ACS Software
ACS Technologies’ church management software applications enable church staff to manage member records, contributions, events, small groups, volunteering, check-ins and more.
Members and leaders can facilitate relationships with one another using calendaring, scheduling, registration and attendance tools within the small groups and event management modules. The built-in communication tools allow church staff to send bulk emails to members. It also offers accounting tools to manage the flow of finances and keep a record of payments made.
At the same time, ACS’ contributions module tracks and organizes giving and tithing data, supporting one-time and recurring gifts, online and offline donations and automated contribution statements for tax records. With integration with the church accounting module, staff can maintain accurate spending and budgeting by fund, department, committee or project.
And with iOs and Android apps for mobile devices, church members and staff can quickly find contact information while in the field.
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OnDemand dashboard -
OnDemand dashboard on iPad -
Report generator -
"Workbench" to enter data and run reports -
Mobile app
Supported Operating System(s):
Mac OS, Web browser (OS agnostic), Windows 8
55 Reviews of ACS
Amanda from Grove City Vineyard
Specialty: Non-Denominational
Employees number: 11-50 employees
July 2017
July 2017
Perfect for a church new to church management software
I was new to my position at a church and ACS was the program we had in use when I started. It was a great program and was easy to learn with very minimal training.
Pros
Organizes a lot of information for you church members and also can keep track of the contribution side of your ministry.
Cons
The look and some functions are a bit outdated. They are constantly doing updates and the cost is a bit expensive.
David from Poplar Creek Church
Specialty: Christian, Protestant
Employees number: 11-50 employees
May 2017
May 2017
difficult
Pros
It does interface with our financial system and they have good accounting people to solve accounting problems
Cons
Set-up for reports is too complicated and graphs are difficult to arrange and filters are confusing.
Mark from Calvary Baptist Church
Specialty: Christian, Protestant
Employees number: 11-50 employees
April 2017
April 2017
A proven product but a lot of training is required.
Pros
ACS does everything and more than what we need. Customer support is excellent. Cloud based for remote access is very helpful to work from home or office.
Cons
ACS is not intuitive at all. It has been around for decades and often feels like it is old software with a lot of patches to make it work with new ideas. Customer support is great, but you shouldn't need it frequently. We spent a full week training our staff on ACS and the modules we have added. It seems like we frequently get "kicked off" and have to log back in to keep using the software.
Matthew from Christ United Methodist Church
Specialty: Christian, Protestant
Employees number: 11-50 employees
October 2016
October 2016
ACS
ACS is kind of the standard for many churches in our denomination. However, it has taken years to find the time to utilize it to a large extent. At times it is challenging to learn in an timely manner. However, ACS is a good, functional product.
Pros
Database and Financial records easily connected.
Cons
Challenging to learn fully
Advice to Others
Get as much training as possible and make sure a large amount customer service help available.
Dan from Gateway Fellowship
Specialty: Christian, Protestant
July 2016
July 2016
Excellent financial management with considerable flexibility
Likes Best
Responsive, professional, high quality, the integration of the various modules
Likes Least
Has a cloud-based product but still transitioning to the cloud environment
Recommendations
know what you want & need, evaluate your own accounting expertise & how it fits with the software tools
Brian from Wears Valley Ranch, Inc.
Specialty: Christian, Protestant
March 2016
March 2016
ACS - great value for churches and small nonprofits
Likes Best
As a small nonprofit, we have used ACS General Ledger, People, and Contributions for over 15 years. What I like best is that it is an affordable, integrated, double-entry accounting system designed specifically for churches and small non-profit organizations. The People and Contributions modules allow us to easily monitor pledges, acknowledge donations, summarize gifts by fund, and report on subsets of our donor base using criteria we choose. The General Ledger offers the custom budget-actual reports and statement of financial position (non-profit balance sheet), as well as the summary of restricted accounts that is not found in typical for-profit packages. ACS also allows your administrator to set specific user permissions customization, so you can limit each user to only the functions that he or she needs.
Vendor support is key, and we have found the vendor support behind ACS to be very solid. The software does not do everything, but what it does it does well. When we have had problems or questions, ACS technical support has pro-actively worked them out. In most support sessions, the ACS rep is temporarily granted remote control of our local computers and works directly with our data and reports. Support reps are readily available when we call, and they are very knowledgeable of the product.
Likes Least
Overall, we like ACS. I don't have a lot of criticism. The addition of a functional expense statement would be very helpful, since this is the format used by the IRS on Form 990 (required of most 403(b) organizations but not for most churches). Direct delivery of GL reports by email would also be helpful, but printing to pdf and emailing is not terribly difficult. As our number of donor records and years of data have grown, I have found the software to slow down somewhat, particularly when running custom extracts of donor data.
