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Religion · head to head

ChurchPlanner vs Ecclesia

C

ChurchPlanner

Religion

Integrated church service and ministry planning platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Ecclesia logo

Ecclesia

Religion

Church management and member app built in Chennai for Indian congregations and diaspora churches

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only ChurchPlanner has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: ChurchPlanner limited to basic church management functions; lacks financial/giving analysis compared to full suites; Ecclesia pricing is not published anywhere, so a small church cannot budget without a sales conversation, which is a poor fit for the volunteer treasurers who typically make this decision.
  • They diverge on capability: ChurchPlanner covers Service Planning, Ecclesia covers Member and family records.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ChurchPlanner and Ecclesia actually diverge.

Attributes where ChurchPlanner and Ecclesia differ
AttributeChurchPlannerEcclesia
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Android mobile appWeb, iOS, Android
Founded2020Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Religion).

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

  • Service Planning
  • Team Collaboration
  • Volunteer Scheduling
  • Song Selection
  • Planning Center
  • Music Databases
  • Calendar Systems
  • Email Notifications

Only in Ecclesia

  • Member and family records
  • Contribution recording
  • Church accounting
  • Member mobile app
  • Event and service scheduling
  • Group communication

What people use each for

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

ChurchPlanner

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

Ecclesia

  • An Indian parish moving membership registers and offering books off paper for the first timenot ChurchPlanner
  • A denominational body wanting consistent member records across several parishes under one administrationnot ChurchPlanner
  • A diaspora congregation whose giving and record-keeping conventions do not fit US-built church softwarenot ChurchPlanner
  • A church that needs a member app for notices and prayer requests without commissioning custom developmentnot 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

Ecclesia

  • Pricing is not published anywhere, so a small church cannot budget without a sales conversation, which is a poor fit for the volunteer treasurers who typically make this decision.
  • The installed base is small and concentrated in India, so there is little peer community, few third-party consultants and limited evidence of long-term product viability.
  • There are no published integrations with accounting packages, payment gateways or presentation software, so data tends to stay inside the system.
  • Support runs on Indian business hours from a single small vendor, which is a real constraint for diaspora congregations in other time zones.
  • Feature depth is well behind established church platforms on areas such as child check-in, volunteer scheduling and multi-site campus management, so growing churches will outgrow it.

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

Ecclesia

On request
  • Ecclesia$undefined/year
    • Church management web application
    • Member mobile app
    • Membership, giving and accounting modules

Which should you pick?

Choose ChurchPlanner if

  • You need service planning.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Android mobile app.
  • You also want team collaboration.
ChurchPlanner review

Choose Ecclesia if

  • You need member and family records.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want contribution recording.
Ecclesia review

Questions people ask

Is ChurchPlanner or Ecclesia better?
Neither clearly leads. ChurchPlanner starts at Free and Ecclesia at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ChurchPlanner or Ecclesia?
ChurchPlanner has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for ChurchPlanner and On request for Ecclesia.
Does ChurchPlanner or Ecclesia run on more platforms?
ChurchPlanner runs on Web, Android mobile app. Ecclesia runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use ChurchPlanner for free?
Yes. ChurchPlanner has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Ecclesia starts at On request.
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 Ecclesia is typically brought in for.
What can ChurchPlanner do that Ecclesia cannot?
ChurchPlanner covers Service Planning, Team Collaboration, Volunteer Scheduling, Song Selection. Ecclesia covers Member and family records, Contribution recording, Church accounting, Member mobile app.

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).

Source
Ecclesia: Is Ecclesia a real, buyable product?

Yes. It is sold by EinNel Technologies of Chennai and is listed on the major software directories, though its footprint is small and concentrated in India.

ChurchPlanner: 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.

Source
Ecclesia: Does it publish pricing?

No. Pricing is quoted by congregation size.

ChurchPlanner: Can volunteers get automated reminders?

Yes. ChurchPlanner sends automated SMS and email reminders to volunteers before services, reducing no-shows on the Pro plan.

Source
Ecclesia: Does it handle online giving?

It records contributions and generates receipts. Card and UPI collection depends on what the vendor configures for you rather than a published processor relationship.

ChurchPlanner: Is attendance tracking included?

Yes. ChurchPlanner includes attendance tracking from any device with trend analysis and follow-up flagging capabilities.

Source
Ecclesia: Should a US or UK church consider it?

No. Established platforms in those markets have deeper features and larger support ecosystems.

ChurchPlanner: Can I export my church data?

Yes. ChurchPlanner emphasizes data ownership and allows users to export their information anytime without restrictions.

Source
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