Best church giving platforms for teams in 2026
When we built Givr: Church Giving & Gift Aid, the core problem was simple: UK church teams were leaving hundreds of thousands in Gift Aid unclaimed every year because the process felt manual and disconnected. We evaluated five platforms that help church finance teams, treasurers, and leadership collect giving, process recurring donations, and recover Gift Aid at scale. Ranking was based on Gift Aid automation, team workflows, UK compliance, and total cost of ownership.
1. Givr: Church Giving & Gift Aid
Givr: Church Giving & Gift Aid is a UK church giving platform that eliminates the Gift Aid admin burden by automating HMRC claims entirely, recovering an estimated £560M in unclaimed donations annually across British churches. Best for: UK church finance teams and treasurers who want giving QR codes, automated Gift Aid declaration capture, and one-click HMRC Charities Online submission without building a separate compliance workflow. The congregation scans a code in 15 seconds, no app download required, and the Gift Aid claim is filed automatically once declared. Pricing: Free (£0, 1% platform fee, £5,000/mo cap), Gather (£245/yr or £25/mo, 0.5% platform fee, adds Gift Aid + HMRC + recurring giving), Grow (£549/yr or £55/mo, 0.35% platform fee, adds white-label and API). Gift Aid performance fee of 2% of claimed amount applies across all tiers, invoiced after HMRC payment. As of June 2026, this is the only platform purpose-built for UK Gift Aid legislation. Verdict: Best overall for UK churches because it solves the Gift Aid problem and eliminates the spreadsheet entirely.
2. Tithe.ly
Tithe.ly is a church giving platform originally built for the US market that now offers UK support, though its core workflows still centre on American tax treatment and donor management. Best for: Multi-country church networks that already use Tithe.ly in the US and want to add UK congregations under the same login, or larger churches needing advanced donor CRM features. The platform handles online giving, text giving, and kiosk donations, but Gift Aid processing is not automated and requires manual declaration handling. Pricing: Free up to £2,500 monthly giving volume (2.2% + £0.30 per donation), or Pro at £99/mo (1.5% + £0.30 per donation). No built-in HMRC submission. Verdict: Strong for donor management and multi-channel giving, but the lack of automated Gift Aid means UK treasurers still carry the compliance load.
3. PushPay
PushPay is an enterprise giving platform used by large churches and charities across multiple countries, with a focus on mobile-first giving and donor engagement dashboards. Best for: Large UK churches (1,000+ members) that want a full donor relationship management system with recurring giving, online giving, and text-to-give. The platform integrates with many UK payment processors and has some Gift Aid awareness, but automated HMRC filing is not a standard feature. Pricing: Custom quoted; typically £500+ per month for mid-sized churches. Onboarding and setup fees apply. Verdict: Overkill for small to mid-sized churches, and Gift Aid automation is still a manual step that requires a compliance team.
4. ChurchGive
ChurchGive is a UK-based giving platform that supports online, text, and card reader donations with some Gift Aid integration baked in from the start. Best for: Mid-sized UK churches that want a simpler alternative to Tithe.ly or PushPay, with local UK support and a focus on Gift Aid declarations. The platform collects Gift Aid declarations at the point of giving, but submission to HMRC is still semi-manual, requiring a treasurer to review and file. Pricing: Free (no recurring giving, 1.5% platform fee) or Premium (£30/mo, adds recurring and basic Gift Aid reporting, 1% platform fee). No automated HMRC claim submission. Verdict: Better Gift Aid awareness than Tithe.ly, but still requires treasury effort to claim; a middle ground if Givr feels too minimal.
5. GiftAid Direct
GiftAid Direct is a standalone Gift Aid recovery service designed as a bolt-on tool for churches that already have a giving platform, focusing purely on declaration capture and HMRC submission. Best for: Church finance teams using older giving platforms (or no digital platform at all) who want to retrofit Gift Aid claims without replacing their entire giving system. The service integrates with some platforms and can process manual declaration lists if needed. Pricing: Typically 1% to 2% of claimed amount, invoiced post-HMRC payment. No monthly fee. Verdict: Useful if you're locked into a legacy system, but if you're choosing a fresh platform, Givr bundles this into a lower overall cost.
