Pricing in this article was verified in June 2026. Software plans and pricing change. Check directly with each platform before you commit.
Church management software can do a lot. It can track your congregation's details, schedule your volunteers, process online giving, manage room bookings, run your children's check-in, and send the weekly email all from one place. Whether you need all of that depends on your church. Whether you can afford all of that also depends on your church.
This article covers what to look for, which Australian-built platforms are worth considering first, and how to get started without committing to the wrong thing.
What to look for
Most churches under 100 members need three things from a management platform: a place to keep member records, a tool for rostering volunteers, and a way to communicate with the congregation. Everything else is useful but not essential when you are starting out.
Beyond the core features, two factors matter specifically to Australian churches.
AUD pricing. Several of the most commonly mentioned church management platforms are US-based and charge in USD. At current exchange rates, USD $24 per month is roughly AUD $37. That gap matters over a year, and it shifts if the exchange rate moves. Platforms that price in AUD give you predictable costs.
Where your data is stored. Church management software holds sensitive information about your congregation: home addresses, family relationships, giving records, and sometimes health or child-safety notes. The Australian Privacy Act's small business exemption, which currently covers most small churches, is expected to be removed or significantly narrowed before December 2026. Choosing a platform that already stores data in Australia means you are already set up for compliance rather than having to retrofit.
Australian-built options
These platforms are designed, built, and supported in Australia. They understand the Australian church context, price in Australian dollars, and answer support emails in Australian business hours.
Floways is built by an Adelaide company and is the most fully-featured Australian option. The People and Giving modules are permanently free, with no trial period and no credit card required. $99 per month unlocks nine additional modules including volunteer rostering, child check-in, room bookings, event registrations, and service planning. $169 per month adds a website builder and mobile app. There are no per-member fees, so the price does not increase as your congregation grows. All data is stored on AWS Sydney. Background checks for volunteers are built directly into the People module.
Pastoral Care is a Windows desktop application sold as a one-time purchase at $399, with no ongoing subscription. A free trial is available. The software includes a member and family database, WWCC and child safety records, rosters, attendance, giving records, and a church register for weddings, funerals, and baptisms. If your church already operates from a Windows computer and wants to avoid recurring fees, Pastoral Care is a practical choice. It is not cloud-based, so it does not offer real-time multi-device access unless you add the cloud option (available separately at additional cost).
Fluro (fluro.io) is an Australian-founded cloud platform that includes communications, rostering, child check-in, groups, and media management. Pricing is available on request rather than published on the website. Third-party reviews consistently place Fluro as better suited to churches above 100 members. Contact Fluro directly for a quote if you want to explore it.
International options used by Australian churches
Several US-based platforms have genuine Australian uptake and are worth knowing about.
Planning Center is used by many Australian churches, particularly those with active worship teams. The People module (member database) is free with unlimited profiles. The Services module, which handles worship planning and volunteer rostering, is free for up to five team members and USD $15 per month for twenty. In 2024, Planning Center launched its Giving module in Australia with BECS Direct Debit support and low processing fees. All pricing is in USD, and data is stored in the US.
ChurchTrac (churchtrac.com) offers a free plan for small churches and a Standard plan at approximately $13 (USD $9) per month. Every plan includes a member database, giving, children's check-in, volunteer scheduling, groups, and event registrations. It is an all-inclusive platform at a price point that suits small churches with limited budgets. All pricing is in USD, and data is stored in the US.
Two others worth noting: ChurchSuite (churchsuite.com) is a UK-based platform that bills in AUD, accepts BECS Direct Debit, and has published a case study on managing Working With Children Check renewals in the Australian context. It offers a 30-day free trial. Tithely (formerly Elvanto, which was founded in Australia before being acquired by Tithely in 2018) continues to operate as a ChMS product within the Tithely platform. Australian churches currently on Elvanto remain on the Tithely platform.
Getting started
Before you sign up for anything, write down the three things your church most needs to manage: is it the member list, the roster, the giving records, or something else? That list is your selection filter.
Most platforms listed here offer a free tier or a free trial. The sensible path is to start with one Australian option, import your existing member list, and use it for a month before you decide. Floways People and Giving are permanently free, which means you can run a real trial without a time limit or a credit card.
Do not try to migrate everything at once. Start with the database, get that right, and add modules as you need them.