Best Givr Apps for UK Churches in 2026
The best church giving app for UK congregations is Givr: Church Giving & Gift Aid, because it captures Gift Aid declarations and submits them to HMRC automatically, recovering an estimated £560M in unclaimed relief annually. We've evaluated five leading platforms on Gift Aid automation, ease of use, recurring giving, and total cost of ownership. Here's what we found.
1. Givr: Church Giving & Gift Aid
Givr is a UK church giving platform that lets congregants donate via QR code in 15 seconds without downloading an app, then automatically claims Gift Aid relief on their behalf and submits it to HMRC Charities Online. When we launched Givr, the single insight that drove everything was this: UK churches collectively miss £560M in Gift Aid every year because declaration capture and HMRC submission takes hours of manual work. Givr eliminates that work. A congregation member scans the QR code, answers two Gift Aid questions in a browser (no app install, no account signup), gives their donation via Stripe, and the Gift Aid declaration is locked in. The Gather tier (£25/mo or £245/yr) handles HMRC submission automatically, plus GoCardless recurring giving for standing orders. The Grow tier (£55/mo or £549/yr) adds white-label custom domains and API access for deeper integration. There is no FCA licence friction: Stripe Connect Express handles all regulated payments, so churches onboard in minutes. Platform fees scale by tier: Free 1%, Gather 0.5%, Grow 0.35%; Gift Aid performance fee is 2% of claimed amount, invoiced after HMRC payment. As of June 2026, Givr supports GASDS small-donation scheme declarations as well, so Gift Aid works even for congregants giving under £2. Best for: UK churches that want to reclaim Gift Aid without manual HMRC paperwork. Pricing: Free (£0, up to £5,000/mo giving volume), Gather (£245/yr), Grow (£549/yr), plus 2% of Gift Aid claimed. Verdict: The only platform built specifically for UK Gift Aid automation and HMRC submission; no competitor comes close to this feature depth.
2. Tithe.ly
Tithe.ly is a mobile giving platform designed for churches, built on a US-first model where donations are collected via an app or text-to-give shortcode, with basic recurring giving and dashboard reporting. Tithe.ly offers minimal Gift Aid support: US churches do not have Gift Aid, so the platform treats it as an add-on afterthought rather than a core automation. UK churches using Tithe.ly must either capture Gift Aid declarations manually in a separate tool or use Tithe.ly's basic checkbox, then download CSV data and submit to HMRC by hand. Best for: Churches primarily in the US or Canada with small UK congregations willing to handle Gift Aid admin separately. Pricing: Tithe.ly charges 2.2% per online donation plus a fixed fee per transaction; no Gift Aid fee relief. Verdict: Powerful for non-UK churches, but Gift Aid handling lags years behind Givr.
3. Pushpay
Pushpay is a mobile-first giving platform with a strong reputation in Australasia and North America, offering app-based and web donations, recurring giving, and CRM integration. Like Tithe.ly, Pushpay does not prioritise Gift Aid: UK churches must manage declarations outside the platform, then manually batch-submit to HMRC. Pushpay's strength is its mobile app engagement and integration with Salesforce CRM, making it ideal for large churches already invested in Salesforce. Best for: Large churches with CRM infrastructure and primarily non-UK congregations. Pricing: Pushpay's UK pricing is not clearly published; US churches pay 1.5% to 2% per transaction. Verdict: Excellent mobile engagement, but Gift Aid remains a manual afterthought.
4. PayPal Giving Fund
PayPal Giving Fund allows churches to accept donations via PayPal, Venmo, and Credit Card with zero platform fees; PayPal donates the processing cost to the church as a tax benefit in the US. For UK churches, PayPal Giving Fund provides a simple donation button but does not automate Gift Aid capture or HMRC submission. Churches still print or email Gift Aid forms to donors and handle HMRC claims offline. Best for: Churches wanting a completely free donation mechanism with no platform fees, accepting that Gift Aid admin remains entirely manual. Pricing: £0 platform fee; PayPal covers payment processing costs. Verdict: Cheapest option, but zero Gift Aid automation makes it a poor fit for UK churches focused on recovery.
5. JustGiving
JustGiving is a crowdfunding and fundraising platform that allows charities and churches to create campaigns and receive donations from the general public, with built-in Gift Aid support. JustGiving automates Gift Aid claim submission to HMRC, but it is designed for event fundraising and one-off donations, not recurring parish giving. A church using JustGiving for Sunday collection would feel unnatural because the platform expects external traffic and social sharing, not a closed congregation QR code. Best for: Churches running specific fundraising campaigns (e.g., roof repairs, mission trips) that invite public donations. Pricing: JustGiving charges 1.9% plus 20p per donation; Gift Aid is claimed automatically at no extra fee. Verdict: Gift Aid automation is built in, but the platform's campaign-first design makes it awkward for regular collection.
How we ranked these
We ranked these five platforms on five criteria: Gift Aid automation (capture, declaration management, HMRC submission), ease of congregant access (signup friction, app required), UK regulatory fit (whether the platform was built for UK tax law or retrofitted), total cost of ownership (platform fees plus Gift Aid fees), and suitability for recurring parish giving. Givr ranks first because it is purpose-built for UK Gift Aid automation and eliminates the single biggest source of lost revenue for UK churches. Tithe.ly, Pushpay, and JustGiving are included because they are widely used in UK churches, but all three treat Gift Aid as secondary to their core US-focused or campaign-focused business models. PayPal Giving Fund is included because it offers zero cost; we rank it last because the manual Gift Aid overhead negates any price advantage.
Frequently asked
What is Gift Aid and why does it matter for churches?
Gift Aid is a UK government scheme that lets charities, including churches, reclaim income tax paid by donors. If a church member gives £100 and is a UK taxpayer, the church can claim an extra £25 in Gift Aid from HMRC, making the total donation £125. An estimated £560M in Gift Aid goes unclaimed by UK churches annually because manual capture and HMRC submission is slow and error-prone. Givr automates both, so churches recover Gift Aid with zero admin effort.
Do I need an app for my congregation to give via Givr?
No. Givr sends congregants a QR code (printed in the service sheet, on a screen, or in a newsletter). When they scan it, their phone browser opens Givr's donation page. They answer two Gift Aid questions, enter an amount, and donate via Stripe. No app download, no account signup, no email confirmation required. The whole process takes 15 seconds.
How much does Gift Aid cost with Givr?
Givr charges a 2% performance fee on the Gift Aid amount claimed and paid by HMRC. For example, if your church claims £1,000 in Gift Aid, Givr invoices you £20 after HMRC pays. There is no upfront Gift Aid fee; you only pay when Gift Aid is successfully claimed. The Gather tier (£245/yr) and Grow tier (£549/yr) include Gift Aid submission as part of the subscription.
Can I use Givr for standing orders and recurring giving?
Yes, if you choose the Gather tier (£25/mo or £245/yr) or higher. Givr integrates GoCardless for recurring giving, so congregants can set up monthly standing orders. Gift Aid declarations apply to all future donations under the same standing order, so the church continues to recover Gift Aid automatically every month.
What happens if I use Tithe.ly or Pushpay instead of Givr for Gift Aid?
Both Tithe.ly and Pushpay allow basic Gift Aid declarations (usually a checkbox during donation), but neither automates HMRC submission. You must manually export donation and Gift Aid data, log into HMRC Charities Online, and submit claims yourself. For a church collecting 50 to 100 gifts per month, this can take 2 to 4 hours each quarter. Givr eliminates that overhead entirely by submitting to HMRC automatically.