Church & Religious · head to head
Planning Center Services vs ACS Technologies Church Software
Planning Center Services
Church & Religious
Digital worship planning and service execution platform
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
ACS Technologies Church Software
Church & Religious
Church information and management system with advanced features
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Planning Center Services the free tier of Services stops at 5 team members; ACS Technologies Church Software pricing is not published and requires a demo
- They diverge on capability: Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, ACS Technologies Church Software covers Member Management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Planning Center Services and ACS Technologies Church Software actually diverge.
| Attribute | Planning Center Services | ACS Technologies Church Software |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web, IOS, Android | Web, Mobile-responsive |
| Founded | 2006 | 1987 |
Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), 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 Planning Center Services
- Service Planning
- Volunteer Scheduling
- Song Setlists
- Planning Center Giving
- Music Database
- Calendar Systems
- IOS support
- Android support
Only in ACS Technologies Church Software
- Member Management
- Attendance Tracking
- Giving Management
- Financial Reporting
- Accounting Software
- Email Systems
- Payment Processing
- Data Import/Export
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Planning Center Services
- Member managementnot ACS Technologies Church Software
- Donation trackingnot ACS Technologies Church Software
- Event planningnot ACS Technologies Church Software
- Volunteer schedulingnot ACS Technologies Church Software
- Communicationnot ACS Technologies Church Software
ACS Technologies Church Software
- Church membership and attendance managementnot Planning Center Services
- Fund accounting for a congregation or diocesenot Planning Center Services
- Online and recurring givingnot Planning Center Services
- Background checks for volunteersnot Planning Center Services
- Reporting across a diocese or multi-site ministrynot Planning Center Services
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
ACS Technologies Church Software
- Pricing is not published and requires a demo
- A suite of separate products including Realm, fund accounting and giving rather than one application
Pricing, plan by plan
Planning Center Services
On request- Basic$49/month
- Service planning
- Basic volunteer scheduling
- Plus$99/month
- All features
- Advanced scheduling
- Mobile app
ACS Technologies Church Software
On request- Standard$149/month
- Core modules
- Up to 500 members
- Premium$399/month
- All modules
- Unlimited members
- Custom reports
Which should you pick?
Choose Planning Center Services if
- You need service planning.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want volunteer scheduling.
Choose ACS Technologies Church Software if
- You need member management.
- You work on Web, Mobile-responsive.
- You also want attendance tracking.
Questions people ask
- Is Planning Center Services or ACS Technologies Church Software better?
- Neither clearly leads. Planning Center Services starts at On request and ACS Technologies Church Software at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Planning Center Services or ACS Technologies Church Software?
- Planning Center Services starts at On request and ACS Technologies Church Software at On request.
- Does Planning Center Services or ACS Technologies Church Software run on more platforms?
- Planning Center Services runs on Web, IOS, Android. ACS Technologies Church Software runs on Web, Mobile-responsive.
- What is Planning Center Services best used for?
- Planning Center Services is most often used for member management, donation tracking, event planning, volunteer scheduling. Of those, member management and donation tracking are not what ACS Technologies Church Software is typically brought in for.
- What can Planning Center Services do that ACS Technologies Church Software cannot?
- Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, Volunteer Scheduling, Song Setlists, Planning Center Giving. ACS Technologies Church Software covers Member Management, Attendance Tracking, Giving Management, Financial Reporting. Both handle Web support.