TL;DR: Subsplash and Pushpay are both premium, quote-based church platforms built for mid-to-large US churches. Subsplash leads with best-in-class custom apps, media tools, and AI-powered content creation through Pulpit AI. Pushpay leads with giving optimization, donor analytics, and a full ChMS via its CCB merger. Both cost $200-500+/month, both require sales calls for pricing, and neither supports WhatsApp, mobile money, or multi-currency giving. Choose Subsplash if media and apps are your priority. Choose Pushpay if giving growth and church management depth matter most. If you’re a small church or outside North America, neither platform was built for you.
Two Premium Platforms, Two Different Strengths
If you’re comparing Subsplash vs Pushpay, you’re already in the premium tier of church technology. These aren’t budget tools. They’re full-featured engagement platforms built for churches that are serious about their digital presence.
But they come from very different roots. Subsplash started as a custom church app company in 2013 and expanded into media hosting, giving, and AI content creation. Pushpay started as a mobile giving platform the same year and has since merged with Church Community Builder (CCB) to add full church management.
The result? Two platforms that overlap in some areas (giving, apps) but diverge significantly in others (media vs. ChMS). This comparison breaks down exactly where each one wins, where each falls short, and which type of church should pick which.
For individual deep dives, see our full Subsplash review and Pushpay review.
Quick Comparison at a Glance
| Category | Subsplash | Pushpay (+ CCB) |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2013 | 2013 |
| Pricing model | Quote-based | Quote-based, annual contract |
| Estimated monthly cost | $199-500+/month | $500-1,500+/month |
| Free tier | Giving only ($0/month) | No |
| Transparent pricing | No | No |
| Best at | Custom apps, media, AI content | Giving optimization, donor analytics |
| Custom church app | Best in class | Premium |
| Online giving | Strong (GrowCurve rates) | Best in class |
| Church management (ChMS) | Basic to mid | Deep (CCB) |
| Media hosting | Best in class | Basic |
| Live streaming | Excellent | Via app |
| AI tools | Pulpit AI (strong) | No |
| Worship planning | No | No |
| Donor analytics | Basic | Best in class |
| Check-ins | Yes | Yes (via CCB) |
| Groups/messaging | In-app messaging | In-app + CCB groups |
| TV apps (Roku, Apple TV) | Yes | No |
| Podcast distribution | Yes | No |
| Website builder | Weak (SnapPages) | No |
| Multi-campus | Good | Good |
| No | No | |
| Mobile money (M-Pesa) | No | No |
| Multi-currency giving | No | No |
| Best for | Media-heavy, app-focused churches | Giving-focused, management-heavy churches |
Pricing Comparison: Both Are Premium, Both Are Opaque
Let’s address the biggest frustration with both platforms upfront: neither Subsplash nor Pushpay publishes transparent pricing. Both require you to book a demo and get a custom quote. That means no quick budget comparisons. No presenting numbers to your board without a sales conversation first.
Here’s what we know based on community reporting and publicly available information:
| Subsplash | Pushpay (+ CCB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Giving only | $0/month (transaction fees only) | ~$199-399/month |
| App + giving | ~$199-399/month + $499 setup | ~$399-799/month |
| Full platform | ~$300-500+/month (Subsplash One) | ~$500-1,500+/month |
| Card transaction fee | 2.9% + $0.30 (standard) | ~2.9% + $0.30 |
| ACH fee | 1.0% | ~1.0% + $0.30 |
| Volume discounts | Yes (GrowCurve) | Negotiable |
| Annual contract | Varies | Typically required |
| Setup fee | ~$499 (apps) | Varies |
Key pricing differences:
Subsplash Giving is free. You can use it standalone with no monthly fee, paying only transaction fees. That’s a real advantage for churches that want to start with giving and add features later. Pushpay has no free tier.
Pushpay is consistently more expensive. At the full-platform level, Pushpay + CCB typically costs 2-3x what Subsplash One costs. That’s the premium you pay for Pushpay’s giving optimization tools and CCB’s deep church management.
