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Church & Religious · head to head

ChurchTrac vs Planning Center Services

ChurchTrac logo

ChurchTrac

Church & Religious

Church management and member tracking software

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Planning Center Services logo

Planning Center Services

Church & Religious

Digital worship planning and service execution platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ChurchTrac priced by how many people are tracked, in bands of 75, 125, 250, 500, 1,000 and unlimited names, so growth pushes a church up a tier; Planning Center Services the free tier of Services stops at 5 team members
  • They diverge on capability: ChurchTrac covers Member Management, Planning Center Services covers Service Planning.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where ChurchTrac and Planning Center Services differ
AttributeChurchTracPlanning Center Services
PlatformsWeb, Mobile-responsiveWeb, IOS, Android
CategoryUnknownChurch & Religious
Founded20092006

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

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 ChurchTrac

  • Member Management
  • Attendance Tracking
  • Visitor Tracking
  • Payroll Systems
  • Payment Processors
  • Data Import/Export
  • Mobile-responsive support

Only in Planning Center Services

  • Service Planning
  • Volunteer Scheduling
  • Song Setlists
  • Planning Center Giving
  • Music Database
  • Calendar Systems
  • IOS support
  • Android support

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

ChurchTrac

  • Church membership, giving and event management in one systemnot Planning Center Services
  • Fund accounting and contribution tracking for a congregationnot Planning Center Services

Planning Center Services

  • Member managementnot ChurchTrac
  • Donation trackingnot ChurchTrac
  • Event planningnot ChurchTrac
  • Volunteer schedulingnot ChurchTrac
  • Communicationnot ChurchTrac

Where each one falls short

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

ChurchTrac

  • Priced by how many people are tracked, in bands of 75, 125, 250, 500, 1,000 and unlimited names, so growth pushes a church up a tier
  • The published figure is a starting price of $29 a month, with per band prices shown only in an on page calculator
  • Enhanced messaging is a $7 a month add on and includes 250 credits
  • Website and app setup starts at $477 and accounting setup at $399, both one off

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

ChurchTrac

On request
  • Basic$29/month
    • Basic tracking
    • Up to 200 members
  • Professional$99/month
    • Full features
    • Unlimited members
    • Mobile app

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 ChurchTrac if

  • You need member management.
  • You work on Web, Mobile-responsive.
  • You also want attendance tracking.
ChurchTrac review

Choose Planning Center Services if

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

Questions people ask

Is ChurchTrac or Planning Center Services better?
Neither clearly leads. ChurchTrac 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, ChurchTrac or Planning Center Services?
ChurchTrac starts at On request and Planning Center Services at On request.
Does ChurchTrac or Planning Center Services run on more platforms?
ChurchTrac runs on Web, Mobile-responsive. Planning Center Services runs on Web, IOS, Android.
What is ChurchTrac best used for?
ChurchTrac is most often used for church membership, giving and event management in one system, fund accounting and contribution tracking for a congregation. Of those, church membership, giving and event management in one system and fund accounting and contribution tracking for a congregation are not what Planning Center Services is typically brought in for.
What can ChurchTrac do that Planning Center Services cannot?
ChurchTrac covers Member Management, Attendance Tracking, Visitor Tracking, Payroll Systems. Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, Volunteer Scheduling, Song Setlists, Planning Center Giving. Both handle Web support.
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