Softwr

Church & Religious · head to head

MediaShout vs Planning Center

MediaShout logo

MediaShout

Church & Religious

Worship presentation and media management software

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Planning Center logo

Planning Center

Church & Religious

Complete church management platform for services, volunteers, and giving

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Planning Center has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: MediaShout the perpetual MediaShout 7 Site licence is a $599 one-time purchase, and phone support is limited to 2 sessions in the first 30 days before dropping to email and live chat; Planning Center free tier limited to 5 team members and 10 daily check-ins per product
  • They diverge on capability: MediaShout covers Lyric Display, Planning Center covers Service Planning.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which MediaShout and Planning Center actually diverge.

Attributes where MediaShout and Planning Center differ
AttributeMediaShoutPlanning Center
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelone-timefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindowsWeb, Mobile (Church Center app)
Founded20002003

Identical on both: 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 MediaShout

  • Lyric Display
  • Video Integration
  • Theme Creation
  • Remote Control
  • Song Databases
  • Planning Center
  • CCLI Integration
  • Web Remote

Only in Planning Center

  • Service Planning
  • Volunteer Management
  • Check-in System
  • Accounting Software
  • PayPal
  • Stripe
  • Pushpay
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

MediaShout

  • Projecting worship lyrics, scripture and sermon slides during church servicesnot Planning Center
  • Running separate control, main and stage confidence displays in a sanctuarynot Planning Center
  • CCLI SongSelect integration with automatic reporting of songs usednot Planning Center

Planning Center

  • Integrated church management and schedulingnot MediaShout
  • Volunteer coordination and event managementnot MediaShout
  • Worship service planning and schedulingnot MediaShout
  • Online giving and donation trackingnot MediaShout

Where each one falls short

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

MediaShout

  • The perpetual MediaShout 7 Site licence is a $599 one-time purchase, and phone support is limited to 2 sessions in the first 30 days before dropping to email and live chat
  • Ongoing phone and video support with remote desktop control requires the Plus Membership at $199 per year on top of the software
  • The cheapest option, MediaShout LE at $198 per year, licenses one computer only and omits the stage and confidence display
  • Shift Worship media access requires MediaShout 7 Complete at $798 one-time plus $299 per year
  • Upgrading from a previous MediaShout version still costs $399 for the Site licence or $498 for Essentials
  • The published plans are for MediaShout 7 for Windows, listed separately from the Mac product

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

MediaShout

On request
  • Standard$199/month
    • Core features
    • Basic support
    • Annual updates
  • Professional$499/month
    • All features
    • Priority support
    • Advanced tools

Planning Center

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Planning Center review.

Which should you pick?

Choose MediaShout if

  • You need lyric display.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want video integration.
MediaShout review

Choose Planning Center if

  • You need service planning.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile (Church Center app).
  • You also want volunteer management.
Planning Center review

Questions people ask

Is MediaShout or Planning Center better?
Neither clearly leads. MediaShout starts at On request and Planning Center at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, MediaShout or Planning Center?
Planning Center has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for MediaShout and Free for Planning Center.
Does MediaShout or Planning Center run on more platforms?
MediaShout runs on Windows. Planning Center runs on Web, Mobile (Church Center app).
Can I use Planning Center for free?
Yes. Planning Center has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. MediaShout starts at On request.
What is MediaShout best used for?
MediaShout is most often used for projecting worship lyrics, scripture and sermon slides during church services, running separate control, main and stage confidence displays in a sanctuary, ccli songselect integration with automatic reporting of songs used. Of those, projecting worship lyrics, scripture and sermon slides during church services and running separate control, main and stage confidence displays in a sanctuary are not what Planning Center is typically brought in for.
What can MediaShout do that Planning Center cannot?
MediaShout covers Lyric Display, Video Integration, Theme Creation, Remote Control. Planning Center covers Service Planning, Volunteer Management, Check-in System, Accounting Software.
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