Aplos

What is Aplos

Aplos is cloud-based accounting and donor management software built specifically for nonprofits, churches, and faith-based organizations. The platform focuses on fund accounting—tracking restricted and unrestricted funds separately—while combining basic bookkeeping, donation processing, and donor relationship features in a single interface. Aplos targets organizations that need nonprofit-specific reporting, giving tools, and simple bookkeeping workflows rather than a generic business accounting solution.

Aplos is designed for a range of organization sizes, from small ministries and local chapters to mid-sized nonprofits that require multi-fund tracking, grant reporting, and consolidated financial statements. The product emphasizes a nonprofit-friendly chart of accounts, presets for gift and fund tracking, and templates for common nonprofit reports such as Balance Sheets by fund and Statement of Activities by program.

Because Aplos combines donor and accounting data, it reduces manual reconciliation between fundraising and finance teams. It supports online and mobile giving, donor contact management, automated giving receipts, and exporting financial data into formats commonly used for audits or board reporting. The cloud architecture enables remote access, multi-user roles, and integrations with payment processors.

Aplos features

What does Aplos do?

Aplos provides a set of integrated features aimed at the operational needs of nonprofits and churches. Core capabilities include fund accounting, donation processing and tracking, donor and contact management, budgeting and reporting, and basic bookkeeping workflows.

Key functional areas include:

• Fund accounting: set up multiple funds, apply gifts to specific funds or campaigns, and produce fund-restricted reports.
• Donation processing: accept online gifts, recurring donations, and text-to-give; issue giving statements and donor receipts.
• Donor management: store contact records, custom tags, giving histories, and segmented lists for communications.
• Reporting and analytics: generate Balance Sheets and Income Statements by fund, gift activity reports, and customizable exportable reports.
• Bookkeeping and payroll integration: record transactions, reconcile accounts, and export data to payroll or tax workflow tools when needed.

Aplos also offers workflow tools such as approval and role-based permissions, automated recurring transactions, and integration points with common payment processors. The product provides templates and wizards targeted at nonprofit tasks—grant reporting, pledge tracking, and year-end giving statements—which reduce the need for heavy spreadsheet work.

Beyond the core product, Aplos sometimes provides complementary services such as outsourced bookkeeping and expert setup assistance to help organizations migrate historical data or configure fund accounting correctly.

Aplos pricing

Aplos offers flexible pricing tailored to different nonprofit and church needs, from individual users and small ministries up to larger organizations requiring advanced features and bookkeeping services. Their pricing structure typically includes monthly and annual billing options and occasional promotional discounts (for example, limited-time percentage-off offers for new customers). For detailed, up-to-date pricing and promotions, check Aplos’s current pricing options.

Pricing considerations commonly encountered with Aplos:

• Tiered access to advanced features such as payroll integration, advanced reporting, or CRM functionality.
• Payment processing fees for online giving, which are charged by the payment processor (Aplos partners with Stripe for payment processing and related services).
• Optional bookkeeping and nonprofit services billed separately when organizations choose managed bookkeeping, setup, or migration support.

Organizations should evaluate expected monthly transaction volume (number of gifts, recurring donors), required number of user seats, and the need for add-on services when estimating total monthly cost. Visit their official pricing page for the most current information.

How much is Aplos per month

Aplos offers flexible monthly pricing with options that scale from small organizations to larger nonprofits. Monthly costs depend on features you select (fund accounting, donor CRM, payment processing, and managed bookkeeping) and whether you choose monthly or annual billing. For specific monthly plan amounts and current promotions, see Aplos’s current pricing options.

How much is Aplos per year

Aplos offers annual billing options that typically include discounts compared with monthly billing. Annual pricing reduces per-month cost for organizations that commit for 12 months and may be bundled with setup credits or promotional discounts. For exact annual plan totals and any available savings, consult Aplos’s official pricing options.

How much is Aplos in general

Aplos pricing typically ranges from a free or low-cost entry level for very small organizations up to mid-market subscription rates for organizations requiring advanced reporting and donor management. Total cost depends on number of users, required modules (accounting, donor CRM, online giving), payment processing volume, and any managed services. To estimate costs for your organization, compare feature needs against the plans listed on Aplos’s pricing page.

What is Aplos used for

Aplos is used primarily to handle the financial and donor-management workflows unique to nonprofits and faith-based organizations. The platform helps organizations maintain fund-level accounting—ensuring restricted gifts are tracked and reported correctly—while also allowing fundraising teams to manage donor relationships and recurring giving.

