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The Core Difference
These two tools serve the nonprofit world but from opposite ends of the operation. Aplos is purpose-built fund accounting software — its whole pitch is that generic accounting tools don’t cut it for nonprofits and churches that need to track restricted funds, stay compliant, and produce donor-ready financial reports. Bloomerang comes at the problem from the fundraising and donor-relationship side: it positions itself as a giving platform built around nonprofit CRM, online giving, peer-to-peer campaigns, and volunteer management.
Put simply, Aplos is where your money lives on the books; Bloomerang is where your donor relationships live. That distinction should drive your whole decision.
Pricing Side by Side
| Aplos | Bloomerang | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry point | $79/month (billed monthly) | $40/month, billed annually |
| Mid-tier | $129/month (billed monthly) | $125/month, billed annually |
| Upper tier | $229/month (billed monthly) | $119/month, billed annually (Volunteer) |
| Enterprise | Contact sales (Custom plan) | — |
| Promo pricing available | Yes — Lite at $39.50/month, Core at $64.50/month | No promo noted |
| Billing commitment | Month-to-month available | Annual commitment required |
A few things worth noting about this table. Aplos publishes flat monthly prices, and a promotional rate is currently captured for both the Lite ($39.50/month) and Core ($64.50/month) plans — those are meaningful savings off the standard rates. Bloomerang’s three products — Fundraising, CRM, and Volunteer — are priced separately starting at $40, $125, and $119/month respectively, all billed annually, so an organization wanting the full suite would be combining those figures. Aplos’s Custom plan requires contacting their sales team.
Features: What Each Tool Actually Does
Aplos — Fund Accounting First
Aplos’s captured positioning zeroes in on a specific accounting problem: nonprofits shouldn’t be wrestling generic software into something it wasn’t built for. Its feature categories include:
- Track Restricted Funds & Grants — monitoring funds earmarked for specific purposes
- Build Custom Nonprofit Financial Reports
- Share Board-Ready Financial Statements
- Bank Reconciliation
- Track Every Dollar Across Funds
- Expert Bookkeeping Services — an added-service layer described as helping organizations stay audit-ready
- Financial Clarity & Confidence
The positioning also references the Velora suite, described as a set of connected tools working together, though the specific components beyond the accounting features aren’t detailed in the captured data. Support is reachable by phone (888-274-1316, Monday–Friday, 7am–3pm PT).
What Aplos is not captured doing: donor CRM, online giving forms, volunteer management, peer-to-peer fundraising, or event management. If those are your needs, the captured features don’t address them.
Bloomerang — Donor Relationships and Fundraising
Bloomerang’s captured features are organized around three named products:
- Bloomerang Fundraising — described as raising more each year by doing what you do best; includes Donation Forms, Peer-to-Peer Fundraising, Text Fundraising, Event Management, and a Fundraising Thermometer tool
- Bloomerang CRM — engage and retain donors; includes Marketing & Engagement, Major Gifts, Grant Management, Membership Management, Reporting & Analytics, and Data Management
- Bloomerang Volunteer — recruit supporters with a simpler volunteer experience
Additional captured capabilities include Artificial Intelligence (“smarter fundraising with less effort — built right in”), Integrations, a Mobile App, Data Security, and Support & Services described as hands-on help from experts with nonprofit experience.
What Bloomerang is not captured doing: fund accounting, bank reconciliation, restricted-fund tracking, or board-ready financial statements in an accounting context. If your primary gap is on the books, Bloomerang’s captured features don’t cover it.
Friction Worth Noting
We don’t have third-party review data for Aplos, so we can’t speak to recurring user complaints there.
For Bloomerang, reviews we scanned surfaced recurring friction around customer support, price/value, the mobile app, ease of use, and features and functionality. These are worth probing in a demo — particularly the support and ease-of-use themes, which tend to matter a lot during onboarding and day-to-day use.
Who Each Tool Is Best For
The feature and pricing data point in fairly clear directions.
Aplos fits organizations whose primary pain is accounting compliance — tracking restricted funds and grants, producing financial statements for boards and auditors, and staying compliant without bending a generic tool to nonprofit rules. The month-to-month billing option (versus Bloomerang’s annual commitment) also lowers the switching barrier. The promotional pricing on Lite and Core makes the entry cost more accessible for smaller nonprofits or churches testing the waters.
Bloomerang fits organizations whose primary need is on the fundraising and donor-engagement side — building donor relationships, running online giving campaigns, managing volunteers, handling peer-to-peer fundraising, and tracking major gifts and membership. Its three-product structure means you can start with one piece (say, Fundraising at $40/month, billed annually) and layer in CRM or Volunteer management as you grow — though each is a separate cost.
Choose Aplos If…
- Your core problem is fund accounting, restricted-fund tracking, and producing compliant financial reports for boards and auditors
- You want month-to-month billing without an annual commitment
- Promotional pricing makes the entry cost fit your budget right now
- You need expert bookkeeping services as part of your software relationship
Choose Bloomerang If…
- Your core need is donor CRM, fundraising campaigns, peer-to-peer giving, or volunteer management
- You want AI-assisted fundraising tools and integrations built into the platform
- You’re comfortable with annual billing in exchange for a starting price of $40/month
- Grant management, membership management, or event management are active needs
Both tools publish transparent pricing, which makes comparison straightforward. If your organization genuinely needs both fund accounting and a donor CRM, note that neither tool’s captured features overlap with the other’s core strength — that’s a real gap worth solving deliberately, not assuming one covers both.