Aplos Accounting Software: How It Compares for Nonprofits

Aplos is one of the most popular accounting and donor management platforms designed specifically for nonprofits and churches. But is it the right fit for your organization? In this comprehensive review, we'll explore Aplos's features, pricing, pros and cons, and how it compares to alternatives.

What Is Aplos?

Aplos is a cloud-based software platform that combines fund accounting, donor management, and online giving tools in one package. Founded in 2009, it has become a go-to solution for small to mid-sized nonprofits and faith-based organizations looking for an affordable, user-friendly option.

Key Features of Aplos

1. Fund Accounting

Aplos offers true fund accounting, allowing you to track restricted, unrestricted, and temporarily restricted funds separately. This is essential for nonprofit compliance and transparency.

2. Donor Management

Track donor information, giving history, and communications. Generate year-end giving statements and manage relationships from a single dashboard.

3. Online Giving

Accept donations online with customizable giving forms. Aplos integrates payment processing and automatically syncs gifts with your accounting.

4. Financial Reporting

Generate standard nonprofit financial reports, including Statement of Financial Position, Statement of Activities, and fund-specific reports.

5. Budgeting

Create and track budgets by fund, department, or program. Compare actual spending to budgeted amounts in real time.

Aplos Pricing

Aplos offers tiered pricing based on features and organization size:

• Lite: Basic accounting and reporting
• Core: Adds donor management and online giving
• Advanced: Full feature set with advanced reporting

Pricing typically ranges from $39 to $79+ per month, depending on your needs.

Pros & Cons of Aplos

Pros

• User-friendly: Clean interface designed for non-accountants
• Nonprofit-focused: Built specifically for nonprofits and churches
• Integrated tools: Accounting, donor management, and giving in one platform
• Affordable: Competitive pricing for small organizations
• Good support: Responsive customer service and training resources

Cons

• Limited scalability: May struggle with high transaction volumes
• Basic CRM: Donor management features are less robust than dedicated CRMs
• Integration gaps: Some third-party integrations require workarounds
• Reporting limitations: Advanced reporting may require manual exports
• No payroll: Must integrate with external payroll providers

Who Is Aplos Best For?

Aplos is ideal for:

• Small to mid-sized nonprofits (under $5M budget)
• Churches and faith-based organizations
• Organizations new to fund accounting
• Teams looking for an all-in-one, affordable solution

Aplos vs. Alternatives

Feature	Aplos	QuickBooks	Alignmint
Fund accounting	Yes	No	Yes
Donor management	Basic	No	Advanced
Online giving	Yes	No	Yes
High-volume support	Limited	Limited	Yes
Pricing	$39-79/mo	$25-80/mo	Competitive

When to Consider an Alternative

You may want to look beyond Aplos if you:

• Process thousands of transactions monthly
• Need advanced donor segmentation and analytics
• Require robust CRM features
• Want seamless payroll integration
• Are scaling rapidly

Alignmint: A Modern Alternative

Alignmint offers a modern, high-transactional alternative with robust CRM and fund accounting built-in. Designed for growing nonprofits, Alignmint combines the best of accounting and donor management in one powerful platform.

Ready to explore a better solution? Join our waitlist