2019 Review of Aplos Fund Accounting

From the 2019 reviews of nonprofit accounting systems.

Aplos Fund Accounting is a cloud-based fund accounting program designed for small to mid-sized nonprofit organizations. Aplos works on both Windows and Mac platforms and contains a user-friendly interface for easy system navigation. Scalable, Aplos is available in four versions: Starting, Growing, Established, and Thriving. Also available is Aplos Advanced Accounting, which can be used with Aplos Fund Accounting to provide additional accounting functionality.

In the last few years, Aplos has added additional functionality to its core product, expanding its accounting module, while adding increased functionality throughout the application, including the addition of new AR and AP functionality.

Aplos includes a default chart of accounts that can customized to suit user needs by adding new accounts, account groups or sub-accounts. The product easily processes a variety of transaction types including cash receipts, donations, journal entries, vendor payments, invoices and statements, and bank reconciliations. Budget capability is included in all Aplos versions, with users able to create budget versus actual totals for the year. Users can also create a budget for the coming year while easily accessing past budgets for historical perspective. Users can also create a budget for up to three years at a time, with the ability to view current year actuals as well. 

Aplos offers excellent donor management and tracking capabilities in the Aplos Fundraising Center, which provides access to donor contributions, online donations and pledges, as well as an events management function. The product also offers a nonprofit CRM which offers complete relationship management, allowing users to create lists, cultivate potential donors, as well as create custom groups and fundraising teams.  The fundraising dashboard also displays monthly donor totals including the number of prospects, new donors, engaged donors and lapsed donors for the month. 

Users can easily complete fund transfers in Aplos, though there is no automatic Due to/Dur From capability available. The product offers good multi-level security options, with users assigned system access based on their role. 

All Aplos versions offer good reporting capability, with more than 70 standard reporting options available, that can be fully customized if desired. Standard financial reports such as Income Statements, Balance Sheets, and Budget reports are available as are nonprofit specific reports such as Statement of Financial Position, Statement of Activities, and Statement of Functional Expenses.  Aplos also processes year-end 1099s, and for those using Advanced Accounting, additional budgeting reports are available such as Budget by Fund and Budget by Tag. A good variety of donor management and CRM reports are available as well. Aplos also includes a custom report builder, and users can share reports via email directly from the print page. Reports can also be exported to Microsoft Excel, as a CSV file for additional customization options, or saved as a PDF.

Aplos includes Nonprofit CRM, Donor Management, Fund Accounting, Membership Management, Fundraising Tools, Online Donations & Payments, Marketing & Communication, Event Registration, Payroll, Website Builder, and Reporting & Analytics in all versions. Aplos also partners with various third-party applications including Bloomerang, Gusto, and Continue to Give while integrating with financial institutions for easy online bank reconciliation. The product also integrates with PayPal for processing of online donations.   

The Aplos Support Center includes a variety of support center categories including Getting Started, Donor Management, Partners and Integration, Webinars, Accountants and Bookkeepers, and Troubleshooting.  There are also a variety of articles available that can be accessed directly from the support center, and users can sign up to watch an Aplos demo or try the product out for themselves. Support is included in the product pricing, with toll-free support available during regular business hours, with email and chat support available as well. 

Aplos is ideal for very small nonprofits but can easily ramp up for larger organizations as well.  Completely online, Aplos is available in four versions; Starting, which is $49.00 per month and is designed for 1-2 users and less than 500 contacts; Growing, which runs $79.00 per month and is designed for 3-5 users and up to 2,000 contacts, Established, which is $199.00 per month and is designed for up to 10 users and up to 5,000 contacts, and Thriving, which is designed for organizations with more than 10 users and more than 5,000 contacts, with users able to request pricing from Aplos. All versions include support, and those interested in the product can access a free 15-day trial to give the product a test run prior to purchasing.   

2019 Rating – 4.75 Stars