Quick Verdict: Tithely vs Givelify
The honest answer: if you need a full platform bundle, choose Tithe.ly. If donor giving experience is your highest priority and you already have (or don't need) a separate ChMS, Givelify wins on satisfaction every time.
Platform Overview
Pricing: How Much Does Each Cost?
On the surface, Tithely and Givelify charge identical transaction fees. The real pricing difference is about what you get beyond basic giving.
The $119/month All Access bundle includes Breeze ChMS (standalone cost: $72/mo), church website builder, custom church app, events, and messaging. That's effectively getting the app and website for ~$47/month over ChMS alone.
Pure pay-as-you-go. A church processing $5,000/month in giving pays approximately $175/month in Givelify transaction fees ($0 platform fee + 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction). No surprises, no contracts.
Real Fee Math: $5,000/Month in Giving
Here's what the fees actually look like on a church receiving $5,000/month in card donations (100 transactions averaging $50 each):
Monthly Giving Volume: $5,000 (100 transactions × $50 avg)
At the same giving volume, Tithely and Givelify cost the same for basic card processing. The decision is: do you need Tithely's $119/month full platform bundle, or is giving-only ($0/month on either platform) sufficient? The "Cover the Fees" option on both platforms lets willing donors absorb the transaction cost — Tithely reports ~60% of donors opt in when offered.
Feature Comparison: Tithely vs Givelify
| Feature | Tithe.ly | Givelify |
|---|---|---|
| Core Giving | ||
| Online giving (web embed) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mobile giving app | ✓ | ✓ Best-in-class |
| 3-tap mobile giving | ✗ | ✓ Exclusive |
| Recurring / scheduled giving | ✓ | ✓ |
| ACH / bank transfer giving | ✓ ~1% fee | ✓ |
| Multiple giving funds | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cover-the-fee option | ✓ ~60% donor opt-in | ✓ |
| Giving kiosk / tablet support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Text-to-give | ✓ $19/mo add-on (free w/ All Access) | ~ Add-on (verify) |
| Year-end giving statements | ✓ | ✓ |
| Analytics & Reporting | ||
| Donor giving history | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lapsed donor alerts | ~ Basic | ✓ Stronger |
| Fund-level reporting | ✓ | ✓ |
| Giving trend analysis | ~ | ✓ Strong |
| Donor segmentation | ~ | ✓ |
| Platform & Integrations | ||
| Built-in ChMS | ✓ Breeze (bundled in All Access) | ✗ |
| Church website builder | ✓ (All Access) | ✗ |
| Custom church app builder | ✓ (All Access) | ✗ Giving app only |
| Events management | ✓ (All Access) | ✗ |
| Planning Center integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Salesforce integration | ~ | ✓ |
| Mailchimp / email integration | ✓ | ~ |
| Cost & Commitment | ||
| Free giving tier ($0/month) | ✓ | ✓ Always free |
| No annual contract | ✓ | ✓ |
| Setup fee | ✗ None | ✗ None |
Mobile App Quality: Where Givelify Wins
This is the biggest practical difference between the two platforms — and it matters more than most comparisons acknowledge.
Givelify was built ground-up as a mobile giving app, and it shows. Their 3-tap giving flow — select fund, enter amount, confirm — is the fastest donation UX in the category. Donors don't need to create an account to give (though they can). The app works like a consumer financial product, not a church management tool. That ease directly affects giving behavior: friction kills giving.
Tithely's mobile giving works well, but it's one feature within a larger platform product. The flow has more steps, the UI is functional rather than delightful. That said, for most congregations, the difference in UX won't make or break giving — what matters more is that digital giving exists at all.
The rating gap confirms this: Givelify holds a 4.6/5 across 2,100+ reviews; Tithely sits at 4.5/5 across 1,200+ reviews. The 0.1-point difference is real but marginal — both are excellent platforms with happy users.
Givelify's 3-Tap Giving: What It Actually Looks Like
A donor opens the Givelify app during the offering. They see your church (they can find it via the app or a QR code). Three taps: select "General Fund," enter "$50," confirm. Done. No login required for returning donors whose card is saved. The whole process takes under 10 seconds.
That experience is why Givelify consistently scores higher on donor satisfaction surveys. The path of least resistance is the path most donors take. If you're choosing between two platforms and friction matters to your congregation, Givelify is the right call.
Which Is Better by Church Size?
Church size significantly changes which platform makes more sense. Here's the breakdown:
| Church Size | Typical Needs | Recommended Platform | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 100 members | Simple giving, no ChMS yet, tight budget | Givelify | $0/month, easiest setup, best donor UX for first-time digital givers |
| 100–300 members | Growing — needs giving + basic member tracking | Either (or Tithely All Access) | At this size, Tithely's $119/mo bundle starts making financial sense vs paying for giving + ChMS separately |
| 300–1,000 members | Full ChMS, church app, events, communications | Tithely All Access | Bundle value is clear — $119/mo vs $200-300+/mo buying tools separately |
| 1,000+ members | Advanced analytics, multi-campus, custom workflows | Givelify (or compare alternatives) | Givelify's stronger donor analytics and Salesforce integration suit larger organizations; evaluate Pushpay for enterprise scale |
| Predominantly mobile congregation | Mobile giving is primary channel | Givelify | 3-tap giving drives higher mobile conversion; highest donor satisfaction among mobile-first giving apps |
Givelify vs Tithely: The Reverse Comparison
Searching "Givelify vs Tithely" instead of "Tithely vs Givelify"? Same comparison, same verdict — just framed from Givelify's starting point.
