Softwr

Religion · head to head

Ministry Brands vs Planning Center

Ministry Brands logo

Ministry Brands

Religion

A church software holding company whose current product is the Amplify module suite

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Planning Center logo

Planning Center

Religion

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: Ministry Brands the legacy acquired brands and Amplify are different software, so a church buying Shelby or Fellowship One today is buying a product line that is not receiving the development investment.; Planning Center free tier limited to 5 team members and 10 daily check-ins per product
  • They diverge on capability: Ministry Brands covers Amplify People, Planning Center covers Service Planning.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ministry Brands and Planning Center actually diverge.

Attributes where Ministry Brands and Planning Center differ
AttributeMinistry BrandsPlanning Center
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Mobile (Church Center app)
FoundedUnknown2003

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 Ministry Brands

  • Amplify People
  • Amplify Giving
  • Amplify Accounting
  • Amplify Websites and Streaming
  • Background screening
  • Amplify Service Planning

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.

Ministry Brands

  • A church that wants member records, giving, website and streaming from one vendor with one loginnot Planning Center
  • A congregation needing fund accounting that understands restricted funds rather than a general ledger adapted from business softwarenot Planning Center
  • Running volunteer background checks under a child protection policy without a separate screening vendornot Planning Center
  • A denominational office standardising several congregations on one records and giving platformnot Planning Center

Planning Center

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

Where each one falls short

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

Ministry Brands

  • The legacy acquired brands and Amplify are different software, so a church buying Shelby or Fellowship One today is buying a product line that is not receiving the development investment.
  • Nothing is publicly priced at any level, so churches cannot compare modules against single-purpose competitors without running a full sales process.
  • Ministry Brands processes the giving, so the transaction rate is a large and negotiable part of the cost that is easy to overlook while comparing module subscriptions.
  • Module count creates upsell pressure, and churches often sign for a bundle then use three or four modules while paying for the rest.
  • Moving from a legacy brand onto Amplify is a full data migration with its own cost and risk, which weakens the argument that staying inside the family is the low-effort choice.

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

Ministry Brands

On request
  • Amplify$undefined/year
    • Modules bought individually or bundled
    • Priced by church size and modules selected
    • Giving processed by Ministry Brands at a negotiated transaction rate
  • Legacy products$undefined/year
    • Shelby Systems, Elexio, Fellowship One, easyTithe and others
    • Supported for existing customers
    • Not the go-forward investment line

Planning Center

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Planning Center review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Ministry Brands if

  • You need amplify people.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want amplify giving.
Ministry Brands 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 Ministry Brands or Planning Center better?
Neither clearly leads. Ministry Brands 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, Ministry Brands or Planning Center?
Planning Center has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Ministry Brands and Free for Planning Center.
Does Ministry Brands or Planning Center run on more platforms?
Ministry Brands runs on Web, iOS, Android. 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. Ministry Brands starts at On request.
What is Ministry Brands best used for?
Ministry Brands is most often used for a church that wants member records, giving, website and streaming from one vendor with one login, a congregation needing fund accounting that understands restricted funds rather than a general ledger adapted from business software, running volunteer background checks under a child protection policy without a separate screening vendor, a denominational office standardising several congregations on one records and giving platform. Of those, a church that wants member records, giving, website and streaming from one vendor with one login and a congregation needing fund accounting that understands restricted funds rather than a general ledger adapted from business software are not what Planning Center is typically brought in for.
What can Ministry Brands do that Planning Center cannot?
Ministry Brands covers Amplify People, Amplify Giving, Amplify Accounting, Amplify Websites and Streaming. Planning Center covers Service Planning, Volunteer Management, Check-in System, Accounting Software.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Ministry Brands: What do I actually buy from Ministry Brands?

Amplify, sold as modules. The older acquired brands are still supported but are not what new customers are sold.

Ministry Brands: Is pricing published?

No. Everything is quoted by church size and module selection, and the giving transaction rate is negotiated separately.

Ministry Brands: Are Shelby and Fellowship One discontinued?

They are supported but not the go-forward line. Ask for written end-of-support commitments before renewing.

Ministry Brands: Is Amplify Equip the same as Faithlife Equip?

No. Amplify Equip is an AI sermon preparation module. Faithlife Equip was a separate product that has been discontinued.

Share

Related pages

More on Ministry Brands

More on Planning Center

Keep looking

Other head to heads