Can you recommend donation processing software for recurring gifts and pledge tracking at a church?

Yes — for a church, you’ll usually want software that handles:

• recurring giving / online donations
• pledge tracking
• donor statements and tax receipts
• fund accounting or giving reports
• text-to-give / mobile giving if desired
• integration with church management software (ChMS)

Here are some solid options, depending on your church’s size and needs:

Best church-focused donation platforms

1. Pushpay

Best for: larger churches or churches wanting strong mobile giving and engagement tools
Strengths:

• Very good recurring giving experience
• Pledge/campaign tracking
• Text and mobile giving
• Integrates with many church management systems
• Strong donor communication tools

Watch for: can be pricier, especially for smaller churches.

2. Tithe.ly

Best for: small to mid-size churches wanting an all-in-one giving platform
Strengths:

• Easy recurring gifts setup
• Pledge and campaign giving
• Text giving, web giving, kiosk options
• Good reporting
• Often more affordable than enterprise systems

Watch for: some advanced features may require add-ons.

3. Subsplash Giving

Best for: churches already using Subsplash for app/media/website
Strengths:

• Smooth online and in-app giving
• Recurring donations
• Campaign and fund tracking
• Good donor experience
• Works well if you want to combine media, app, and giving

Watch for: best value if you’re already in their ecosystem.

4. Planning Center Giving

Best for: churches already using Planning Center
Strengths:

• Excellent recurring giving management
• Simple donor experience
• Good integration with Planning Center People/ChMS tools
• Solid fund and gift tracking

Watch for: less feature-rich for marketing/mass donor communication than some competitors.

5. Realm Giving

Best for: churches using ACS/Realm church management software
Strengths:

• Good for pledge and recurring gifts
• Strong reporting and donor records
• Integrates with broader church administration tools

Watch for: interface can feel more “church admin” than donor-friendly compared with newer platforms.

General donation processors that can work for churches

6. Stripe

Best for: churches that want flexible payment processing and have tech support
Strengths:

• Reliable recurring billing
• Good APIs and integrations
• Often lower-cost processing than some church-specific platforms

Watch for: not church-specific; pledge tracking and statements usually require another system or custom setup.

7. Donorbox

Best for: smaller churches or ministries needing a simple donation form
Strengths:

• Recurring donations
• Custom forms and campaigns
• Easy setup
• Works with websites and embeds

Watch for: not a full church management solution; pledge tracking may be limited.

What I’d recommend by scenario

• Small church on a budget: Tithe.ly or Donorbox
• Church already using Planning Center: Planning Center Giving
• Church wanting app + giving + media: Subsplash
• Large church or highly engaged giving strategy: Pushpay
• Church already on Realm/ACS: Realm Giving

Key features to compare before choosing

When evaluating, ask vendors about:

• Recurring gift setup: monthly, weekly, annual, custom
• Pledge tracking: campaign pledges vs. actual contributions
• Batch reporting: ability to reconcile with accounting
• Fund designation: general fund, building fund, missions, etc.
• Receipt automation: year-end statements and emailed receipts
• Fees: platform fees + processing fees + ACH fees
• Integration: with your church database/accounting system
• Support: onboarding, training, and live help

My practical advice

If you want the safest starting point, I’d narrow it to:

1. Planning Center Giving if you already use Planning Center
2. Tithe.ly if you want church-focused features without going enterprise
3. Pushpay if you need a more robust, higher-end solution

If you want, I can also make you a side-by-side comparison table of the top 5 options based on cost, pledge tracking, recurring giving, and integrations.