MemberDrive vs. Tithe.ly
Tithe.ly is the largest church-specific giving platform in the US, and they serve a lot of churches well. But if you need matching gifts, non-custodial Bitcoin, leaderboards, or a platform that works across multiple entity types, the comparison gets interesting. Here's where MemberDrive fits.
The honest comparison
Tithe.ly serves 50,000+ churches with a free giving plan, no platform fee, and a full church engagement suite (ChMS via Breeze, custom apps, website builder, worship tools) available for $72–$119/month. They know churches deeply, speak their language, and have built the integrations that established churches run on.
Tithe.ly is built for churches — exclusively. That focus is their strength and their limitation. MemberDrive is built for faith communities, schools, missions, and multi-purpose organizations that need fundraising tools beyond standard giving: matching gifts, leaderboards, non-custodial Bitcoin, multi-year pledge tracking, and a platform that doesn't lock you into a single vertical.
Pricing Comparison
| MemberDrive | Tithe.ly Free | Tithe.ly ChMS + Giving | Tithe.ly All-Access | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | 1% | None | None | None |
| Monthly fee | None | $0 | $72/mo | $119/mo |
| Card rate | 1% + Stripe | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| ACH rate | 1% | 1% + $0.30 | 1% + $0.30 | 1% + $0.30 |
| AmEx rate | Stripe standard | 3.5% + $0.30 | 3.5% + $0.30 | 3.5% + $0.30 |
| Annual cost on $100K raised (cards only) | ~$3,350 | ~$3,050 | ~$3,914 | ~$4,478 |
This is the most important table in this comparison. Tithe.ly's free plan charges no platform fee — just standard card processing. At standard Stripe rates (2.9% + $0.30), they're marginally cheaper than MemberDrive's 1% platform + 2.2% Stripe on cards alone. If both platforms are using Stripe's nonprofit rate of 2.2%, Tithe.ly is cheaper by roughly the equivalent of our 1% platform fee. That's an honest read.
Where Tithe.ly's ACH rate (1% + $0.30) competes directly with our combined 1% platform + Stripe ACH — and for churches that process significant giving via ACH bank transfer, that gap widens further in their favor.
The honest bottom line: Tithe.ly is cheaper for basic online giving if you don't need our advanced features. For standard card-and-ACH church giving, their free plan keeps costs low. But if you're running a capital campaign with matching gifts, accepting Bitcoin donations, or operating across multiple entity types, MemberDrive's 1% platform fee pays for itself in capabilities Tithe.ly doesn't offer.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | MemberDrive | Tithe.ly |
|---|---|---|
| Online giving form | ✓ | ✓ |
| Recurring donations | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pledge campaigns | ✓Multi-year tracking | ◐Pledge campaigns, less depth |
| Matching gifts | ✓Native lead-donor engine | ✗Not offered |
| Peer-to-peer / leaderboards | ✓ | ✗ |
| Donor self-service portal | ✓ | ✓ |
| Member CRM | ✓Basic | ✓Breeze ChMS ($72/mo) |
| Member content / posts | ✓ | ✗ |
| Email newsletter | ✓Double opt-in | ◐Tithely Messaging ($19/mo add-on) |
| Bitcoin (non-custodial) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Non-custodial funds | ✓ | ✗ |
| Text-to-give | ✗ | ✓Included free |
| In-person kiosk / card reader | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom branded church app | ✗ | ✓All-Access ($119/mo) |
| Custom church website | ✗ | ✓All-Access |
| Worship planning tools | ✗ | ✓All-Access |
| Volunteer management | ✗ | ✓ChMS plan |
| Background checks | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi-site / multi-campus | ✗ | ✓ |
| ChMS integrations (Planning Center, etc.) | ✗ | ✓Extensive |
| No 501(c)(3) required | ✓ | ◐Church-vertical primary |
| Family-owned / independent | ✓ | ✗Venture-backed, acquisitive |
Where Tithe.ly wins
Tithe.ly has built the most comprehensive church technology suite in this comparison set. Their integrations alone (Planning Center, Ministry Platform, Shelby, Rock RMS, Faith Teams, CCB, Elvanto) represent the backbone of how established American churches manage operations. If your church runs on any of these systems, Tithe.ly slots in with minimal friction.
