When searching for "church accounting software", you'll be served up with ads from half a dozen companies that feature nonprofit accounting or fund accounting software.

The problem?

We'll walk you through the ins and outs of Accounting Software for small and mid-sized churches, and show you 4 things to look for when trying to decide which software is best for your ministry.

1. Great Support 🏆

Unless you're a CPA, or have extensive experience in accounting, you'll probably need help setting things up. Before looking at features or prices, make sure the company has great support.

What to look for...

• FREE support. Avoid companies that charge extra for support.
• Support that doesn't take days for a reply or call back.
• An active Facebook Group with users helping each other regularly.
• An extensive online user guide with screenshots.
• Live webinars and videos.

2. Reasonable Price 💲

Ministries shouldn't have to spend more than they should to track their church finances. We see companies all the time take advantage of ministries by overcharging them by hundreds (or thousands) of dollars every year. This should be against the law! The best church accounting software shouldn't be a financial burden to your ministry.

What to look for...

• FREE support. We know we already said this... but we wanted to stress this because many companies will offer a low price but NOT include support.
• A free trial to see what the software looks like before committing.
• NO Setup or Startup Costs. These are just made up and silly.
• Clearly advertised prices that are easy to understand. Here's a good example.

3. User-Friendly 👩‍💻

Software should be user-friendly. You don't have time to spend hours looking at videos or reading an entire user guide just to figure out how to get started. You should be able to "hit the ground running" with minimal effort.

What to look for...

• Positive reviews from actual users of the software from an independent review site.
• An easy-to-use interface with clearly labeled buttons and in-app help.
• A modern user interface. A company with an old UI means they don't update their software.

4. The Right Features 📈

Small and mid-sized ministries run very differently than mega-churches and non-profits. They need the right tools to track their finances that are powerful, but not overly complex for volunteers to understand.

What to look for...

• A true Fund Accounting Software that can manage and track ministry funds.
• Built-in Financial reports that can also be exported and customized.
• Ministry budget tracking and Online Giving integrations.
• Automatic Contribution Statements and Pledge tracking for donors.
• A software that's designed to grow with your ministry.

Takeaway

The best accounting software should have great support, be reasonably priced, be user-friendly, and have all the features your ministry needs now and for the future.