Grain Ledger

Overview

Grain Ledger is web-based accounting software for churches managing restricted and unrestricted funds alongside day-to-day financial work. It is most compelling for congregations that want fund accounting, giving, expenses, and reporting in one system.

Its church-focused finance tools are a strong fit for organizations that have outgrown general-purpose bookkeeping, but Starter’s caps and the added payroll charge deserve a close look before choosing a plan.

Key features

Fund accounting, banking, and expenses

Double-entry accounting for restricted and unrestricted funds, plus a customizable nonprofit chart of accounts, gives churches a structure for tracking money by purpose. Plaid bank sync imports transactions for categorization and reconciliation. Vendor bills, approvals, accounts-payable aging, card activity, and 1099 vendor information bring common expense work into the same system. That breadth can reduce the need to split routine finance tasks across tools, though Starter’s single bank connection may be a poor fit for a church managing several accounts.

Reporting and giving

GAAP-compliant balance sheets, statements of activities, and cash-flow statements can be traced down to journal entries and transactions. Donation imports, donor matching, giving analytics, and annual giving statements with IRS-compliant disclosures make the product relevant to churches that want accounting and donation workflows connected. Integrations include Planning Center, Ramp, Bill.com / Divvy, Pushpay, OnlineGiving.org, Rock RMS, and Subsplash; Tithely is marked as coming soon.

Security and payroll

The maker says data is encrypted at rest with AES-256 and in transit with TLS 1.2+, and that its cloud infrastructure is SOC 2 Type II compliant in a US region. It says personal identifiers are deleted 30 days after account termination and financial audit trails are retained for up to seven years. Email support is available, with plan-specific priority email or phone support listed on the pricing page.

Optional Grain Payroll adds automatic fund allocation, a mobile time clock and approvals, direct deposit, and federal and state tax filings. Its separate base and per-employee fees make payroll a meaningful extra cost rather than an included part of accounting.

Pricing

• Starter: Free. It includes unlimited funds, one active budget, one bank connection, and three users, and is intended for churches with up to $20k in monthly expenses. The no-cost entry point is useful for smaller operations, but the expense ceiling and tight connection, seat, and budget limits may force a move up as needs grow.
• Growth: $70/month, billed $70/month. It supports up to $1M in annualized revenue or expenses, three bank connections, unlimited users, unlimited monthly expenses, and unlimited active budgets. This is the natural fit for churches that have outgrown Starter’s operating caps without needing Scale’s custom roles and reports.
• Scale: $100/month, billed $100/month, with scale-based pricing. It includes unlimited bank connections and users, plus custom roles and reports. Churches with broader needs may value the added flexibility, but should weigh the scale-based pricing against their requirements.
• Grain Payroll: $50/month base plus $10 per employee per month. It is an add-on that works with every accounting plan, so budget for both the base charge and employee fees if payroll tools are needed.

Platforms

Grain Ledger runs on the web. That suits churches seeking cloud-based access, but it is not an option for a mobile or desktop app platform.

Who it's for

Grain Ledger is best suited to churches that need restricted-fund tracking, church-oriented giving workflows, and expense controls alongside formal financial statements. Starter makes it possible for a small church to begin without a subscription, while Growth offers substantially more room for multiple users, budgets, and expenses. Churches that need many bank connections, custom roles, or custom reports should assess Scale’s scale-based pricing; organizations seeking only basic budgeting may not need this breadth.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Restricted and unrestricted fund accounting with a customizable nonprofit chart of accounts supports church-specific financial organization.
• Pro: Giving imports and donor tools sit alongside expense tracking and GAAP-compliant reports, connecting several recurring finance workflows.
• Pro: Growth removes user, monthly expense, and active-budget caps, making the free plan’s limits a clear upgrade path.
• Con: Starter is limited to one bank connection, three users, one active budget, and churches with up to $20k in monthly expenses.
• Con: Payroll costs extra at $50/month plus $10 per employee per month, which can raise the total cost for churches that need it.
• Con: Scale uses scale-based pricing, so its cost may be harder to assess than Growth’s fixed monthly price.

Alternatives

For a smaller organization focused on budgeting, forecasting, and export, MoneyMinder has a free edition with those tools and offers Android, iOS, and web access; Grain Ledger is the stronger fit when church fund accounting and giving workflows matter. Churchsoft Assist 2026 is another paid option, available on Android, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows.

Organizations seeking a paid accounting product with personalized pricing and potential implementation, training, and ongoing support can consider Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT. Smaller nonprofits that want a $24.00 per year Starter plan with two users, contractor tracking, and Form 990-N/990-EZ can look at NP Ledger instead.

Xledger is a paid web and mobile option with a SaaS subscription and one-time implementation fee, with pricing provided after learning about the business’s needs. For a paid church accounting alternative with a $79.00 per month Lite plan, two users, and fund statements, Aplos may suit buyers who want those stated plan features. FastFund Accounting offers a $50.00 per month Standard plan with cash-based and fund accounting, budgeting, and project tracking. ACS Facility Scheduler is another paid web and Windows option.

Compare Nonprofit Accounting Software, Church Accounting Software, and Fund Accounting Software when weighing the category.

Verdict

Choose Grain Ledger if your church needs fund accounting connected to giving, expenses, and drill-down financial reporting, and its plan limits match your scale. Starter is a credible no-cost starting point, while Growth is the clearest fit for churches that need more users, budgets, and spending capacity. Look elsewhere if you need a mobile app, want payroll included, or cannot make sense of Scale’s scale-based price.