Church & Religious · head to head
ChurchPlanner vs Planning Center
ChurchPlanner
Church & Religious
Integrated church service and ministry planning platform
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Planning Center
Church & Religious
Complete church management platform for services, volunteers, and giving
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: ChurchPlanner limited to basic church management functions; lacks financial/giving analysis compared to full suites; Planning Center free tier limited to 5 team members and 10 daily check-ins per product
- They diverge on capability: ChurchPlanner covers Team Collaboration, Planning Center covers Volunteer Management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which ChurchPlanner and Planning Center actually diverge.
| Attribute | ChurchPlanner | Planning Center |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Unknown | freemium |
| Platforms | Web, Android mobile app | Web, Mobile (Church Center app) |
| Founded | 2020 | 2003 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Church & Religious).
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 ChurchPlanner
- Team Collaboration
- Volunteer Scheduling
- Song Selection
- Planning Center
- Music Databases
- Calendar Systems
- Email Notifications
Only in Planning Center
- Volunteer Management
- Check-in System
- Accounting Software
- PayPal
- Stripe
- Pushpay
Both cover
- Service Planning
- Web support
- IOS support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
ChurchPlanner
- Member managementnot Planning Center
- Donation trackingnot Planning Center
- Event planningnot Planning Center
- Volunteer schedulingnot Planning Center
- Communicationnot Planning Center
Planning Center
- Integrated church management and schedulingnot ChurchPlanner
- Volunteer coordination and event managementnot ChurchPlanner
- Worship service planning and schedulingnot ChurchPlanner
- Online giving and donation trackingnot ChurchPlanner
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
ChurchPlanner
- Limited to basic church management functions; lacks financial/giving analysis compared to full suites
- No built-in website or membership portal included in pricing
- Mobile app limited to Android; limited iOS functionality
Planning Center
- Free tier limited to 5 team members and 10 daily check-ins per product
- Pricing model requires customers to pay per product used; total cost scales with adoption
- No monthly minimums but multiple product subscriptions can accumulate
Pricing, plan by plan
ChurchPlanner
Free- FreeFree
- Up to 15 contacts
- Unlimited trial period
- No credit card required
- Premium$9.99/month
- Up to 80 contacts
- Service planning and volunteer scheduling
- Attendance tracking
- Pro$19.99/month
- Unlimited contacts
- All Premium features
- SMS and email reminders
Planning Center
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Planning Center review.
Which should you pick?
Choose ChurchPlanner if
- You need team collaboration.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Android mobile app.
- You also want volunteer scheduling.
Choose Planning Center if
- You need volunteer management.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Mobile (Church Center app).
- You also want check-in system.
Questions people ask
- Is ChurchPlanner or Planning Center better?
- Neither clearly leads. ChurchPlanner starts at Free and Planning Center at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, ChurchPlanner or Planning Center?
- ChurchPlanner starts at Free and Planning Center at Free.
- Does ChurchPlanner or Planning Center run on more platforms?
- ChurchPlanner runs on Web, Android mobile app. Planning Center runs on Web, Mobile (Church Center app).
- Can I use ChurchPlanner for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is ChurchPlanner best used for?
- ChurchPlanner is most often used for member management, donation tracking, event planning, volunteer scheduling. Of those, member management and donation tracking are not what Planning Center is typically brought in for.
- What can ChurchPlanner do that Planning Center cannot?
- ChurchPlanner covers Team Collaboration, Volunteer Scheduling, Song Selection, Planning Center. Planning Center covers Volunteer Management, Check-in System, Accounting Software, PayPal. Both handle Service Planning, Web support, IOS support, Android support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
ChurchPlanner: How much does ChurchPlanner cost?
ChurchPlanner has a free tier with up to 15 contacts indefinitely (no credit card required), Premium at $9.99 CAD/month (up to 80 contacts), and Pro at $19.99 CAD/month (unlimited contacts with SMS reminders).
SourceChurchPlanner: Does ChurchPlanner include worship planning?
Yes. ChurchPlanner includes worship planning with service order building, ministry team scheduling, and support for chord charts in ChordPro format.
SourceChurchPlanner: Can volunteers get automated reminders?
Yes. ChurchPlanner sends automated SMS and email reminders to volunteers before services, reducing no-shows on the Pro plan.
SourceChurchPlanner: Is attendance tracking included?
Yes. ChurchPlanner includes attendance tracking from any device with trend analysis and follow-up flagging capabilities.
SourceChurchPlanner: Can I export my church data?
Yes. ChurchPlanner emphasizes data ownership and allows users to export their information anytime without restrictions.
Source