Both offer volume-based fee reductions. Subsplash’s GrowCurve drops card processing rates as low as 1.9% for high-volume churches. Pushpay negotiates rates based on giving volume during the sales process.
The bottom line: Both are expensive compared to alternatives like Tithe.ly at $119/month or Breeze at $72/month. But between the two, Subsplash is generally the more accessible price point. Pushpay targets churches with larger budgets and higher giving volume.
Giving Comparison: Pushpay’s Core Strength vs. Subsplash’s Solid Offering
This is where the philosophies diverge most clearly. Pushpay was built around giving. Subsplash added giving to complement its app platform. The difference shows.
| Feature | Subsplash | Pushpay |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile giving | Yes (in-app) | Yes (in-app, optimized for speed) |
| Web giving | Yes | Yes |
| Text-to-give | Yes | Yes |
| Recurring giving | Yes | Yes (higher adoption rates reported) |
| Quick Give (saved payment) | Yes | Yes (single-tap giving) |
| Fund management | Yes | Yes |
| Giving statements | Yes | Yes |
| Donor management | Basic | Advanced |
| Donor engagement scoring | No | Yes |
| Lapsed giver alerts | No | Yes |
| Campaign tracking | Basic | Advanced |
| Giving analytics | Standard reports | Best-in-class dashboards |
| Adoption playbook | No | Yes (onboarding support) |
| GrowCurve / volume discounts | Yes | Negotiable |
Pushpay has a clear edge on giving. Their giving flow is optimized down to the tap. The Quick Give feature means repeat donors can complete a gift in seconds. The donor analytics dashboard tracks engagement trends, flags at-risk givers, and provides data that helps church leadership make decisions around generosity and stewardship.
Pushpay also invests heavily in adoption. They provide launch strategies, training materials, and dedicated customer success managers to help churches drive digital giving adoption. According to Pushpay’s published case studies, churches report significant increases in digital giving after implementing the platform, though results vary by congregation size and context.
Subsplash’s giving is solid but not its headline feature. It covers all the essentials: mobile giving, text-to-give, recurring gifts, and fund management. The GrowCurve program is a nice touch, reducing transaction fees as your volume grows. But the donor analytics and engagement tools are basic compared to Pushpay.
If maximizing digital giving revenue is your church’s top priority, Pushpay has the stronger track record. If giving is important but not your primary reason for choosing a platform, Subsplash’s giving tools are more than capable.
Church App Comparison: Both Are Premium, Subsplash Has the Edge
Both Subsplash and Pushpay offer custom-branded church apps published under your church’s name in the App Store and Google Play. Both are leagues ahead of generic church apps or basic member portals.
| Feature | Subsplash | Pushpay |
|---|---|---|
| Custom branding | Yes | Yes |
| Published under your name | Yes | Yes |
| In-app giving | Yes | Yes |
| Sermon/media library | Best in class | Good |
| Live streaming | Yes (built-in) | Yes (integrated) |
| Push notifications | Yes | Yes |
| In-app messaging | Yes (groups + messaging) | Yes |
| Prayer requests | Yes | Yes |
| Event registration | Yes | Yes |
| Bible reading plans | Yes | Limited |
| Content recommendations | Yes (personalized) | Limited |
| TV apps (Roku, Apple TV) | Yes | No |
| Design quality | Best in class | Premium |
Subsplash wins on app quality. This has been their core product since day one, and it shows. The media library experience, content recommendations, and overall polish are a cut above. If your church produces a lot of video and audio content, Subsplash’s app is the best vehicle for delivering it.
Pushpay’s app is excellent too. The giving integration is seamless (naturally), and the app experience is polished and professional. For churches where the app primarily serves as a giving and engagement portal rather than a media consumption platform, Pushpay’s app is more than sufficient.
The real differentiator is TV apps and media delivery. Subsplash offers Roku, Apple TV, and Fire TV apps for churches that want to reach members on their living room screens. Pushpay doesn’t. If your church has a strong media ministry or wants to compete with on-demand content platforms, Subsplash is the clear winner here.