From Givelify's perspective: it's a stronger mobile-giving-only product that beats Tithely on donor experience, analytics depth, and simplicity. The $0/month platform fee means it's essentially free for churches until they actually receive money. Givelify serves 60,000+ faith-based organizations and is particularly strong among larger congregations and historically Black churches.
Where Givelify falls short relative to Tithely: no built-in ChMS, no church website, no custom church app. If you need more than giving, you'll need to pay for those tools separately — and at that point, Tithely's all-in-one $119/month bundle becomes the more economical option.
Bottom line either direction: Givelify wins on giving UX. Tithely wins on platform completeness. Your church's existing tech stack is the deciding factor.
Integrations: How Each Connects to Your Existing Tools
Most churches don't evaluate giving platforms in isolation — they have an existing ChMS, email tool, or accounting system that needs to connect.
Tithely Integrations
Tithely integrates with Planning Center, Mailchimp, and several other church management platforms. Since the All Access bundle includes Breeze ChMS natively, integration complexity is minimal if you're moving to Tithely's full stack. The Breeze integration is native and seamless — no API connections to maintain. For churches already on Tithely's ecosystem, it handles most integration needs internally.
Givelify Integrations
Givelify has a broader integration footprint for third-party tools: Planning Center, Salesforce, QuickBooks, and others. For larger churches with existing CRM investments (particularly Salesforce), Givelify's native connector is a meaningful advantage over Tithely. If your organization uses Salesforce for donor management, Givelify is likely the better fit.
The tradeoff: since Givelify doesn't provide a ChMS, you're maintaining separate systems. That's extra cost and more connections to manage versus Tithely's everything-in-one approach.
Pros & Cons
Tithe.ly
✓ Pros
- Unbeatable bundle value at $119/month
- Includes Breeze ChMS (standalone cost: $72/mo)
- Church website builder included
- Custom church app included
- Events management included
- Text-to-give free with All Access
- ACH giving at ~1% (lower than card fees)
- Multi-campus text-giving numbers ($19/mo)
- Month-to-month — no lock-in
✗ Cons
- Donor mobile UX less polished than Givelify
- No 3-tap giving experience
- Full bundle required for ChMS/app/website
- More complex platform to set up and maintain
- AMEX surcharge at 3.5% + $0.30
Givelify
✓ Pros
- Best-rated donor mobile giving experience (4.6/5)
- 60,000+ organizations — massive adoption
- $0/month platform fee — lowest cost to start
- 3-tap giving — fastest UX in the category
- Strong donor analytics and segmentation
- Salesforce integration (native)
- No contract — zero risk to start
✗ Cons
- No built-in ChMS — need separate system
- No church website builder
- No full church app — giving app only
- Text-to-give is an add-on
- Less practical for all-in-one platform seekers
- ACH fee details require verification on site
Who Should Choose Which
Choose Tithe.ly if…
- You need giving + ChMS in one system
- You want a church app and website included
- You want text-to-give without add-on fees
- You're building out your full tech stack from scratch
- Bundle pricing saves vs buying tools separately
- You want native Breeze ChMS integration
- Your church is 200–1,000 members
Choose Givelify if…
- The donor giving experience is your #1 priority
- You already have a ChMS you're keeping
- Your congregation is predominantly mobile
- You want the lowest possible cost to start ($0/month)
- Your church uses Salesforce for donor management
- You're a larger or historically Black church
- You want stronger donor analytics out of the box
Final Verdict
For most churches starting fresh and wanting a complete solution: Tithe.ly's $119/month All Access bundle is the smarter investment. You get giving + Breeze ChMS + church app + website + events — tools that would cost $200–300+/month purchased separately. Month-to-month pricing means zero long-term risk.
If your ChMS is already locked in (Planning Center, Salesforce, or something else you're not giving up), and your congregation is predominantly mobile, Givelify's donor experience is genuinely better. The 4.6/5 rating with 2,100+ reviews isn't marketing — donors consistently prefer the 3-tap UX, and that frictionless experience translates to higher giving participation. Starting at $0/month, there's nothing to lose by trying it.
Start with Givelify's free tier to test donor adoption. If you need the full bundle — ChMS, church app, and website — switch to Tithely's $119/month All Access plan. Don't pay for the bundle unless you'll actually use all of it.
Also worth comparing: Tithely vs Pushpay if you're a high-volume church evaluating enterprise platforms, and our top 10 church management software rankings if you need a broader view of the market.
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