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Religion · head to head

Quelea vs Vanco

Q

Quelea

Religion

Simple free presentation software for churches and worship

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Vanco logo

Vanco

Religion

Electronic giving and ACH payment solutions for churches

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Quelea has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Quelea quelea is 100% free open source software with no paid tier or vendor support contract; Vanco gROW tier charges 2.90% plus $0.45 per debit or credit card transaction, and American Express is charged separately at 3.99% on both tiers
  • They diverge on capability: Quelea covers Lyric Display, Vanco covers ACH Giving.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Quelea and Vanco actually diverge.

Attributes where Quelea and Vanco differ
AttributeQueleaVanco
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelopen-sourcetransaction
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows, Mac, LinuxWeb, Mobile app
Founded20111990

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Religion).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Quelea

  • Lyric Display
  • Bible Verses
  • Theme Support
  • Song Library
  • OpenLyrics Format
  • Web Remote
  • Theme Editor
  • Plugin Support

Only in Vanco

  • ACH Giving
  • Credit Card Processing
  • Text-to-Give
  • Church Management Systems
  • Accounting Software
  • Fund Accounting
  • Web support
  • Mobile app support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Quelea

  • Member managementnot Vanco
  • Donation trackingnot Vanco
  • Event planningnot Vanco
  • Volunteer schedulingnot Vanco
  • Communicationnot Vanco

Vanco

  • Online and mobile giving processing for churches and nonprofitsnot Quelea

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Quelea

  • Quelea is 100% free open source software with no paid tier or vendor support contract

Vanco

  • GROW tier charges 2.90% plus $0.45 per debit or credit card transaction, and American Express is charged separately at 3.99% on both tiers
  • PCI non-compliance fee of $23.95 per month applies if a merchant does not maintain compliance, and Giving Insights costs an additional $75 per month on top of the base plan

Pricing, plan by plan

Quelea

Free
  • Community EditionFree
    • All features
    • No cost
    • Community development

Vanco

On request
  • StandardFree
    • Payment processing
    • ACH payments (1.0% + $0.25)
  • Premium$149/month
    • Advanced tools
    • Dedicated support
    • Custom reporting

Which should you pick?

Choose Quelea if

  • You need lyric display.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Mac, Linux.
  • You also want bible verses.
Quelea review

Choose Vanco if

  • You need ach giving.
  • You work on Web, Mobile app.
  • You also want credit card processing.
Vanco review

Questions people ask

Is Quelea or Vanco better?
Neither clearly leads. Quelea starts at Free and Vanco at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Quelea or Vanco?
Quelea has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Quelea and On request for Vanco.
Does Quelea or Vanco run on more platforms?
Quelea runs on Windows, Mac, Linux. Vanco runs on Web, Mobile app.
Can I use Quelea for free?
Yes. Quelea has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Vanco starts at On request.
What is Quelea best used for?
Quelea is most often used for member management, donation tracking, event planning, volunteer scheduling. Of those, member management and donation tracking are not what Vanco is typically brought in for.
What can Quelea do that Vanco cannot?
Quelea covers Lyric Display, Bible Verses, Theme Support, Song Library. Vanco covers ACH Giving, Credit Card Processing, Text-to-Give, Church Management Systems.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Quelea: Is Quelea free?

Yes, Quelea is completely free church projection software with no paid tiers or premium features. It is 100% free and open source.

Source
Vanco: Is there a monthly fee to use Vanco's online giving platform?

No monthly fee is required for the GROW plan, which is free. The THRIVE plan costs $54/month and includes lower transaction fees and additional features.

Source
Quelea: Are there any costs associated with using Quelea?

There are no costs, subscription fees, or feature limitations based on payment. All features including stage view, video backgrounds, mobile lyrics view, multilingual support, and Bible integration are free.

Source
Vanco: What are the processing fees on Vanco's THRIVE plan?

THRIVE plan charges 2.65% plus $0.39 per transaction for debit/credit cards, and 0.90% plus $0.39 per transaction for ACH transfers.

Source
Vanco: Are there any contracts or cancellation fees with Vanco?

No contracts or cancellation fees apply to either the GROW or THRIVE plans.

Source
Vanco: What happens if a church on the GROW plan doesn't go live within 30 days?

A $10 monthly fee is charged if the organization does not go live within 30 days on the GROW plan.

Source
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