Church Management: Pushpay’s CCB Advantage
This is Pushpay’s biggest structural advantage since the CCB merger.
| Feature | Subsplash | Pushpay (CCB) |
|---|---|---|
| Member database | Yes | Yes (deep) |
| Household management | Basic | Detailed |
| Custom fields | Limited | Extensive |
| Groups management | In-app groups | Full group management with leader tools |
| Volunteer scheduling | Basic | Yes, with automated reminders |
| Process queues (workflows) | No | Yes (CCB’s standout feature) |
| Event management | Yes | Yes |
| Check-in | Yes | Yes |
| Attendance tracking | Basic | Detailed |
| Reporting | Basic | Customizable dashboards |
| Data maturity | Newer, still growing | Established since 1999 |
CCB has been around since 1999. That’s over two decades of refinement. The process queue system is worth highlighting: it lets you create step-by-step follow-up workflows for visitor engagement, baptism prep, membership classes, volunteer onboarding, and more. Each step can be assigned to a specific person with a due date. For churches that want structured pastoral care processes, CCB delivers.
Subsplash’s ChMS is newer and lighter. It covers the basics well: member profiles, attendance, check-in, and groups. But it’s not in the same league as CCB for churches that need deep reporting, complex workflows, or sophisticated people management.
If a full-featured ChMS is a key requirement, Pushpay + CCB is the stronger choice. If you already have a ChMS you’re happy with (like Planning Center or Breeze) and just want a great app and media platform, Subsplash doesn’t force you to switch.
Media and Content: Subsplash’s Strongest Category
This is Subsplash’s strongest category and where Pushpay can’t compete.
| Feature | Subsplash | Pushpay |
|---|---|---|
| Media hosting | Unlimited, HD/4K | Basic sermon uploads |
| Podcast distribution | Yes (auto-distribute) | No |
| TV apps (Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV) | Yes | No |
| Live streaming | Built-in, adaptive bitrate | Via app integration |
| Pulpit AI | Yes (20+ content pieces per sermon) | No |
| Video clips with captions | Yes (AI-generated) | No |
| Blog/devotional generation | Yes (AI-generated) | No |
| Social media content | Yes (AI-generated) | No |
| Small group guides | Yes (AI-generated from sermons) | No |
Subsplash started as a media company, and it shows. The media hosting infrastructure is mature and reliable, with unlimited storage, adaptive bitrate streaming, and distribution to every major platform (mobile, web, TV, podcast).
Pulpit AI is the standout feature. Upload a sermon recording and it automatically generates over 20 pieces of content: video clips with captions and face-tracking, blog posts, devotionals, small group discussion guides, social media posts, and newsletters. Everything is editable before publishing. For churches with small staff or volunteer-run media teams, this is a massive time-saver.
Pushpay doesn’t compete here. They offer basic sermon hosting through the app, but there’s no dedicated media infrastructure, no podcast distribution, no TV apps, and no AI content tools.
If your church produces significant video and audio content, Subsplash is the clear winner in this category. If media isn’t a priority and you just need basic sermon hosting, this category won’t influence your decision.
Who Should Choose Subsplash
Subsplash is the right pick if:
- Media is central to your ministry. You produce sermon videos, podcast episodes, social media clips, and devotional content regularly. Subsplash’s media tools and Pulpit AI will save your content team hours every week.
- You want the best custom church app. Subsplash’s apps are among the strongest available. If your digital front door is your app, not your website, Subsplash delivers the most polished experience.
- You want TV apps. If your church wants to be on Roku, Apple TV, and Fire TV alongside Netflix and YouTube, only Subsplash offers this.
- You already have a ChMS. If you’re happy with Planning Center, Breeze, or another ChMS, Subsplash complements those tools without forcing a switch.
- You’re a mid-to-large US church with the budget for custom-quoted pricing but don’t need the most expensive option in the space.