Typical use cases include:

• Tracking restricted grants and program expenses separately from general operating funds to meet donor and grantor requirements.
• Accepting and reconciling online donations, recurring gifts, and text-to-give contributions through integrated payment processors.
• Producing board reports and grant-specific financial statements quickly with nonprofit-formatted templates.

Organizations also use Aplos to centralize contacts and donor histories so that development staff can segment outreach, manage pledges, and generate tax-compliant giving statements at year-end. Finance teams use the same system to post deposits, reconcile bank accounts, and prepare financials for audits or Form 990 preparation.

Pros and cons of Aplos

Aplos has strengths that align closely with nonprofit needs, but it also has trade-offs organizations should consider.

Pros:

• Focused fund accounting: built-in support for tracking restricted funds and producing nonprofit-specific financial statements.
• Integrated donor tools: donor records and donation processing live in the same system as accounting, reducing reconciliation work.
• Nonprofit-friendly reports: preconfigured reports for Balance Sheet and Income Statement by fund, donor statements, and grant tracking.
• Optional services: available bookkeeping and setup help for organizations that lack internal accounting staff.

Cons:

• Scalability limits for complex enterprise accounting: very large nonprofits with multiple entities or advanced consolidated reporting needs may require more robust ERP-style accounting systems.
• Payment processing fees: like most platforms that accept online donations, transaction fees apply via the supported payment processor and are separate from the subscription.
• Feature trade-offs: organizations that need deep payroll, inventory, or advanced multi-entity consolidation may need additional tools or integrations.

When evaluating Aplos, weigh the benefit of an integrated nonprofit workflow against any gaps in advanced accounting functionality. For many small-to-mid-size nonprofits and churches, the trade-off favors a single system that combines donor and fund accounting.

Aplos free trial

Aplos commonly offers a trial or a free tier to let organizations evaluate the product before committing. Free access and demo video resources are intended to help boards and administrators review reporting and donation workflows without immediate financial commitment.

During trial periods, you can typically:

• Import a subset of chart of accounts or sample data to see fund reporting in action.
• Test donation forms and online giving flows to verify donor experience and processing.
• Generate nonprofit-standard reports such as Balance Sheets and donor giving statements.

If you need hands-on help during trial or onboarding, Aplos offers setup and migration services (often as paid add-ons). For current trial availability and demo resources, review Aplos’s demo and resources and their pricing and signup pages.

Is Aplos free

Aplos offers a free entry option for small organizations and trial access for new users. The free tier or trial is intended for very small organizations to test core fund accounting and donation workflows, though it typically limits advanced features, user seats, or transaction volumes. Check their current pricing and free plan details to confirm eligibility and limitations.

Aplos API

Aplos provides integration options that allow nonprofits to connect donor and accounting data with other systems. Typical integration surfaces include payment processing, CSV or Excel exports, and third-party connectors that sync contacts and transactions.

Available integration paths generally include:

• Native integrations to payment processors (Aplos partners with Stripe for payments) to handle online giving and recurring donations.
• Export and import routines (CSV/Excel) for moving ledger data, donor lists, or transaction histories into spreadsheets or accounting consolidations.
• Third-party connectors and middleware that can link Aplos to CRMs, email platforms, or reporting tools.

For organizations with developer resources, REST-style APIs or developer documentation (where available) can be used to automate data flows between Aplos and fundraising, reporting, or membership systems. For details about developer access, endpoints, and integration best practices, consult Aplos’s developer and integration resources or contact support for API access guidance.

10 Aplos alternatives

Paid alternatives to Aplos

• QuickBooks Online — General accounting with nonprofit chart-of-accounts templates and a large ecosystem of accountants and integrations; best if you need broad business accounting features alongside nonprofit tracking.
• Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT — Fund accounting and financial management built for larger nonprofits and institutions that require advanced grant and multi-entity consolidation features.
• Sage Intacct — Cloud financials with advanced multi-entity, dimensional reporting, and deep accounting controls for mid-market nonprofits.
• DonorPerfect — Fundraising and donor-management platform with built-in reporting and integrations to accounting systems; stronger on CRM than core accounting.
• NeonCRM — Donor engagement and fundraising CRM with payment processing and basic financial reporting geared to nonprofit development teams.
• Wave Financial — Low-cost accounting for small organizations and ministries; suitable when basic bookkeeping is the primary need.
• Zoho Books — Small-business accounting with some customization; useful when integrating with other Zoho apps.

