Church online giving with a $0 platform fee
Most church giving tools are a separate app you export from, and some add a monthly platform fee on top of card processing. Vestrybooks builds online giving into your accounting — we add $0 on top of standard processing, and every gift posts straight to the right fund and the giver's record.
Free plan includes giving · no credit card to start · price locked for life
| Vestrybooks | Standalone giving apps | |
|---|---|---|
| Added platform / subscription fee for giving | $0 | $0 to $149+/mo (varies) |
| Payment processing fee | Standard (~2.9% + $0.30) | Standard (~2.9% + $0.30) |
| Gifts post straight into fund accounting | Export & import | |
| Donor records & year-end statements built in | Separate or add-on | |
| Free plan that includes online giving | varies | |
| Your brand color, QR code, embed on your site, campaign goals | ||
| Native mobile giving app + text-to-give | yes (their focus) | |
| Built for | Churches that also need the books | Giving engagement & apps |
Every platform — Vestrybooks included — pays standard payment processing (commonly ~2.9% + $0.30 per card gift). The difference is the added platform fee and whether giving flows into your books. Platform fees vary by provider and plan; check each provider's site for current pricing.
Giving that doesn't leak money or time
$0 added platform fee
We don't add a platform or subscription fee on top of giving. You pay only the standard payment-processing rate every platform charges — nothing extra to us.
Giving that lands in the books
A gift recorded online posts straight to the right fund and the giver's record. No second tool, no monthly export — your year-end statements are already building themselves.
Included from the free plan up
Online giving is part of every plan, including Free. Most churches can take gifts online without paying us a cent beyond what the card processor charges.
Everything a modern giving page needs
Make it yours, share it anywhere, and let members give the way they want — all included, on every plan.
Your brand color
Your giving page takes on your church's color and a welcome line you write — it looks like yours, not ours.
A QR code to print
Download a QR code for the bulletin, a slide, or a pew card. Members scan it with a phone and give in seconds.
On your own website
Paste a Give button, or embed the whole giving form, right into the church website you already have.
Give any way
One-time, weekly, every two weeks, monthly, or yearly — and a giver can cover the processing fee so you receive the full gift.
Split across funds
One gift can go to several funds at once — tithe, building, and missions — and each part posts to the right place.
Campaign goals
Set a goal on a fund and the giving page shows a progress thermometer — perfect for a building fund or a year-end push.
Where a dedicated giving platform fits better
We'd rather you pick the right tool. If giving engagement is your priority — a native mobile giving app, text-to-give, pledge tracking, or a large multi-site setup — a dedicated platform like Tithe.ly, Pushpay, or Subsplash does more on that front than we do. Vestrybooks is online giving built into the accounting for a church that also needs clean books and year-end statements — not a full engagement platform. Many small churches happily run both: a giving app for the front door, Vestrybooks for the ledger. Weighing Tithe.ly specifically? See the honest Vestrybooks vs Tithe.ly comparison.
Common questions
- So online giving is really free?
- There's no platform fee from us, on any plan. You still pay the payment processor's standard per-gift rate (commonly around 2.9% + $0.30 for a card) — that part isn't something any platform escapes. What you don't pay is an extra cut or a monthly giving subscription on top.
- How is this different from a giving app?
- A standalone app collects the gift, then you export a report and re-enter it in your accounting. With Vestrybooks the gift is already in the books — posted to the right fund and the giver's record — so reconciliation and year-end statements take care of themselves. For the wider field, see our comparison of church donation tracking software.
- Can I add giving to my own website?
- Yes. Copy a ready-made Give button, or embed the whole giving form, straight into the church website you already have — members never leave your site. You also get a printable QR code for the bulletin or a slide.
- Can donors give weekly, split a gift, or give toward a goal?
- All of it. Gifts can be one-time or recurring — weekly, every two weeks, monthly, or yearly — a single gift can be split across several funds, and donors can cover the processing fee. Running a campaign? Set a goal on a fund and your giving page shows a progress thermometer.
- Do donors get year-end giving statements?
- Yes. Because every online gift is tied to the giver's record, the IRS-ready year-end statement builds itself — see what a contribution statement needs to include.
- Can a small church afford this?
- Online giving is included from the free plan up, so most small churches take gifts online without paying us anything beyond processing. See the plans.
Keep more of every gift
Online giving with a $0 platform fee, built into the books your church already has to keep.