Aplos vs ACS

QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Desktop

Planning Center

Sage Accounting

IconCMO

Text In Church

Compare Aplos and ACS based on features, pricing, verified reviews, integrations & more on GetApp. Find out which software is best for your business in 2026.

QuickBooks Online is an all-in-one online business software designed to help manage business finances. The platform is built to scale businesses, unlocking insights and providing the functionality of a larger team, all on one integrated platform.

QuickBooks Desktop provides a comprehensive business management solution that integrates accounting, payroll, inventory, and multiple company management functionalities. The software offers industry-specific editions tailored for manufacturing, wholesale, contractors, and accountants, with features like advanced reporting, job costing, and automated pricing rules. Users can enhance their experience with cloud hosting capabilities that enable remote access and team collaboration.

Sage Accounting is an accounting system for small business owners. It has features to help users forecast their cashflow, send and track invoices and act on real-time reporting. Users can manage their business from anywhere, at any time, from the cloud and with mobile functionality. Sage Accounting application is available for iOS and Android.

Aplos provides the robust accounting framework necessary to track restricted vs unrestricted funds and generate comprehensive, auditor-friendly reports. Our features are crafted to aid budgeting, automate complex allocations, and provide real-time insights into your financial health.

Access Controls/Permissions

Accounting

Accounting Integration

Accounts Payable

Accounts Receivable

ACH Payment Processing

Activity Dashboard

Activity Tracking

Ad hoc Reporting

Alerts/Notifications

Asset Tracking

Audit Trail

Bank Reconciliation

Billing & Invoicing

Budgeting/Forecasting

Built-in Accounting

Campaign Management

Cash Flow Management

Cash Management

Chart of Accounts

Check Printing

Child Check-in

Client Portal

Collaboration Tools

Committee Management

Communication Management

Contact Database

Contact Management

Contribution Tracking

Credit Card Processing

Customer Database

Customizable Branding

Customizable Fields

Customizable Forms

Customizable Reports

Customizable Templates

Dashboard

Data Import/Export

Document Storage

Donation Management

Donation Tracking

Donor Management

Dues Management

Electronic Payments

Email Management

Email Marketing

Email Reminders

Email Templates

Event Management

Event Scheduling

Event Ticketing

Expense Tracking

Fee Management

File Sharing

Financial Analysis

Financial Management

Financial Reporting

Fixed Asset Management

For Nonprofits

For Religious Organizations

For Schools

For Small Businesses

Fund Accounting

Fund Management

Fundraising Management

General Ledger

Income & Balance Sheet

Invoice Creation

Invoice Management

Invoice Processing

K-12

Member Communication

Member Database

Member Directory

Member Portal

Membership Management

Mobile Access

Mobile Giving

Multi-Currency

Multi-Location

Multiple Projects

Online Forms

Online Giving

Payment Processing

Payroll Management

Personalization

Pledge Management

Profit/Loss Statement

Project Accounting

Project Costing

Real-Time Analytics

Real-Time Data

Real-Time Reporting

Receipt Management

Recurring Giving

Registration Management

Reminders

Remote Access/Control

Aplos

Web-based

Windows

Founder

I was so confused, and he was SO PATIENT. I love being connected to great customer service and overall great people.

Bookkeeper

The Fund Accounting is most helpful for the churches I help. The monthly reports are great to send to my clients so they can see where their money goes and how much they take in.

Third, I get lots of complaints from customers about the transaction errors which make it hard to give.

Treasurer

Better than most I've seen and I think it is in most part due  to the ability to talk through the needs with Aplos support and get the help on what functionality meets those needs.

The ease of use is best and the access to help in a timely matter.

HR Administrator/Bookkeeper

I really like the Reconciliation process...it is simple to understand and works perfectly. I value the support that Aplos provides.

church secretary

The Check In system, for us, was not working too well. Research was done and the application was tweaked to service us.

Financial Administrator

User friendly, provides fund accounting, integrated online giving, and customer service is great.

My overall experience with Aplos is EXCELLENT.

From the initial inquiry to day to day activities, the Aplos team has been a great support. They are quick to respond and guide us with the different features.

We are a fairly new to this program and I appreciating how this program works for me in regards to accounting and reporting. I am still working out a few issues on our end regarding the People side.

I am unhappy that I cannot find a Vendor to do a new A/P Entry. Instead have to scroll thru pages to find the one I'm looking for, a simple search would suffice.