Open source alternatives to Aplos

• GnuCash — Desktop double-entry accounting software that supports fund-like account structures and is suitable for small organizations that prefer an open-source desktop solution.
• Odoo (Community Edition) — Modular ERP with accounting and CRM modules; the Community edition can be extended for nonprofit workflows but requires technical setup.
• ERPNext — Open-source ERP with accounting, membership, and donation modules; appropriate for organizations willing to host and customize an open-source platform.
• LedgerSMB — Open-source accounting system for small-to-medium organizations with customizable chart-of-accounts; requires self-hosting and technical maintenance.
• FrontAccounting — Lightweight web-based accounting package that can be adapted to fund tracking for small nonprofits with developer support.

Each alternative balances trade-offs between nonprofit-specialized features, accounting depth, hosted vs self-hosted models, and the availability of support or third-party integrators.

Frequently asked questions about Aplos

What is Aplos used for?

Aplos is used for fund accounting and donor management for nonprofits and churches. Organizations use it to track restricted funds, accept and reconcile donations, generate nonprofit-specific financial reports, and maintain donor records and giving statements.

How much does Aplos cost per month?

Aplos offers flexible monthly pricing that varies by feature set, number of users, and add-on services like managed bookkeeping; exact monthly rates are listed on their pricing page. For many small nonprofits, the monthly subscription is aligned with modular needs (accounting only vs accounting plus CRM and payment processing).

How does Aplos handle fund accounting?

Aplos has built-in fund accounting features that let you set up and track multiple funds, apply gifts to the intended funds, and run reports such as Balance Sheet or Statement of Activities by fund. The system's chart-of-accounts and reporting templates are configured to support restricted fund tracking and grant reporting.

Does Aplos integrate with payment processors?

Yes, Aplos integrates with payment processors (Aplos partners with Stripe for online giving and payment services) so organizations can accept credit card gifts, recurring donations, and process transactions which are then recorded and reconciled in the accounting module.

Can Aplos produce year-end giving statements for donors?

Yes, Aplos can generate donor giving statements. The platform supports automated giving receipts and year-end statements that summarize donor activity, suitable for tax reporting and stewardship communications.

Is there a free version or trial of Aplos?

Yes, Aplos offers a free entry level or trial access to allow organizations to evaluate core fund accounting and giving tools; advanced features and managed services are available on paid tiers. Confirm current free tier details on their pricing page.

Does Aplos offer bookkeeping or managed services?

Yes, Aplos offers optional bookkeeping and setup services. Organizations that prefer not to manage day-to-day accounting can purchase bookkeeping packages for transaction entry, reconciliation, and month-end statements provided by Aplos’ professional services.

What integrations does Aplos support?

Aplos supports integrations for payments, data import/export, and third-party connectors. Typical integrations include Stripe for payments, CSV/Excel import/export for data transfer, and connectors to email or CRM tools via middleware; the exact integrations are listed on Aplos’s resources and support pages.

Does Aplos have an API for custom integrations?

Aplos provides integration paths and developer options for custom connections. Where API access is available, developers can sync donor and financial data, automate exports, and connect Aplos to CRM or reporting systems—contact Aplos support or check their developer resources for access and documentation.

Where can I find reviews of Aplos?

You can find independent user reviews on software marketplaces and review sites. Aplos is reviewed on platforms such as G2 and other nonprofit software directories; check those pages to read user feedback about ease of use, customer support, and feature fit.

Aplos careers

Aplos maintains job listings for product, engineering, support, and customer-success roles. Candidates interested in nonprofit software, SaaS engineering, or client-facing nonprofit services should review the company’s careers page for current openings and role descriptions. Positions typically require experience in SaaS, customer support for accounting software, or nonprofit domain knowledge.

Aplos affiliate

Aplos may run partner or referral programs that allow consultants, accountants, and nonprofit service providers to refer organizations for subscription discounts or receive referral compensation. For program terms, eligibility, and sign-up steps, contact Aplos partner relations or review partner information on their site.

Where to find Aplos reviews

Independent reviews and ratings for Aplos appear on software review marketplaces and nonprofit tech blogs. For aggregated user feedback and comparative scores, consult sources such as G2’s Aplos listing and industry publications that evaluate nonprofit accounting tools.

Research notes

Foundational information on Aplos from the supplied product description indicates the product is a cloud-based fund accounting and donor management platform aimed at nonprofits and churches. The vendor partners with Stripe for payment processing and advertises features such as fund accounting, donor management, online giving, nonprofit-oriented reporting, and optional bookkeeping services. Exact subscription pricing was not provided in the source text; the vendor’s official pricing page (https://www.aplos.com/pricing) should be referenced for current plan prices and promotions. External review presence noted on platforms such as G2 and mentions of awards in provided materials suggest published user reviews are available for comparative research.