Best Free Church Management Software (2025)
Whether you need a permanent free tier or just want to test before committing, here are the most generous free options in the church software market — with an honest look at what you actually get.
Updated February 2025
⚠️ Free vs. Free Trial: We separate permanent free tiers (use indefinitely) from free trials (limited time). Both are valuable — just different tools.
✅ What's Free
- ✓People: up to 25 contacts, unlimited time
- ✓Services: up to 20 service times per month
- ✓Giving: unlimited (transaction fees apply)
- ✓Groups: up to 5 groups
⚠️ Limitations
- !People limited to 25 contacts
- !No unlimited volunteers or complex workflows on free
Upgrade starts at: $14/module/month
✅ What's Free
- ✓Online giving forms
- ✓Text-to-give
- ✓Recurring donations
- ✓Basic giving reports
- ✓Donor management
⚠️ Limitations
- !No member management (ChMS) on free plan
- !No events, communication, or groups
- !Transaction fees: 2.9% + $0.30 per donation
Upgrade starts at: $14/month for full ChMS
✅ What's Free
- ✓Full feature access for 30 days
- ✓No credit card required
- ✓Member directory, giving, events, communication
- ✓Children's ministry check-in
⚠️ Limitations
- !Trial ends after 30 days
- !$72/month required after trial
Upgrade starts at: $72/month flat
Free Church Software — What to Realistically Expect
Here's the honest truth: fully free church management software with no limitations doesn't really exist in 2025. Every meaningful free option either limits contacts, modules, or uses transaction fees as the revenue model.
That said, the free tiers from Planning Center and Tithe.ly are genuinely useful — not just 14-day demos designed to frustrate you into purchasing.
Best scenario for using free software permanently
If your church has under 25 members, Planning Center's free tier covers your basics indefinitely. Combine it with Tithe.ly's free giving tools and you have a functional tech stack at $0/month (just transaction fees).
Best scenario for using free to evaluate
Breeze's 30-day free trial with full features (no credit card) is the best evaluation tool in the market. Import your real data, use it for a month, and make an informed decision. This is our recommended first step for any church under 500 members.
The Real Cost Question
For most churches, $72–$100/month for a good ChMS is excellent ROI. If your church collects $5,000/month in giving and a better digital giving tool increases that by 10%, that's $500/month in additional generosity — far more than software costs.
Don't let "free" be the primary criterion. Let "right for our church" be the criterion.