- Industry guide · Churches and worship
Best AED for church 2026: budget-real picks a volunteer team can run.
- Updated · July 2026
- FDA-approved models only
- PMA verified
- Review methodology
- Direct answer
The best AED for most churches is the HeartSine Samaritan PAD 350P, $1,411 at 2026 US list: one Pad-Pak cartridge holds pads and battery on a single expiry date, which is the maintenance model volunteer teams keep alive. Congregations wanting the simplest rescue flow should compare the Philips OnSite; zero-touch reliability, the Powerheart G5.
- 🏆 Top 3 Picks
Which AED fits your congregation?
⚡ Quantity planning
How many AEDs does your facility need?
The AHA program target is simple: a responder retrieves the AED and returns to the victim in about 3 minutes, proven with a stopwatch, not a formula. The AHA publishes no square-feet-per-AED coefficient, so treat every calculator output, ours included, as a planning estimate you validate with a timed walking drill on your actual floor plan.
Survival drops with every minute of delay before defibrillation, which is why placement beats brand choice in almost every deployment.
Find Your Perfect AED
5 questions about your environment, training, and budget. Matched to a specific model with the reasoning shown.
AED Quantity Calculator
Floors, detached buildings, and risk zones in, planning estimate out. Then validate with a walking drill.
AED Cost Calculator
Device, pads, batteries, and cabinet over a multi-year horizon, with 2026 pricing and visible math.
- Church AED law
Are churches required to have AEDs?
All 50 states
No state statute requires AEDs in houses of worship generally. The purchase case rests on the clinical math above, not on compliance[5].
School · daycare · fitness rules
Run a school or daycare and many states' school AED mandates attach to that building. A member fitness room can trigger health-club statutes in NY, MA, IL, and CA.
Volunteer rescuer protection
All 50 states protect lay rescuers using an AED in good faith, and most extend protections to the organization that deploys it[5]. Volunteer hesitation has no legal basis.
Fire marshal + occupancy
A few municipalities fold AEDs into assembly-occupancy or event-permit requirements. One call to your fire marshal settles it faster than any web page.
- Budget reality
What does a church AED cost, per member?
| Cost line | HeartSine 350P | Philips OnSite | Powerheart G5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Device · 2026 US list | $1,411 | $1,589 | $2,157 |
| Pads over 5 yrs (est.) | ~$169 · 1x Pad-Pak (pads + battery, one cartridge) | ~$150 · 2x M5071A cartridge | ~$210 · 2x Intellisense pads |
| Battery over 5 yrs (est.) | ~$89 · 1x M5070A (4-yr) | ~$399 · 1x Intellisense battery | |
| Cabinet + signage (est.) | ~$199 | ~$199 | ~$199 |
| 5-year total per unit (est.) | ~$1,660 | ~$1,970 | ~$2,965 |
The congregation math (sourced calculation): a ~$1,660 five-year 350P program across a 200-member parish is $8.30 per member one-time, or $1.66 per member per year. Most congregations clear that in a single Sunday appeal. Community foundations and some county EMS or fire-department programs assist with public-access AEDs; one call to your county EMS office is the fastest way to find out. Full math for your exact model in the Cost Calculator; consumable schedules in the pads guide, and browse all pads and batteries.
- Free tool · 60 seconds · no email
Still between two models? Let the quiz decide.
- Weighted by the 4 features
- FDA-approved models only
- 2026 pricing shown
- Reasoning explained
- Program checklist
The deacon's 10-pointAED checklist
- Buyer questions
Church AED questions, answered straight
Are churches required to have AEDs?
No state mandates them for houses of worship as such. Rules attach through what you operate: attached schools and daycares inherit school mandates in many states, fitness rooms can trigger health-club statutes, and a few municipalities fold AEDs into assembly permits[5]. Details in the 50-state tracker.
Why does a church need an AED if it is not required?
Because a sanctuary is where AEDs work best: witnessed arrests in public show shockable rhythms 60% of the time versus 35% at home, and bystander AED use in public produced 34% survival versus 12% at home in the North American registry[3]. The device meets the arrest it was designed for.
How many AEDs does a church need?
One narthex unit covers most single-building churches if the farthest pew passes a roughly 3-minute stopwatch drill[2]; separate-wing fellowship halls and detached buildings add one each (planning estimates). Start with the Quantity Calculator, then walk the drill.
How can a small congregation afford one?
Per-member math: a ~$1,660 five-year program across 200 members is $8.30 each, one time (sourced calculation above). One Sunday appeal typically funds it; county EMS offices and community foundations sometimes assist with public-access units. Run your exact numbers in the Cost Calculator.
Who should be trained to use it?
Two ushers per service minimum, because they attend everything and stand near the doors, plus staff and midweek group leaders. The device itself is built for untrained bystanders[4], so training removes hesitation rather than gating use. New to AEDs? Start with what an AED is.
Where should the AED hang?
Narthex or main entrance wall, visible, unlocked, marked, on the path everyone walks. Announce it yearly, sign it clearly, and never store it in the church office or a locked closet. The buyer’s guide covers cabinets and signage.
- Why public-access AEDs work
The evidence behind every claim on this page.
10,000
Workplace arrests yearly
OSHA's count across US workplaces
74%
Survival at 3 minutes
Public-access shocks within 3 min of collapse
60%
Shockable in public
Witnessed public arrests with VF/VT vs 35% at home
2-3x
Survival multiplier
Immediate CPR while the AED arrives
References · primary sources
- ClinicalAmerican Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, annual update. Circulation. heart.org statistics
- ProgramAmerican Heart Association. Implementing an AED Program, 2023 guide. cpr.heart.org AED guide (PDF)
- ClinicalWeisfeldt ML, et al. Ventricular tachyarrhythmias after cardiac arrest in public versus at home. NEJM. 2011;364:313-321. nejm.org
- ClinicalAmerican Heart Association. CPR Facts and Stats. cpr.heart.org facts
- LegalCDC. Public Access Defibrillation State Law Fact Sheet. cdc.gov PAD fact sheet
- RegulatoryUS FDA. Automated External Defibrillators and Premarket Approval database. fda.gov AEDs
- •Match the AED to who will use it: most settings need a unit an untrained bystander can operate with clear voice prompts, like the Philips OnSite or ZOLL AED Plus.
- •Plan for a shock within about three minutes: that response-time goal drives how many units you need and where they go, more than floor area does.
- •Budget for the full life, and consider recertified: pads and battery add to the cost, and a recertified unit can cost well below new. Use our Find your perfect AED quiz or see best refurbished AEDs.