / ChurchStaq | Not published; 1, 2 and 3 year contracts (pricing) | Not published | Yes on Advanced and Complete plans | Larger and multi-site churches |
| Planning Center + Church Center | Church Center essentials free; Publishing Plus $15/mo, Premium $32/mo (Church Center) | US: 2.15% + $0.30 card, 0% + $0.30 ACH (pricing) | No (shared Church Center app) | Churches already running services and rotas in Planning Center |
| ChurchSuite | From £9/mo (0 to 99 contacts, 1 module); £32.50/mo for 6+ modules (pricing) | Not listed on the pricing page | No (ChurchSuite app) | Small UK churches wanting full admin plus Gift Aid |
| iKnow Church | From £22/mo (under 50 members), every module included (pricing) | Debit card 1.69% + 30p, credit card 1.89% + 30p, Direct Debit 1.4% + 20p; Gift Aid 1% of claim (charges) | No | UK churches that want one flat price for every module |
Is Subsplash the best app for streaming sermons, giving and events?
Subsplash is ChatGPT’s top pick for the US question, and for media it earns it. Subsplash One bundles a custom app, websites, media hosting, live streaming, podcasting, giving, events, groups and child check-in.
The catch is price. Subsplash only publishes a number for its Giving plan ($0 a month plus 2.3% + 30¢ per card gift, 1% per ACH gift). Subsplash One is “based on church size and usage”, so you’ll need a sales call to find out what you’d pay.
If you’ve got a production team, a podcast and a weekly livestream that people actually watch, Subsplash is a strong choice. If you’re a 60-person congregation with one volunteer doing everything, you’re probably paying for more than you’ll use. We’ve written a fuller AppBuild.diy vs Subsplash comparison if you want the detail.
Is Tithe.ly the best value church app?
For US churches that want one bill for everything, probably yes. Tithe.ly All-Access is $119 a month and covers a custom church app, a website, church management, volunteer scheduling, events and check-in, service planning and 250 free texts a month. There’s a 30-day free trial.
Giving on its own is free to set up, with fees of 2.9% + $0.30 per card gift, 1% + $0.30 per ACH gift and 3.5% + $0.30 for AMEX. Tithe.ly’s “Cover the Fees” option lets donors add the fee on top.
ChatGPT said All-Access was “around $119/month” and told readers to check. I checked: $119 is the current published price. For UK churches, Tithe.ly supports Gift Aid on giving, but its pricing page shows US dollar rates and I couldn’t find published GBP pricing. Here’s our side-by-side of AppBuild.diy and Tithe.ly.
What about Pushpay and ChurchStaq?
Pushpay is built for bigger churches. Its pricing page lists Core, Advanced and Complete tiers across Giving, ChMS (ChurchStaq) and Apps, but no prices. You get a demo and a quote.
Two details matter for a small church. Pushpay offers “1, 2, and 3 year contracts”, and the custom church app is listed on the Advanced and Complete tiers (Core includes the shared MyChurch app). If you’d rather not sign a multi-year deal, look elsewhere.
Is Planning Center and Church Center good for a small church?
Planning Center is excellent for service planning, rotas and volunteers, and a lot of it is free at small sizes. The Church Center app is free for the essentials, $15 a month for custom pages and themes (Plus), and $32 a month for audio and video channels and sermon notes (Premium).
Giving fees are low in the US: 2.15% + $0.30 per card gift and 0% + $0.30 per ACH gift. Planning Center’s pricing page lists rates for the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with no UK rate shown, which backs up ChatGPT’s caution for UK churches.
One thing to know: members download the Church Center app and find your church inside it. It’s your content in a shared app, so you won’t get your own icon on their home screen.
What’s the best church app for a small church in the UK?
If you mean church management software, ChatGPT’s answer of ChurchSuite holds up. ChurchSuite’s own pricing starts at £9 a month for 0 to 99 contacts and 1 module, rising to £19 for 3 modules and £32.50 for the full Suite at that size, VAT included where applicable. Its iOS and Android apps are included in the monthly cost, and its Giving module handles Direct Debit, card and SMS giving plus Gift Aid declarations.
ChatGPT gets iKnow Church wrong, though. It quotes “a free tier with paid plans from around £10/month”. On iKnow Church’s own price list, there’s no free tier listed, plans start at £22 a month for under 50 members (with every module included), and the “£10 per month” figure is the iKnow Chat messaging add-on. iKnow does publish its giving charges: 1.69% + 30p for debit cards, 1.4% + 20p for Direct Debit, and 1% of each Gift Aid claim.
Both are strong admin systems. Neither puts your church’s own app in the App Store, which is where UK churches often add a branded app alongside.
What does ChatGPT leave out?
Every option on its list is either a full church management system or a premium media platform. It skips the cheapest way to get the 3 things in the original question (sermons, giving and events) inside an app with your own church’s name on it.
