Budgeting
What church management software costs
Four pricing models, one fee everybody pays regardless, and the line item that is easiest to miss.
Church management software is usually priced in one of a few ways: by how many people your church has, by which modules you switch on, as a share of what people give, or as a free tier with a paid upgrade.
Card processing on donations sits underneath all of them and is charged by the card networks on every platform, so the number worth comparing is what the software adds on top of it.
The cost most often missed is one-off setup or migration, which is frequently billed separately from the subscription being quoted.
The five ways it is priced
Models rather than numbers, because the model is what determines your bill in three years.
- Priced by how many people you have
- The most common model. Predictable, and it quietly penalizes the thing every church is trying to do: your bill goes up because more people came. Check where the next tier starts before you sign, not after.
- Priced by what you switch on
- A base fee plus modules. Looks cheap in the first quote and rarely stays there, because the pieces you assumed were included — the website, the app, the giving — are often the add-ons.
- Free to use, paid through giving fees
- No subscription; the platform takes a percentage of donations instead. Genuinely free for a church that receives little online, and quietly the most expensive option for one that receives a lot.
- Free tier, paid upgrade
- A real free plan with a ceiling — a member count, a feature, a limit. The question worth asking is which side of the line the thing you actually need falls on.
- One-off setup and migration fees
- Charged on top, often at signing, and the easiest number to miss when comparing. Ask whether getting your existing records in is included or billed.
Worth asking before you sign
Four questions that surface most of the difference between a quote and an invoice.
Where does the next tier start?
If the price moves with member count, find out the number that triggers it — and whether people who never sign in are counted.
What is a module, and what is included?
The website, the member app and online giving are the three most likely to be quoted separately from the thing you thought you were buying.
Is there a fee on what people give?
Separate from card processing. A percentage on donations is the line that grows fastest, because it grows with generosity.
What does getting our records in cost?
Setup and migration are often billed once, at signing, and rarely appear on the pricing page.
Where Psalmly fits
The core app is free forever for churches up to 50 members, with no card to start and no setup fee. AI is the one part of Psalmly a paid plan buys. Online giving works on every plan — card processing is always Stripe’s, and the Psalmly fee on top is 0% on Community and Growth.
Questions churches ask
What is the biggest hidden cost?
Card processing on donations, and it is not hidden so much as separate. Whatever the software costs, the card network takes its cut of every gift, on every platform. The number to compare is what the software adds on top of that.
Why is so much of it priced per member?
Because it is easy to bill and it grows with the customer. It also means the cost of a good year is a bigger invoice, which is worth noticing before you agree to it. Ask where the next tier begins.
Is free software actually free?
Sometimes, and it depends entirely on how it makes money. A free plan with a paid upgrade is what it looks like. A platform that is free because it takes a share of every donation is charging you — just in proportion to how generous your congregation is. Psalmly's core app is free forever for churches up to 50 members, with paid plans from $49 a month.
What should we budget for a small church?
For a church under a hundred people, the honest answer is often nothing for the software itself, plus card processing on whatever is given online. Paid tiers start to make sense when you want something specific enough to name.
What does Psalmly charge on giving?
Card processing is always Stripe's, on every plan. The Psalmly platform fee on top is 0% on Community and Growth, and 2% on Free. The pricing page has the full comparison.
Should we pay annually?
If the tool is one you have already decided on, usually yes — annual billing is normally discounted. If you are still deciding, a month at a time costs very little more and keeps the decision reversible.
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