Recommendations
Consider the reporting requirements for each set of constituents - board of directors, deacons, management teams, donors. Be sure that the software will produce these reports easily and without errors. Test drive it. Find a software that is specifically designed for your organization type. ACS is designed for churches; we have been able to make it work well for us as a small non-profit, but many of the donor analysis features were specifically designed to track church giving and are not necessarily applicable to us. Still, we have found ACS much better adapted to our needs than a for-profit software and much more affordable than the leading non-profit packages.
Jai from Pickering Pentecostal Church
Specialty: Christian, Protestant
September 2015
September 2015
Solid, but not exciting
Likes Best
ACS has a lot of features, and customizable fields, etc. Great customer service for problems (for additional fee per month).
Likes Least
Updates come out very slowly, and the product feels at least 5-10 years out of date. Reports are not very customizable unless you purchase additional module. Not very responsive to requested features. Not Mac-compatible (unless you use cloud version which is more expensive). Have trouble getting staff to use the software - they tend to just want to access it on their phone app. Online Giving is not easy for first-time users. Lots of small group leaders have had trouble using the online attendance tracking.
Recommendations
Really consider what your needs are. Look at programs like Church Community Builder, ChurchTeams, FellowshipOne, ServantKeeper, etc as well. If you are looking for highly intuitive software, this is probably not the software for you. If you want back-door access via ODBC and are a programmer this might be the best option for you.
Kristin from The Church at Canyon Creek
September 2017
September 2017
ACS is an okay program I feel it is very outdated and needs some major updated to be compatible.
Ease-of-use
Usability
Functionality
Functionality
Product Quality
Quality
Value for Money
Value
Support
Pros
Navigation with this software is quite easy to use, I enjoy the ability to search for my contacts easily, but once again it is slow and outdated and could definitely use a face lift.
Cons
As stated before in my previous comments above, ACS needs to be updated to reflect more modern graphics, and accessibility. I think it would be wonderful to have an app that links to your phone.
Ashley from First Baptist Church Killen
Employees number: 11-50 employees
September 2017
September 2017
ACS is a must have software for churches.
Ease-of-use
Usability
Functionality
Functionality
Product Quality
Quality
Value for Money
Value
Support
Helps keep up with membership info and tracking.
Pros
The best part about this software is the search ability to locate information. While it takes some time to become familiar with how the searches work, you can pretty much find what you are looking for as long as the data has been imputed correctly. For example, you can locate a certain phone number. However, you still need to know how the phone number was classified when it was entered into the software.
Cons
The part I like least about this software is the difficulty of merging documents for mass mail out. There are many steps and takes some time to master this process. It would be great to simply this process.
Wendy from Gospel Baptist Church & School
Employees number: 2-10 employees
August 2017
August 2017
ACS Technologies that we use for the Church is super easy
Ease-of-use
Usability
Functionality
Functionality
Product Quality
Quality
Value for Money
Value
Support
Pros
We are able to keep a complete database of members, associates, visitors and children. We are also able to keep track of tithes and offerings
Cons
Wish there was the ability to print pictures of people and then there name, so that if you don't know the person's name.
Ashley from Expositors
Employees number: 2-10 employees
August 2017
August 2017
Easy for those who are not keen with numbers
Ease-of-use
Usability
Functionality
Functionality
Product Quality
Quality
Value for Money
Value
Support
Pros
simple to use, but a lot of capability. Easy to keep track of giving and make reports for unpaid tuitions.
Cons
difficult to use for a school when students drop or change classes after making payments. Wish there was a way to connect to another software to automatically load registrations.
Wendy from Gospel Baptist Church & School
Employees number: 2-10 employees
July 2017
July 2017
Easy to use and has the functions are church needs in a membership database
Ease-of-use
Usability
Functionality
Functionality
Product Quality
Quality
Value for Money
Value
Support
Pros
System is very user friendly, able to house all information regarding visitors and members. The software also keeps tract of donations from our church members.
Cons
Wish the additional fields would be all on the first profile screen. For example it wants you to list the family member status, which is similar to profile screen.
Pamela from Gospel Baptist Christian School
Employees number: 11-50 employees
July 2017
July 2017
ACS provides a simple yet very functional service system for updating our records. Love it!
Ease-of-use
Usability
Functionality
Functionality
Product Quality
Quality
Value for Money
Value
Support
Record keeping, updating addresses, phone numbers, etc. sending email newsletters, running statistics.
Pros
Very easy to use. Already has the buttons set up for the least time consuming entries. Can easily add family members.
Cons
Only that it does take some searching to find out how to correct a mistake or undo wrongly entered information.