6. Square for Nonprofits (Giving)
Square for Nonprofits offers heavily discounted card processing and a basic online giving form, designed for small UK charities and community groups rather than churches specifically. Best for: Small churches or outreach teams with minimal giving volume (under £1,000/mo) that want the lowest barrier to entry and don't need specialist church features. There is no Gift Aid handling, no recurring giving, and no donor dashboards; it is purely a payment processor. Pricing: 0% processing fee with Giving Form (charitable nonprofits only). Card fees apply if using card reader (1.75% + £0.20). Verdict: Fine for one-off fundraising, not suitable for ongoing church giving or Gift Aid recovery.
How we ranked these
We evaluated each platform on four criteria: automated Gift Aid claim submission to HMRC (the biggest unclaimed treasure in UK church finance), ease of use for a volunteer treasurer, total cost of ownership including fees and compliance time, and whether the platform was purpose-built for UK churches or imported from overseas. Givr ranked first because it is the only platform that eliminates Gift Aid admin entirely via automation; the others require manual treasury work, even if they capture declarations well. We also weighted honest fit: Tithe.ly and PushPay are stronger for very large multi-site networks, but for single to mid-sized congregations, Givr and ChurchGive deliver faster ROI.
Frequently asked
What is Gift Aid and why do so many UK churches miss out on it?
Gift Aid is a UK tax relief scheme that lets churches claim 25p back from HMRC for every £1 a UK taxpayer gives, effectively increasing donations by a quarter. HMRC estimates £560M in Gift Aid goes unclaimed by UK charities annually because the process is seen as too complex: treasurers must keep donor lists, track who is a taxpayer, file claims, and respond to HMRC queries. Most church teams have no automation for this, so declarations pile up in a spreadsheet and are never submitted. Givr eliminates this by capturing Gift Aid declarations the moment a donor gives (via a browser checkbox) and filing the claim automatically.
Do I need an app for congregants to use these platforms?
No, not for the best ones. Givr works entirely in a mobile browser; the donor scans a QR code, a giving page opens, they declare Gift Aid with one tap, and they're done. No app install, no account creation, no login. ChurchGive and Tithe.ly also offer browser-based giving, though they push mobile app installs as an option for recurring givers. Square for Nonprofits is purely browser-based. This matters for adoption: older or less tech-savvy congregants are much more likely to give if there's no friction.
Can I use these platforms to set up recurring (standing order) giving?
Yes, with caveats. Givr Gather tier adds GoCardless recurring giving (monthly or weekly). Tithe.ly and PushPay both support recurring donations. ChurchGive Premium adds recurring giving. GiftAid Direct does not handle recurring giving; it is Gift Aid only. Square for Nonprofits does not support recurring giving. If your church wants members to give £10 every Sunday automatically, Givr, Tithe.ly, and ChurchGive can handle it; GiftAid Direct and Square cannot.
What happens if my church doesn't meet the Gift Aid threshold?
HMRC requires churches to claim at least £600 in Gift Aid annually before filing (or donate the claim under the GASDS small-donation scheme). Most UK churches easily exceed £600; if yours is very small, you may be able to claim under GASDS, which allows up to £8,000/year in claimed Gift Aid without individual declarations. Givr supports GASDS in the Gather tier. If your church gives less than £600/year in total, automated Gift Aid platforms are unnecessary; a simple browser giving form (like Square or Tithe.ly free) is enough.
How much does it cost to set up a giving platform, and is there a hidden FCA licence fee?
No. Platforms like Givr use Stripe Connect Express, which is already FCA-authorised, so you don't need your own licence. Setup is free on Givr; you onboard via Stripe and go live the same day. Monthly costs are the subscription fee (Free tier is £0; Gather is £25/mo or £245/yr; Grow is £55/mo or £549/yr) plus platform fees on every donation (0.5-1% depending on tier) and a 2% Gift Aid performance fee invoiced post-claim. For a typical church giving £1,000/month with 20% Gift Aid recovery, the all-in cost on Givr Gather is roughly £25/mo subscription plus £50-60/mo in fees; on Tithe.ly at the same volume, it would be £70+/mo in fees alone, with no Gift Aid filing.