ChurchCMS vs Breeze: Full Comparison for Churches Ready to Stop Paying Monthly
Breeze is one of the most recognized names in church software — now rebranded under Tithely. ChurchCMS is the free, open source alternative that includes more features, charges zero licensing fees, and gives your church complete data ownership. This page gives you every fact you need to make the right call.
See What ChurchCMS Includes for FreeBreeze (now Tithely Church Management) is a polished, beginner-friendly cloud platform built for churches that want a simple admin tool and are comfortable paying a monthly subscription. It is genuinely easy to use, and the flat-rate pricing model is predictable.
ChurchCMS is the right choice for any church that wants every feature Breeze offers — plus a branded mobile app, live streaming, a church website, and QR attendance — without any licensing cost, on a server your church controls, forever.
ChurchCMS vs Breeze: Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | ChurchCMS | Breeze (Tithely) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly License Cost | ✓ $0 — Forever | ✗ $72–$119/month |
| Member Directory | ✓ Full profiles, exportable | ✓ Full profiles |
| Online Giving | ✓ Included free | ⚠ Included (transaction fees apply) |
| Branded Mobile App | ✓ Included free | ⚠ Extra cost / Tithely All Access |
| Church Website | ✓ Built-in, free | ✗ Not included |
| Live Streaming | ✓ Built-in, free | ✗ Not included |
| QR Code Attendance | ✓ Photo ID cards, free | ✓ Check-in available |
| Push Notifications | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Prayer Request System | ✓ Included | ✗ Not included |
| Email / SMS | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Self-Hosted Option | ✓ Yes — your server | ✗ Cloud only |
| Open Source | ✓ MIT License | ✗ Closed source |
| Data Ownership | ✓ Your church owns all data | ✗ Tithely vendor cloud |
| API Access | ✓ Full REST API | ✓ API available |
| Vendor Lock-in Risk | ✓ None | ⚠ Yes — cloud dependency |
| Customizable | ✓ Fully, open source | ✗ Limited |
| Free Trial | ✓ 60-day trial | ✓ 30-day trial |
| Setup Fee | ✓ $0 | ✓ $0 |
What Breeze Actually Costs Your Church Over Time vs ChurchCMS
These numbers tell a clear story. Every dollar above what you pay for hosting goes directly to a licensing fee for software you do not own. When Tithely decides to increase pricing — as it already has by merging Breeze into a higher-cost unified platform — your church has no alternative but to pay or migrate.
ChurchCMS's licensing cost never increases. Because it is open source and self-hosted, your church is permanently insulated from vendor pricing decisions.
What the Breeze and Tithely Merger Means for Your Church's Budget
Breeze Church Management Software was acquired by Tithely and has been absorbed into the unified Tithely Church Management platform. The all-access bundle now starts at $119/month — nearly double what many churches were paying for standalone Breeze.
Churches that chose Breeze for its simplicity and predictable flat-rate pricing are now navigating a product migration they did not choose. Features are bundled differently. Pricing has changed. The roadmap belongs to Tithely's investors — not to its church users.
ChurchCMS vs Breeze: Which Is Right for Your Church?
- ✓ Your church has zero technical capacity and needs a fully managed cloud solution
- ✓ Your team values simplicity above all else and is comfortable paying monthly
- ✓ Your church is very small and the $72/month flat rate fits your budget
- ✓ You need an established vendor with a US-based support team
- ✓ Your church wants to eliminate the recurring software expense permanently
- ✓ You need a mobile app, live streaming, and a church website — all included
- ✓ Your congregation's data privacy and ownership are non-negotiable
- ✓ You have a developer or tech-skilled member who can handle a one-time setup
- ✓ You want software that cannot be repriced, acquired, or shut down
- ✓ You are considering switching away from Breeze after the Tithely rebrand
Switching From Breeze to ChurchCMS: Easier Than You Think
Moving from Breeze to ChurchCMS does not mean starting from scratch. ChurchCMS's professional setup service includes complete data migration from Breeze — member records, giving history, attendance logs, and contact data — all transferred cleanly to your new platform.
Frequently Asked Questions: ChurchCMS vs Breeze
Is ChurchCMS really free compared to Breeze's $72/month?
Does ChurchCMS have the same ease of use as Breeze?
What happened to Breeze ChMS — is it still the same product?
Can ChurchCMS import data from Breeze?
Does ChurchCMS include a mobile app the way Breeze does?
Ready to Replace Breeze With a Platform Your Church Actually Owns?
ChurchCMS gives you every feature in Breeze — plus a branded mobile app, live streaming, and a church website — at zero licensing cost, on a server your church controls.