Andrea from Gospel Baptist Church
Employees number: 11-50 employees
July 2017
July 2017
Reporting is not that easy, especially setting up for year end statements.
Ease-of-use
Usability
Functionality
Functionality
Product Quality
Quality
Value for Money
Value
Support
Membership interface capabilities. Good product and better than what we had, but I didn't get much training. When we have used customer service/support it has always been good. I am part time, so do not have lots of time to waste trying to figure things out and dealing with customer service.
Pros
Lots of fields available, good access for members. Info seems to be reliable if entered properly. Easy to fix mistakes.
Cons
Setting up reports is not very intuitive and is hard to customize. Not enough directions within the product to guide you.
Aimee from Gospel Baptist Church
Employees number: 11-50 employees
July 2017
July 2017
ACS is okay...
Ease-of-use
Usability
Functionality
Functionality
Product Quality
Quality
Value for Money
Value
Support
We can keep track of our members and visitors and keep good records for visitation.
Pros
The transition from Servant Keeper to ACS was smooth. 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.
Cons
Working through a separate "portal" is a total pain. The software seems like it's not advancing with the times, and I would much prefer a true "cloud" based system. We are often "kicked off" the portal and have to log in again. We also have difficulty with AccessACS, because it can only be accessed by a Windows based browser (and we all use Mac computers). It's a bit of a hassle to access AccessACS through a separate browser to do the needed uploading tasks and helping our folks with their passwords and such. Finally, they really haven't updated much in the software. It's stagnant, and I see some areas where we may want to explore more modern technology.
A. from TES
Employees number: 2-10 employees
February 2017
February 2017
ACS for Education
Ease-of-use
Usability
Functionality
Functionality
Product Quality
Quality
Value for Money
Value
Support
I use ACS to track tuition and donations for our institution. For what we need it is perfect! I love that it will remember what you have been tying in, which is helpful for when entering in per class tuitions.
Pros
Ease of use for entering in.
Cons
When something is "partially paid" it's hard to make changes to the invoice.
Advice to Others
n/a
Christopher from Faith Baptist Church
February 2017
February 2017
Grown with software
Ease-of-use
Usability
Functionality
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Quality
Value for Money
Value
Support
Church has been with ACS for over 16 years, have grown with the changes. Currently running on our own server, with workstation versions on desktops, and kiosk on check in stations. Software performs most task needed for basic church management. Ability to use Dymo label writers and touch screen computers for check-in was a huge improvement. No real work flows or process flows with automated steps.
Dan from Garden Ridge Church of Christ
February 2017
February 2017
expensive and hard to use
Ease-of-use
Usability
Functionality
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Product Quality
Quality
Value for Money
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Support
As a Children's minister at a small church I need check-in solutions that don't break the bank and are easy-to-use. That's not ACS. Reports are challenging to receive. The secretaries at my last employer in Mesquite hated it for being confusing. My current employer uses ACS but I don't see the benefit of it. If I had a vote, I'd tell them to switch.
Donna from Episcopal Church
January 2017
January 2017
Rating of ACS program for Episcopal Churches
Ease-of-use
Usability
Functionality
Functionality
Product Quality
Quality
Value for Money
Value
Support
I have used ACS for 16 years from DOS to Windows to Online based. Online was an awesome expansion! There was never down time (except for middle of the night maintenance) and it was always fast. Backups were never a worry. Customer Service was friendly, extremely helpful and patient. On site training was available at extra cost.
Pros
Customization. Online based. Does yearly Parochial Report and sends it to National Church. Parochial Report can be printed daily, weekly, monthly....as many times as you wish for internal reporting to Vestry or Rector. Access to training.
Cons
It can be pricey for smaller parishes/churches. Realm (for smaller parihes) is still young and needs tweaking. When you are used to the fuller ACS version, Realm can be a bit frustrating. Realm only recently had General Ledger talking to the Financial module.
Advice to Others
Ask your parish administrator or church secretary if she has any previous church software experience and listen to her. She will be the person using the software more than volunteers or other non-office personnel.
Drew from Hulen Street Church - Fort Worth, TX
Employees number: 11-50 employees
December 2016
December 2016
Lots of options and power, but the interface is severely outdated and clunky
Ease-of-use
Usability
Functionality
Functionality
Product Quality
Quality
Value for Money
Value
Support
We have used some form of ACS since 2005. It handles finances, child check-in, event scheduling, volunteer scheduling, attendance, groups, contact information, and much more. It even has an online arm.
Pros
ACS has just about everything you could ask for, and then some. Their pricing is more competitive than other major companies.
Cons
Although there is an online arm of this product, all the information must be kept locally (although some would think this a pro). The controls are non-intuitive and clunky. Even the online version of this has the look and feel of something just above MS Dos.
