Alignmint vs ChurchTrac: Full Feature Comparison
ChurchTrac is one of the most popular church management platforms, especially among small churches. It's affordable, easy to use, and has been around since 2002. But is it the right choice for your church in 2026?
We put Alignmint and ChurchTrac side by side across every major feature category to help you decide.
The Quick Summary
ChurchTrac is a church management platform focused on member directories, attendance tracking, and basic contribution recording. It uses single-entry bookkeeping and is best suited for very small churches with simple financial needs.
Alignmint is an all-in-one nonprofit platform with true double-entry fund accounting, 9 donation types, volunteer CRM, event ticketing, AI assistant, and marketing tools. It's built for churches that need real financial management alongside their CRM.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
Accounting
| Feature | ChurchTrac | Alignmint |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting type | Single-entry | Double-entry |
| Fund accounting | Basic categories | True fund separation with restrictions |
| Chart of accounts | Limited | Pre-built, mapped to Form 990 |
| Balance sheet | No | Yes |
| Statement of Activities | No | Yes |
| Statement of Functional Expenses | No | Yes (automated) |
| Bank reconciliation | Basic | Full reconciliation with matching |
| Journal entries | No | Yes |
| Audit trail | Limited | Complete |
| Form 990 builder | No | Yes |
| Budget tracking | Basic | Budget vs. actual by fund |
Winner: Alignmint. This is the biggest difference between the two platforms. ChurchTrac uses single-entry bookkeeping — you record income and expenses, and that's it. There's no balance sheet, no journal entries, no audit trail, and no way to track assets, liabilities, or net assets. If your church has a building loan, tracks property, or needs to file Form 990, ChurchTrac's accounting won't work. Learn more about why churches need real fund accounting.
Donation Tracking
| Feature | ChurchTrac | Alignmint |
|---|---|---|
| Donation types | Cash, check, online | 9 types (cash, check, online, ACH, wire, stock, in-kind, crypto, pledges) |
| Tax receipts | Yes | Yes (automatic) |
| Year-end statements | Yes | Yes (one-click generation) |
| Recurring giving | Yes (with add-on) | Yes (built-in) |
| Donor portal | Limited | Full self-service portal |
| Donation page builder | Basic | Drag-and-drop builder |
| Pledge tracking | Basic | Full (partial payments, overdue alerts, write-offs) |
| Accounting integration | Manual | Automatic journal entries |
Winner: Alignmint. Both platforms track donations, but Alignmint supports more donation types and — critically — every donation automatically creates the corresponding journal entry in your general ledger. With ChurchTrac, donation data and financial data live in separate systems that don't talk to each other.
Volunteer Management
| Feature | ChurchTrac | Alignmint |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteer profiles | Basic | Full CRM with skills, availability, certifications |
| Hour tracking | Limited | Complete with self-service logging |
| Background checks | Status tracking | Status tracking with expiration alerts |
| Volunteer portal | No | Yes (self-service) |
| Groups & Teams | Basic groups | Groups, teams, and role-based access |
| Digital waivers | No | Yes |
Winner: Alignmint. ChurchTrac has basic volunteer tracking, but Alignmint offers a full Volunteer CRM with a self-service portal where volunteers can log their own hours, update their profiles, and sign digital waivers. See our complete guide to church volunteer management for more detail.
Events
| Feature | ChurchTrac | Alignmint |
|---|---|---|
| Event types | Basic | 7 types (simple, standard, retreat, camp, trip, gala, auction) |
| Ticket sales | No | Yes (Stripe integration) |
| Registration pages | No | Yes (public URL) |
| Check-in | Attendance only | QR code + name search |
| Promo codes | No | Yes |
| Waitlists | No | Yes |
| Custom fields | No | Yes |
| Accounting integration | No | Automatic (revenue flows to GL) |
Winner: Alignmint. ChurchTrac doesn't have event ticketing or registration pages. If your church hosts retreats, VBS, galas, or mission trips that require registration and payment, you'd need a separate platform like Eventbrite.
AI & Intelligence
| Feature | ChurchTrac | Alignmint |
|---|---|---|
| AI assistant | No | Minty AI (queries your actual data) |
| Natural language queries | No | Yes ("Who are our top givers?") |
| Pre-built query templates | No | Yes |
| Smart search | Basic search | Global search across all data |
Winner: Alignmint. ChurchTrac has no AI features. Alignmint's Minty AI lets you ask questions about your church data in plain English.
Marketing
| Feature | ChurchTrac | Alignmint |
|---|---|---|
| Email campaigns | Basic (paid add-on) | Full drag-and-drop builder |
| SMS campaigns | No | Yes |
| Direct mail | No | Yes (postcards, letters, handwritten cards) |
| Video fundraising | No | Video Blast |
| Marketing automation | No | Donor Journeys (automated sequences) |
| Marketing credits | N/A | MintBucks (10,000/mo on Pro) |
Winner: Alignmint. ChurchTrac offers basic email as a paid add-on. Alignmint includes email, SMS, direct mail, video fundraising, and marketing automation — all powered by the MintBucks credit system.
Pricing
| Plan | ChurchTrac | Alignmint |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free (< 75 members) | Free (up to $100K giving) |
| Mid-tier | $7-15/mo | $499/mo (Pro, 5-year) |
| Top tier | $30/mo | Custom (Enterprise) |
ChurchTrac is significantly cheaper on paid plans. But you're comparing single-entry bookkeeping with basic features to a full accounting + CRM + marketing platform. The question is whether your church needs real fund accounting, event ticketing, volunteer portals, and marketing tools — or just a member directory with basic contribution tracking.
Who Should Choose ChurchTrac?
- Very small churches (under 75 members) that only need a member directory and basic contribution tracking
- Churches with extremely simple finances (one bank account, no restricted funds, no building loans)
- Churches that don't need event ticketing, volunteer portals, or marketing tools
- Budget-conscious churches that prioritize low cost over feature depth
Who Should Choose Alignmint?
- Churches that need real fund accounting (building funds, missions, benevolence, restricted gifts)
- Churches that want donation tracking integrated with their accounting
- Churches that host events requiring registration and payment (VBS, retreats, galas)
- Churches that want volunteer management with a self-service portal
- Churches that want AI-powered insights into their data
- Churches that want email, SMS, and direct mail marketing in one platform
- Small churches that qualify for the free tier (up to $100K in annual giving)
The Bottom Line
ChurchTrac is a solid, affordable church management tool for very small churches with simple needs. But if your church has grown beyond basic bookkeeping — if you need real fund accounting, integrated donation tracking, event management, or marketing tools — Alignmint offers significantly more capability.
And with Alignmint's free tier covering churches up to $100K in annual giving, you can try it without any financial risk.
Ready to compare for yourself? Schedule Your Free Setup | Explore Alignmint for Churches.
Related:
- For Churches — Complete Alignmint overview for churches
- Best Free Church Accounting Software in 2026 — Full market comparison
- Church Fund Accounting — Why single-entry isn't enough
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