Text-to-give is included free. In-person kiosk/card reader support covers the church lobby. Their Breeze ChMS acquisition gives them a real member database, volunteer coordination, and attendance tracking at a reasonable bundle price. The custom church app ($119/month All-Access) is a genuine product for churches that want to be in their congregants' app drawers.
Pricing-wise: no platform fee means their free giving plan is genuinely simple and genuinely competitive for the typical card-and-ACH giving mix.
Where MemberDrive wins
Matching gifts. MemberDrive's native matching gift engine is one of the highest-leverage fundraising tools available for capital campaigns. A lead donor sets a match multiplier, defines a time window, and watches real-time public progress — with automatic invoice generation when the match closes. Tithe.ly doesn't offer matching gift campaigns at all.
Leaderboards & peer-to-peer. MemberDrive includes leaderboards and peer-to-peer fundraising tools that turn donors into advocates. Great for youth group fundraisers, mission trip support, building campaigns, or any time you want to activate your community to fundraise on your behalf. Tithe.ly doesn't have this.
Non-custodial Bitcoin. MemberDrive offers native, on-chain, non-custodial Bitcoin and Lightning donations. The funds go directly to the organization's own wallet — no intermediary, no conversion, no custody risk. For Reformed churches with sound-money theology, Catholic parishes exploring alternatives to traditional banking, Anabaptist communities, or mission organizations in countries with currency instability, this isn't a niche feature — it's essential. Tithe.ly has nothing in this space.
Pledge tracking depth. Tithe.ly has pledge campaigns; MemberDrive has multi-year pledge tracking with donor self-payment through the portal. For building funds or endowment drives where donors commit over years, the ability for donors to log in and pay installments themselves — without calling the church office — is a real operational difference.
Cross-purpose organizations. Tithe.ly is church-vertical only. If your church also runs a classical school, a mission organization, or another entity, you need separate tools for each. MemberDrive handles all of these at the same 1% rate, under one platform.
Not part of a church-tech ecosystem. Some pastors and church leaders specifically don't want to be absorbed into a software empire that expands into ChMS, apps, websites, and worship planning — with each layer increasing the switching cost. We're a fundraising tool. We do fundraising. Your other systems are your own.
Family-owned and independent. Tithe.ly has grown through acquisition (Breeze ChMS notably) and is venture-backed. For churches that value supporting independent operators — especially traditionalist, counter-cultural, or Reformed communities — the identity difference is meaningful.
An honest word on Bitcoin and faith communities
We raise Bitcoin specifically because it's increasingly relevant to a specific kind of faith community — and not every church.
Reformed and Calvinist churches with sound-money theology. Catholic parishes that have studied monetary history and are skeptical of inflationary fiat currency. Anabaptist communities with theological commitments to financial simplicity and sovereignty. Mission organizations that send funds to countries where USD conversion creates regulatory friction or banking access problems.
For these communities, Tithe.ly's inability to accept non-custodial Bitcoin isn't a minor feature gap — it's a principled mismatch. We're built for that intersection.
Who should choose Tithe.ly
- →Mainstream evangelical Protestant churches doing standard online and in-person giving
- →Churches already running on Planning Center, Breeze, or other Tithe.ly integration partners
- →Churches that want a custom app, website builder, or worship planning tools in the same platform
- →Multi-site or multi-campus churches with complex operational needs
Who should choose MemberDrive
- →Bitcoin-aligned faith communities that want non-custodial, on-chain giving
- →Churches running capital campaigns that need matching gifts and leaderboards
- →Multi-purpose organizations (church + school + missions) that want one platform across all entities
- →Churches that specifically don't want to be locked into a church-tech ecosystem
- →Faith communities that value a small, independent, family-owned operator
Matching gifts. Leaderboards. Non-custodial Bitcoin. Built for more than churches.
MemberDrive gives you the fundraising tools Tithe.ly doesn't offer — matching gifts, peer-to-peer leaderboards, multi-year pledges, and native Bitcoin — at 1%. Start in minutes.
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