Advice to Others
If you're looking for ease of use, steer clear. The price makes it tempting, but other products are worth the money.
Shawnette from Golden Leaf Baptist Church
Employees number: 2-10 employees
November 2016
November 2016
Pretty Decent
Ease-of-use
Usability
Functionality
Functionality
Product Quality
Quality
Value for Money
Value
Support
We have been using ACS for awhile now and recently switched to ACS on Demand. Our experience has been positive overall and I think that ACS offers a great product. My major complaint with ACS is that with a church our size, there is no easy way to input contributions. We have staff who have to manually input each person's contribution and it takes a lot of time. Otherwise, ACS is perfect for us.
Pros
Pretty easy to use
Cons
No easy way to input contributions
Vanessa from First Presbyterian Church
Employees number: 11-50 employees
November 2016
November 2016
Great Customer Service with ACS!
Ease-of-use
Usability
Functionality
Functionality
Product Quality
Quality
Value for Money
Value
Support
Our church has been with ACS for many years. Customer support is the biggest attraction to this company! We've used several of their products - Realm, Extend - and now are looking forward to what's coming next with mobile apps!
Pros
Love the customer service! They are great about working with you on issues. It's rare that they cannot solve a problem.
Cons
Not as intuitive as I'd like, but still fairly easy to use once you get used to it.
Advice to Others
Great company to work with!
Bob from Eastside Baptist Church
Employees number: 2-10 employees
November 2016
November 2016
Awesome Church Management Software
Ease-of-use
Usability
Functionality
Functionality
Product Quality
Quality
Value for Money
Value
Support
We have been using ACS software for over 14 years. It handles all of our church needs. I can recommend it to any church! It handles all of our financial and people needs.
Pros
ACS has a new version of their software that is called REALM. It is all online and extremely user friendly. They have online help for every aspect of the program.
Cons
The only con is the small learning curve to begin using.
Susan from Faith United Presbyterian Church
November 2016
November 2016
Best church software I've seen!
Ease-of-use
Usability
Functionality
Functionality
Product Quality
Quality
Value for Money
Value
Support
The software is superb and the customer service goes above and beyond to answer all my questions. ACS offers everything I need to run the church office tasks. From member information, contributions, directory, to financial reports, payroll, taxes, etc.
Pros
Ease of use; frequent upgrades; makes my job more efficient
Cons
I really do like everything about it but if I had to name one thing, it would be the reports part of the program. The reports can be a little difficult to search & display the results you want.
Advice to Others
Don't hesitate to call customer service if you have a question or you've made a mistake in your software. They are the kindest and most knowledgeable of any customer service I've ever had to deal with.
Andrea from CBC Church
Employees number: 2-10 employees
October 2016
October 2016
ACS User For Over 20 years--Using 10.0 Now
Ease-of-use
Usability
Functionality
Functionality
Product Quality
Quality
Value for Money
Value
Support
Our church is medium sized. We love the Flex Contribution Forms and it's layout. Customer service is spot-on. I agree with all other users who have reviewed. Ease of use, love the People and Financial Modules with its reports which we own. Don't know much about REALM but I think we would be interested. What would seal the deal is the reporting for my Boards and administrators.
Pros
Ease of use--the reporting is awesome.
Cons
Could look more pleasing to the eye like most of the programs today. But it gets the job done. I've seen the progression over the twenty years I have used ACS.
Advice to Others
More development if you plan on keeping it around. Is Realm replacing it?
Michael from Moffett Road Assembly of God
Employees number: 2-10 employees
June 2016
June 2016
Great Support!
Ease-of-use
Usability
Functionality
Functionality
Product Quality
Quality
Value for Money
Value
Support
We are using Realm, and there has been a learning curve, and some bumps as they role out new features, but they have great support which is always ready to help.
Pros
Using Realm has freed us from the office and are able to use it on the go.
Cons
Learning it.
April from South Park Baptist Church
Employees number: 2-10 employees
June 2016
June 2016
Great Customer Service & Support!
Ease-of-use
Usability
Functionality
Functionality
Product Quality
Quality
Value for Money
Value
Support
ACS OnDemand church database is not incredibly pretty or user-friendly, but it is very capable software for mid- to large-sized churches to choose.
Pros
The biggest pro is ACS' support team. They will capably answer almost any question about how to use the database when you get stuck, and will remain friendly, patient and helpful throughout the call. A+
Cons
The thing I dislike most is the "look and feel" of the user experience. It just isn't pretty.
Advice to Others
Our church is upgrading from ACS OnDemand to their new Realm database. It looks to be both capable and user-friendly.