Who Should Choose Pushpay
Pushpay is the right pick if:
- Maximizing digital giving is your top strategic goal. Pushpay’s giving flow, adoption playbook, and donor analytics are built specifically to drive giving growth. Pushpay’s case studies cite significant increases after switching, though results vary.
- You need a full ChMS included. The CCB merger gives you a deep, mature church management system as part of the package. Process queues, detailed reporting, volunteer scheduling, and two decades of refinement.
- Donor analytics matter to your leadership. Engagement scoring, lapsed giver alerts, campaign tracking, and year-over-year comparisons. Pushpay’s data tools are among the strongest for churches that treat generosity as a discipleship metric.
- You’re a large US church (500+ attendance) with a significant technology budget and the giving volume to justify premium pricing.
- You want everything under one roof. Giving, app, ChMS, analytics, and engagement tools from a single vendor. No piecing together multiple platforms.
Who Should Choose Neither
Here’s where we need to be honest about both platforms.
Small Churches (Under 300 Members)
Both Subsplash and Pushpay are built for mid-to-large churches. The pricing, the sales process, the feature depth, and the onboarding complexity all reflect that positioning.
A church of 100-200 members doesn’t need donor engagement scoring, enterprise media hosting, or a dedicated customer success manager. You need solid giving, a member directory, and good communication tools.
Better options for smaller churches:
- Tithe.ly All-Access at $119/month bundles giving, ChMS, an app, a website, and worship tools
- Breeze at $72/month for simple, effective church management
- Planning Center with a free tier and modular pricing so you only pay for what you use
Churches Outside North America
This is the biggest gap, and it applies equally to both platforms.
Neither Subsplash nor Pushpay supports:
- WhatsApp integration. In Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and much of Asia, WhatsApp is how churches communicate. Not email. Not push notifications. WhatsApp. Both platforms rely on their own apps and email for communication, which only works if your members download and regularly open a church-specific app.
- Mobile money. M-Pesa, MTN Mobile Money, Airtel Money, Paystack, Flutterwave. These are how hundreds of millions of people transact. Both Subsplash and Pushpay only support credit cards and ACH bank transfers.
- Multi-currency giving. If your church receives donations in multiple currencies, or if diaspora members send offerings from overseas, neither platform handles it.
- Regional pricing. Both platforms price for the US market. A church in Nairobi or Lagos with a $50/month technology budget isn’t their target customer.
- Offline functionality. Many churches in developing regions deal with inconsistent internet. Platforms that require constant connectivity for basic features create friction.
If your church is in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, India, Brazil, the Philippines, or the UK diaspora, these aren’t minor inconveniences. They’re fundamental gaps. Read our article on why US church software doesn’t work for African churches for a deeper look at this problem.
The Global Perspective
Something that rarely comes up in Subsplash vs Pushpay comparisons: both platforms are built exclusively for the North American church market.
That’s not a criticism of quality. Both are excellent at what they do. But the assumption baked into every feature, every payment flow, and every communication tool is that your congregation has iPhones, stable broadband, US bank accounts, and communicates through email and branded apps.
The reality is different. Over 60% of the world’s Christians live in the Global South. Churches in Lagos, Nairobi, Accra, Sao Paulo, Manila, and London’s diaspora communities need platforms that understand how their members actually communicate and give.
WhatsApp open rates exceed 98%. Mobile money processes billions in transactions annually across Africa. UK diaspora churches serve multilingual communities that span multiple countries and currencies.
Neither Subsplash nor Pushpay was designed for any of these contexts. That’s not a failure. It’s a scope decision. But it means the “Subsplash vs Pushpay” question is only relevant for a specific slice of the global church.