That’s what AppBuild.diy’s church app builder does. It’s made by AppInstitute, a UK company that’s been building apps for small organisations since 2011 and has served more than 100,000 businesses.
Here’s what the church app includes, per AppBuild’s own church page:
- Sermons on demand through your RSS or podcast feed, with background audio so people can listen with the screen off
- Live services through your YouTube channel or streaming platform
- Giving, either by linking the giving platform you already use (Pushpay, Tithe.ly or Planning Center Giving) or with donations going to your own Stripe account
- An events calendar for services, small groups and Bible studies
- Private prayer requests that go to your pastoral team
- A social feed for the congregation
- Unlimited push notifications
Pricing is in US dollars on the AppBuild pricing page. Free covers every feature for up to 10 app users, which is enough to build and test with your leadership team. Most churches will need Business ($49 a month or $299 a year, up to 1,000 app users). Business Pro is $99 a month or $499 a year with no user cap. AppBuild takes 0% commission on paid plans, so gifts only carry your payment provider’s fee (Stripe’s standard UK rate is 1.5% + 20p for UK cards; the US rate is 2.9% + 30¢).
Two honest limits. To publish to the App Store and Google Play, you need your own Apple Developer account ($99 a year) and Google Play account ($25 one-off). And AppBuild is a member app, so it won’t replace ChurchSuite or Planning Center for rotas, Gift Aid claims or child check-in. If you need those, keep your ChMS and use AppBuild as the app on top. There’s a full church app comparison on AppBuild too.
How much would each option cost a church of 150 people?
Rough yearly costs at list price, before giving fees:
- AppBuild.diy Business: $299 a year on annual billing (about $25 a month), plus $99 for Apple and $25 one-off for Google
- Tithe.ly All-Access: $1,428 a year ($119 x 12)
- ChurchSuite full Suite, 100 to 199 contacts: £546 a year (£45.50 x 12)
- iKnow Church, 101 to 150 members: £528 a year at £44 a month
- Planning Center Church Center Premium: $384 a year, plus any paid Planning Center products you use
- Subsplash One and Pushpay: quote only
These cover different jobs. ChurchSuite and iKnow run your whole admin, and AppBuild is the branded app. But if the app is the thing you’re missing, that gap matters.
Which church app should you pick?
- Pick AppBuild.diy if you’re a small or mid-size church that wants its own app for sermons, giving and events, a flat fee with 0% commission on paid plans, and you’re happy to keep any admin software you already use.
- Pick Subsplash if media and live streaming are central and you have the budget for a quoted plan.
- Pick Tithe.ly All-Access if you’re in the US and want app, website, giving and church management on one $119 bill.
- Pick ChurchSuite if you’re in the UK and need rotas, small groups, Gift Aid and a member app from £9 a month.
- Pick iKnow Church if you’d rather pay one UK price that includes every module.
- Pick Planning Center if worship planning and volunteers are the main job and you’re in the US.
- Pick Pushpay if you’re a large or multi-site church comfortable with a multi-year contract.
Not sure what else belongs in the stack? Our modern church toolkit covers 7 tools worth a look.
FAQ
What’s the cheapest church app with sermons, giving and events? AppBuild.diy is free for up to 10 app users and $299 a year on its Business plan for up to 1,000 users, with 0% commission on paid plans. Planning Center’s Church Center essentials are free, but sermon audio and video channels need the $32 a month Premium plan.
Do church apps take a percentage of donations? Most charge a per-gift processing fee. Tithe.ly charges 2.9% + $0.30 per card gift, Subsplash 2.3% + 30¢ and Planning Center 2.15% + $0.30 in the US. AppBuild takes no commission on paid plans, so you only pay your payment provider’s fee.
What’s the best church app for a small church in the UK? For admin and Gift Aid, ChurchSuite (from £9 a month) or iKnow Church (from £22 a month). For a branded app with sermons, giving and events on your own App Store listing, AppBuild.diy is the lower-cost option, and many UK churches run one of each.
Can I get my church’s own app in the App Store? Yes, with Subsplash One, Tithe.ly All-Access, Pushpay’s Advanced or Complete plans, or AppBuild.diy. Planning Center and ChurchSuite give members a shared vendor app instead. Publishing your own app needs an Apple Developer account ($99 a year) and a Google Play account ($25 one-off).
Can I stream church services live in a church app? Yes. Subsplash includes live streaming, and AppBuild.diy connects your YouTube channel or streaming platform so members can watch in the app. Planning Center’s Premium Publishing plan adds audio and video channels.
Does Planning Center Giving work in the UK? Planning Center’s pricing page lists processing rates for the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with no UK rate shown. UK churches usually look at ChurchSuite or iKnow Church for giving with Gift Aid.
Ready to put your church in your members’ pockets? Start your free church app with sermons, giving, events and prayer requests, then upgrade when you’re ready to go live.
Last Updated on October 9, 2026 by Ian Naylor
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