Comparison
Shepherdly vs Elvanto — the honest version
Elvanto served Australian churches well for a long season, and plenty still run on it happily. This page is for the churches wondering whether it’s still the right fit — laid out plainly, including where Elvanto might still suit you better.
Side by side
Elvanto details are from its publicly listed pricing and product pages, last reviewed June 2026 — check elvanto.com for current figures. Elvanto and Tithe.ly are trademarks of their respective owners; Shepherdly is not affiliated with either.
Where Elvanto may still suit you
- Your team has years of muscle memory in its rostering and service-planning screens, and change itself is the biggest cost.
- You’re deeply invested in the wider Tithe.ly product family and want everything under one vendor.
- You need a niche module Shepherdly doesn’t build yet — compare against our features page honestly before deciding.
Where Shepherdly is the better fit
- You’re a church of roughly 30–300 that wants one simple tool — people, giving, services, groups, check-in, messaging — without tier-shopping.
- You’d rather pay in AUD, skip the setup fee, and keep 100% of giving flowing through your own Stripe account.
- You want software that’s actively built — with an AI copilot that drafts while your pastors decide.
Common questions
Is Shepherdly cheaper than Elvanto?
For most Australian churches, meaningfully so. Shepherdly is priced in AUD from $20/month with no setup fee and every feature on every plan. Elvanto's published pricing is in US dollars (roughly US$19–$413/month depending on size and modules) plus a US$149 setup fee — and the exchange rate works against you every month.
Can we try Shepherdly while still running Elvanto?
Yes — that's the sensible way to do it. Export your People CSV from Elvanto, import it into a Shepherdly trial (14 days, every feature included), and run them side by side for a Sunday or two before you commit.
Is it hard to move our data across?
No. Shepherdly recognises Elvanto's CSV export format and maps the columns automatically — people, families, member status, giving history. Most churches are done in about 10 minutes. There's a step-by-step guide at /move-from-elvanto.
What's the catch with 'no platform fees on giving'?
There isn't one — donations run through your church's own Stripe account, so the only fees are Stripe's standard card processing. Shepherdly never holds your money and takes no percentage of giving on any plan.
Will Shepherdly lock us in like we feel locked in now?
Every plan includes one-click CSV export of all your data, free, forever — people, giving, groups, the lot. If Shepherdly stops being right for you, you can leave in an afternoon. We think that's how church software should behave.
Run them side by side and decide for yourself.
Import your Elvanto CSV into a free trial — every feature included — and compare on a real Sunday.