Aplos
Aplos is a comprehensive fund accounting and donor management software designed specifically for nonprofits and churches to streamline financial tracking, donation processing, and member engagement in one integrated platform.
Realm
Realm is a comprehensive church management software that integrates administration, accounting, and community engagement into a single platform to help your ministry grow and stay connected with its members.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Aplos | Realm |
|---|---|---|
| Website | aplos.com | realm.church |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Subscription |
| Starting Price | $79/month | Custom Pricing |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 15 days free trial | ✘ No free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2009 | 1978 |
| Headquarters | Fresno, USA | Florence, South Carolina, USA |
Overview
Aplos
Aplos provides a specialized suite of tools designed to handle the unique financial needs of nonprofits and churches. You can move away from generic spreadsheets and use a true fund accounting system that tracks every dollar by its specific purpose or restricted fund. This ensures your financial reports are always audit-ready and transparent for your board or congregation.
Beyond accounting, you can manage your entire community from a single dashboard. The platform lets you track donor relationships, automate recurring giving, and send professional email communications to your supporters. Whether you are a small plant church or a growing national nonprofit, you can centralize your operations to save time on administrative tasks and focus more on your core mission.
Realm
Realm is an all-in-one ministry tool designed to move your church beyond simple administration into deeper community engagement. It combines traditional database functions with modern social features, allowing you to manage member records, track giving, and coordinate small groups from a single dashboard. You can streamline your daily operations while providing your congregation with a private mobile app to stay connected throughout the week.
The platform serves churches of all sizes, from small plants to multi-site megachurches, by offering scalable versions of its software. Whether you need to automate your check-in process for children's ministry or manage complex fund accounting, you can customize the experience to fit your specific denominational needs and staff workflows.
Overview
Aplos Features
- True Fund Accounting Track restricted funds and generate specialized nonprofit financial statements like Statement of Activities and Statement of Functional Expenses automatically.
- Online Donation Tracking Accept one-time or recurring donations online and have them automatically sync with your accounting ledgers and donor profiles.
- Donor Management (CRM) Maintain detailed records of your supporters, track their giving history, and segment your list for more personalized outreach.
- Contribution Statements Generate and email professional, tax-compliant annual giving statements to all your donors with just a few clicks.
- Budgeting by Fund Create specific budgets for different programs or departments to monitor your spending against your actual income in real-time.
- Email Marketing Design and send beautiful newsletters and donation appeals directly from the platform using built-in templates and your donor data.
- Bank Integration Connect your bank accounts to automatically import transactions, making bank reconciliation faster and reducing manual data entry errors.
- Member Portal Provide your members with a secure login where they can manage their own profiles, view giving history, and make payments.
Realm Features
- Integrated Accounting. Manage your church's books with true fund accounting that links directly to your member giving and payroll records.
- Member Engagement App. Give your congregation a private social network where they can chat, share prayer requests, and register for events.
- Digital Giving. Accept tithes and offerings online, via text, or through the mobile app with automatic recording to member profiles.
- Check-In System. Keep your children's ministry safe and organized with secure check-in stations and automated attendance tracking.
- Group Management. Empower your small group leaders to manage their own rosters, take attendance, and communicate with members directly.
- Pathway Tracking. Create custom workflows to track where people are in their faith journey, from first-time guests to active volunteers.
- Event Registration. Create custom forms for retreats or conferences and collect payments or deposits directly through your church website.
- Reporting and Analytics. Generate detailed reports on attendance trends and giving patterns to make informed decisions about your ministry's future.
Pricing Comparison
Aplos Pricing
- Fund accounting for 1 user
- Donor management (CRM)
- Online donation tools
- Standard financial reports
- Automated bank reconciliation
- Email support
- Everything in Lite, plus:
- Automatic recurring giving
- Budgeting by fund/tag
- Customizable reports
- Bulk contribution entry
- Check printing
Realm Pricing
Pros & Cons
Aplos
Pros
- True fund accounting specifically built for nonprofit needs
- Intuitive interface that is easy for non-accountants to navigate
- Excellent customer support with deep nonprofit expertise
- Seamless integration between the donor database and accounting
- Simplifies the creation of year-end tax statements
Cons
- Pricing is higher than generic small business software
- Limited customization options for advanced reporting needs
- Occasional slowness when processing very large datasets
- Mobile app features are limited compared to desktop
Realm
Pros
- All-in-one design eliminates the need for separate accounting software
- Mobile app significantly increases engagement within small groups
- Excellent security features for children's ministry check-in
- Strong reporting capabilities for tracking long-term giving trends
- User-friendly interface for non-technical church volunteers
Cons
- Initial data migration can be time-consuming for large churches
- Learning curve for the advanced fund accounting module
- Mobile app notifications can occasionally be inconsistent
- Higher price point compared to simple database-only tools