I do not have another Fund Accounting Software to compare Aplos to, but I can't imagine that anyone could offer better Customer Service. They are very helpful, and help resolve issues.

Programs Manager

Offers the project management and budget setup which is crucial for my office. Its an all in one package that allows any organization to fulfill their accounting needs in one place.

Founder & Executive Director

We were able to integrate the donation form into our website and all seems to be working well. Customer service has been quick to follow up when I've had questions.

The product is very easy to use and the customer service is five star.

HR Consultant

The church faced many challenges during Covid, including a restriction on the number of members who were allowed to attend in person.

Our clients like our Aplos reporting. Easy transfer of data previously used on QuickBooks.

Aplos screenshot: Fund based budgeting in Aplos. Proactively plan your organization's financial goals with budgeting by fund, department, or location, ensuring you stay on mission and on budget.

Aplos screenshot: Register in Aplos. Get an at-a-glance, running balance of your checking account so you always know your exact cash position.

Aplos screenshot: Bank Reconciliation in Aplos. Quickly match your recorded transactions against your bank statement to guarantee your financial data is accurate and trustworthy.

Aplos screenshot: Income Statement report in Aplos. Get a clear picture of your financial health by viewing revenue and expenses for any period, fund, or specific activity.

Freelancers

Large Enterprises

Mid Size Business

Non Profit

Small Business

Planning Center is an all-in-one church management system made to help you organize information, coordinate events, communicate with your team, and connect with your congregation. 

Use different tools for your ministry needs while keeping everyone informed about what's happening around the church.

Text In Church is a church texting and email communication software to help busy church leaders spend less time managing tools and more time building relationships. Your church deserves to follow up with guests, send Plan A Visit reminders and engage regular attendees in a simple, meaningful way.

IconCMO is a church management solution for ministries of all sizes. The cloud-based solution provides tools such as member management, visitor tracking, communications, donor management, fund accounting, child check-in, event registration, and more to help churches manage their operations online.

ACS is a church management software designed to help churches of all sizes handle finances, members, services, background checks, contributions, accounting processes, payroll, purchase orders, and more on a centralized platform.

Application Management

Attendance Management

Attendance Tracking

Member Types

Membership Renewals

Mobile App

Online Calendar

Small Group Management

Third-Party Integrations

Volunteer Management

Website Management

Android

Linux

iPad

iPhone

Administrator

The customer service at ACS is outstanding and would recommend this company and their products to anyone.

summer projects secretary/teacher

The onboarding team and the customer service reps are easy to work with and try to be as helpful as possible. The Church Life app is great, and has been a blessing to our church members.

What I like best is that it is an affordable, integrated, double-entry accounting system designed specifically for churches and small non-profit organizations.

Pastor

It is marvelous in it's simplicity but also the sky is the limit with regards to it's complexity in it's ability to create reports, schedule volunteers, and communicate with teams.

church administrator

There are several modules that will allow you to track different aspects of the member or prospect in the life of the church and this system does it very effectively.

Executive Pastor

Set-up for reports is too complicated and graphs are difficult to arrange and filters are confusing.

Indépendant 

In conclusion, ACS is a very good software to store any kind of information.

Former Communications Director

ACS was powerful and stable. It's accounting software was also a huge perk.

ACS used to be the leader in this industry, but that was in the 1990s. Unfortunately, their software is still stuck in the 90s.

Worship Pastor

If you spent a lot of time setting things up and were using it daily, ACS seems to have the capability to have good functionality.

Owner

Honeslty the software is stuck in the 90s, I am shocked how far behind the programing is, it was not user friendly at all.

Customer Service was friendly, extremely helpful and patient. On site training was available at extra cost.

The user interface was difficult, making learning it (and teaching it to church staff who are often technically slower) very difficult.

IT Director 

It was a strong tool for us for quite some time.

Administrative Assistant

Some days we notice it's "sluggish" (may be an internet issue). We use it every day in our office, but people using it from home often have problems.

Finance Mgr

I also can no longer run event and other income smoothly and directly to a contra-expense.

Director of Family Ministries

While all the modules technically work together, in practice their integration is flimsy and difficult to understand.

Event and Office Coordinator

Overall, the service performs what you need it to do at a lower budget cost, but it could offer more in terms of functionality and appearance.

Aplos vs ACS Comparison (2026)

Aplos

ACS

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives