TimelyChurch

Overview

TimelyChurch is a church administration platform that combines member records, giving, bookkeeping, check-in, volunteer scheduling, and a church website. It suits small and growing churches that want these workflows connected; its appeal narrows for congregations likely to outgrow the free and Growth plan caps or that require third-party security certification.

Features link across the service: donations can flow into a fund-accounting ledger, and website events, giving, and group data can draw from TimelyChurch. That integration is useful for churches seeking fewer disconnected administrative tasks, though it does not remove the need to check whether its capacity limits fit the congregation.

For a more focused comparison, see Church Event Management Software, Church Check-In Software, and Small Group Management Software.

Key features

People, families, and follow-up

A searchable directory brings together family links, notes, tags, and milestones, while automatic follow-ups help keep next steps attached to member records. Custom registration forms add flexibility when collecting information. These tools make the platform relevant to churches managing family relationships and ongoing contact, but the free plan's 100-person limit can be restrictive as a congregation grows.

Giving and accounting

Members can make one-time or recurring online donations, which can be posted to a fund-accounting ledger. TimelyChurch says Stripe processes card payments and that it adds no platform fee to giving. Connecting donations and accounting is a practical strength for churches that want financial activity to feed into bookkeeping rather than remain separate.

Child check-in and volunteers

Check-in includes security codes, guardian-matched pickup, allergy alerts, name-tag printing, and real-time headcounts. These are meaningful safeguards for churches handling child attendance, though the Growth plan allows three kiosks and Pro removes the kiosk limit. Volunteer scheduling offers fair-rotation auto-scheduling and Telegram Yes/No/Snooze confirmations, which can reduce manual coordination for teams using that messaging app.

Website and security

The website builder offers templates and custom domains, with event, giving, and group data drawing from TimelyChurch. Role-based permissions, optional administrator two-factor authentication, activity logging, HTTPS, and isolated church data provide several layers of stated security control. TimelyChurch says it conducted an internal security audit in 2026, but does not currently hold third-party certifications such as SOC 2; churches with formal certification requirements should weigh that limitation. The directory is off by default, members choose what to share, churches can export data, and members may request deletion.

The company says it typically responds within 24 hours. Its help center provides guides, tutorials, documentation, and support tickets.

Pricing

TimelyChurch offers a free plan, a 30-day trial, and paid plans starting at $49 a month. The free tier is a low-risk way for a small church to begin, but its 100-person cap and 500 MB storage limit make it a poor long-term fit for a congregation approaching those ceilings.

• Free Forever — free. Includes up to 100 people and 500 MB storage. It is best suited to a small church evaluating the core service or operating within those limits.
• Growth — $49 a month. Billed at $49 /month or $488/year (save 17%). It supports up to 500 people, three check-in kiosks, 20 website pages, and 5 GB storage. This is the sensible step up for churches that have outgrown Free but do not need unlimited members or kiosks.
• Pro — $129 a month. Billed at $129 $149 /month or $1,290/year (save 17%); the founding price is locked for the first 25 churches, then 149/mo. It includes unlimited members, unlimited kiosks, and 20 GB storage. Pro is the plan for churches that need room beyond Growth's people and kiosk caps, though the stated storage allowance remains finite.

The listed Pro price reflects a founding offer for the first 25 churches; after that, the price is 149/mo. Churches should compare annual and monthly terms against their expected use rather than paying for Pro capacity they do not need.

Platforms

TimelyChurch is available on Android, iOS, and the web. Mobile access broadens its use beyond a desktop office workflow, while the web version supports administration and website management.

Who it's for

TimelyChurch is aimed at small and growing churches, including church planters, that want member management, giving, check-in, volunteer coordination, and a website in one service. It is less suitable for churches that need more than 500 people or three kiosks on Growth but do not want Pro, or that require a third-party certification such as SOC 2.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Giving can post to a fund-accounting ledger, joining donation and bookkeeping workflows.
• Pros: Child check-in combines guardian-matched pickup, allergy alerts, and security codes rather than relying on attendance counts alone.
• Pros: The free plan offers a no-cost starting point, and Growth provides defined expansion limits for people, kiosks, pages, and storage.
• Cons: Free is capped at 100 people and 500 MB storage, while Growth stops at 500 people and three kiosks.
• Cons: Pro includes unlimited members and kiosks but still limits storage to 20 GB.
• Cons: TimelyChurch says it does not currently hold third-party security certifications, which may rule it out for churches with that requirement.

Alternatives

Choose Church Central Cloud if its free plan's 10-member cap, one branch, 500 one-time emails, and 2 GB storage better match a very small church's needs.

Planning Center is an alternative with free Calendar, People, and Services plans; its separate modules may suit a church comparing those specific functions rather than TimelyChurch's combined platform.

Consider RollCall if a church needs a free check-in-focused option for up to 30 members, with one group and unlimited leaders.

Trellis may be a better fit for churches prioritizing small-group management: its paid plan is $35 a month plus $10/month per additional staff account, with unlimited members, groups, and staff.

Arbor is an alternative for churches looking for a free mobile app centered on individual and group member features.

Choose ChurchCMS if self-hosting and no usage limits on its six core modules are more important than TimelyChurch's managed platform.

ChurchSoftware.com Groups is another freemium church-management option, with a free plan for eligible 501(c)(3) organizations.

Consider GroupVitals if the main need is group management: it has a free tier for 0–5 groups and a $49 a month tier for 6–25 groups, with text messaging excluded from the free plan.

Verdict

TimelyChurch is a strong candidate for small and growing churches that want member administration, giving, child check-in, volunteers, and a website connected in one platform. Its ledger integration and safety-oriented check-in tools are compelling reasons to choose it; the people and storage ceilings, kiosk limits, and lack of third-party certification are clear reasons to look elsewhere when those constraints matter.