Native and web-based church apps ranked by member experience, features, and pricing.
"Church app" can mean two distinct things: a native iOS/Android app branded for your church (Subsplash, Pushpay, Tithe.ly), or a mobile-friendly member portal accessible via the browser (MosesTab, ChMeetings, most modern ChMS). Each model has trade-offs.
Native apps are more polished for engagement — push notifications, sermon archives, on-app giving — but cost meaningfully more and require members to install the app. Web-based member portals work in any browser, save to home screen for app-like access, and skip the App Store install friction. For most small-to-mid-size churches, a web-based member portal is sufficient. For larger churches where the app is part of the brand, native is worth the investment.
This ranking covers both models, with notes on when each fits.
Each platform was evaluated on member-facing feature set (giving, sermons, events, prayer requests, push notifications), branding/customization, pricing, and whether it's native (iOS/Android) or web-based. Pricing comes from public vendor pricing pages.
Church app and giving platform
Subsplash is one of the most polished native church-app experiences available. Strong sermon archives, on-app giving, and push messaging. Premium pricing — best for churches where the app is part of brand identity.
Church giving and engagement platform
Tithe.ly's church app is purpose-built around the giving experience. Strong donor flow, recurring giving, and engagement. All-Access bundle ($149/month) adds full ChMS via the Elvanto acquisition.
Mobile-first church giving and engagement platform
Pushpay's app integrates deeply with Church Community Builder for large multi-campus operations. Premium pricing and enterprise-grade — built for 1,000+ member churches.
All-in-one church management with modern AI tools
MosesTab's member portal is web-based and works in any browser — members save it to their home screen for app-like access without an App Store install. Covers giving, events, prayer, sermons, announcements, and member self-service. Flat $39 or $99/month.
Mobile-first church app by ACS Technologies
MinistryOne focuses on the church-app experience as a primary product. Useful for churches that want a branded mobile experience without committing to a full ChMS upfront.
All-in-one church management with member-tier pricing
ChMeetings has a member-facing app available as a paid add-on to the base subscription. Less polished than Subsplash or Tithe.ly but covers basics at a much lower price point.
A suite of separate church software apps
Planning Center's Church Center app handles member self-service well — giving, registrations, group sign-ups. The app reflects the modular ChMS underneath: works best when you've adopted multiple Planning Center products.
For most churches under 500 members, a web-based member portal is sufficient. Native apps add polish but require members to install — which is real friction. Save-to-home-screen on iOS/Android gives web apps app-like access without the App Store step.
Subsplash and Pushpay are typically $200–500+/month all-in once app + giving + ChMS modules are stacked. Tithe.ly All-Access (~$149/month) includes the church app. ChMeetings' branded app is a paid add-on ($30+/month). Web-based ChMS member portals (MosesTab, Breeze) are included in the base subscription.
Yes — MinistryOne, Tithe.ly, and ChMeetings have lower-cost branded app options. The trade-off is less polish and customization than Subsplash/Pushpay. For most small-to-mid-size churches, the lower-cost branded apps cover the engagement basics well enough.
Surveys consistently show: online giving, sermon archive, event sign-ups, prayer requests, and announcements. Most other features (small group chat, sermon notes, etc.) see lower engagement. Optimizing the top 5 features matters more than feature breadth on member experience.