Our Verdict
Both Subsplash and Pushpay are strong platforms that serve different priorities within the same premium market segment.
| If You Prioritize… | Choose |
|---|---|
| Best custom church app | Subsplash |
| Best giving optimization | Pushpay |
| Media and content tools | Subsplash |
| Donor analytics | Pushpay |
| AI content creation (Pulpit AI) | Subsplash |
| Full ChMS included | Pushpay (CCB) |
| TV apps (Roku, Apple TV) | Subsplash |
| Structured follow-up workflows | Pushpay (CCB process queues) |
| Lower price point (of the two) | Subsplash |
| Free giving tier | Subsplash |
| Podcast distribution | Subsplash |
Our recommendation:
-
Choose Subsplash if your church is media-heavy, content-driven, and values a polished app experience. It’s the better platform for churches where the weekly sermon is the starting point for clips, blogs, podcasts, devotionals, and social media content. The price point is also more accessible than Pushpay for mid-size churches.
-
Choose Pushpay if your church’s primary goal is giving growth and you need a mature ChMS under the same roof. Pushpay’s giving tools and donor analytics are purpose-built to increase generosity, and CCB adds operational depth that Subsplash can’t match. Be prepared for premium pricing and an annual commitment.
-
Choose neither if you’re a smaller church or outside North America. The pricing, the US-centric feature set, and the quote-based sales process make both platforms a poor fit for churches with limited budgets or global operations. Look at Tithe.ly for an affordable US-focused bundle, Breeze for simplicity, or Planning Center for modular depth.
And if your church needs WhatsApp, mobile money, or multi-currency giving? The entire US church tech market has a blind spot here. Platforms built for the global church from the ground up are the answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Subsplash or Pushpay cheaper?
Subsplash is generally less expensive. Subsplash Giving is free ($0/month) with transaction fees only, and app packages start around $199/month. Pushpay has no free tier, and full bundles with CCB typically run $500-1,500+/month. Both require custom quotes for their complete platforms, so exact pricing varies by church.
Can I use Subsplash for giving and Pushpay for church management?
Technically yes, but it’s not a common combination. You’d be managing two premium platforms, two vendor relationships, and two sets of data. If you want Pushpay-level giving with a separate ChMS, it makes more sense to pair Pushpay with a dedicated ChMS like Planning Center. If you want Subsplash’s app and media tools, pair them with Breeze or Planning Center for management.
Which has better customer support?
Both offer dedicated support teams. Pushpay is known for its customer success managers who help with onboarding and adoption strategy, which is a real advantage for churches that need hands-on help driving digital giving. Subsplash offers responsive support with strong onboarding for app setup. Neither is significantly better overall, but Pushpay invests more in strategic adoption support.
Do either offer worship planning?
No. Neither Subsplash nor Pushpay includes worship planning tools. If worship scheduling, song management, or service building is important to your church, you’ll need to supplement with Planning Center Services, which is the most established option for worship planning.
Which is better for a multisite church?
Both handle multisite well, but in different ways. Subsplash lets each campus have its own content and media within a shared app. Pushpay + CCB gives you campus-specific giving reports and separate church management workflows. For churches where media and campus-specific content matter most, Subsplash has a slight edge. For churches where giving analytics and people management per campus matter most, Pushpay + CCB is stronger.
Does either work for churches outside the US?
Both have limited international availability. Pushpay supports a few countries (US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand). Subsplash is primarily US-focused. Neither supports mobile money, WhatsApp, multi-currency giving, or regional pricing. Churches in Africa, Latin America, Asia, or the UK diaspora will find fundamental gaps in both platforms.
What about the private equity acquisition of Pushpay?
Pushpay was taken private by Sixth Street Partners and BGH Capital in 2023. This is worth considering if you’re signing an annual contract. Ask your sales rep about product roadmap, pricing guarantees, and contract flexibility. The product is strong today, but understanding the ownership structure helps you plan long-term.
Can I switch from Pushpay to Subsplash (or vice versa)?
Yes, though it requires work. Giving history and member data can be exported via CSV and reimported. However, donor engagement data, analytics history, and CCB workflow configurations don’t transfer cleanly to Subsplash. Similarly, Subsplash media libraries, app content, and Pulpit AI outputs don’t carry over to Pushpay. Plan for a transition period and data reformatting.