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Religion · head to head

Church Alive vs Planning Center Services

C

Church Alive

Religion

Church management and event software

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Planning Center Services logo

Planning Center Services

Religion

Digital worship planning and service execution platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • They diverge on capability: Church Alive covers Member Management, Planning Center Services covers Service Planning.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Church Alive and Planning Center Services actually diverge.

Attributes where Church Alive and Planning Center Services differ
AttributeChurch AlivePlanning Center Services
PlatformsWeb, MobileWeb, IOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Religion), founded (2006).

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 Church Alive

  • Member Management
  • Event Planning
  • Group Coordination
  • Email Integration
  • Payment Processing
  • Giving Integration
  • Mobile support

Only in Planning Center Services

  • Service Planning
  • Song Setlists
  • Planning Center Giving
  • Music Database
  • IOS support
  • Android support

Both cover

  • Volunteer Scheduling
  • Calendar Systems
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Church Alive

  • Member management
  • Donation tracking
  • Event planning
  • Volunteer scheduling
  • Communication

Planning Center Services

  • Member management
  • Donation tracking
  • Event planning
  • Volunteer scheduling
  • Communication

Both are used for member management, donation tracking, event planning, volunteer scheduling, communication, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

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

Church Alive

Nothing recorded yet. See the Church Alive review.

Planning Center Services

  • The free tier of Services stops at 5 team members
  • Each Planning Center product is billed separately, so Registrations, Giving, Check-ins, Groups and Calendar each carry their own free cap and their own subscription
  • The Music Stand add-on is a further $5 a month
  • Text messaging costs $5 a month for a toll-free number plus $0.02 per message
  • Card payments are charged at 2.15 percent plus $0.30 per transaction, with a further 1.5 percent on international cards

Pricing, plan by plan

Church Alive

On request
  • Basic$49/month
    • Core management
    • Up to 200 members
  • Professional$149/month
    • All features
    • Unlimited members
    • Advanced reporting

Planning Center Services

On request
  • Basic$49/month
    • Service planning
    • Basic volunteer scheduling
  • Plus$99/month
    • All features
    • Advanced scheduling
    • Mobile app

Which should you pick?

Choose Church Alive if

  • You need member management.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want event planning.
Church Alive review

Choose Planning Center Services if

  • You need service planning.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want song setlists.
Planning Center Services review

Questions people ask

Is Church Alive or Planning Center Services better?
Neither clearly leads. Church Alive starts at On request and Planning Center Services at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Church Alive or Planning Center Services?
Church Alive starts at On request and Planning Center Services at On request.
Does Church Alive or Planning Center Services run on more platforms?
Church Alive runs on Web, Mobile. Planning Center Services runs on Web, IOS, Android.
What is Church Alive best used for?
Church Alive is most often used for member management, donation tracking, event planning, volunteer scheduling.
What can Church Alive do that Planning Center Services cannot?
Church Alive covers Member Management, Event Planning, Group Coordination, Email Integration. Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, Song Setlists, Planning Center Giving, Music Database. Both handle Volunteer Scheduling, Calendar Systems, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Planning Center Services: How much does Planning Center Services cost?

Planning Center Services pricing is not publicly available. The pricing page requires account authentication and redirects to the login portal. Contact Planning Center sales directly for rate information.

Source
Planning Center Services: Does Planning Center Services offer a free plan or trial?

No public information about free plans or trial availability is accessible without logging in. Contact Planning Center directly to inquire about trial options.

Source
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