Softwr

Software · head to head

Planning Center Services vs Church Alive

Planning Center Services logo

Planning Center Services

Software

Digital worship planning and service execution platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
C

Church Alive

Software

Church management and event software

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • They diverge on capability: Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, Church Alive covers Member Management.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Planning Center Services and Church Alive differ
AttributePlanning Center ServicesChurch Alive
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb, Mobile

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2006).

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
  • Song Setlists
  • Planning Center Giving
  • Music Database
  • IOS support
  • Android support

Only in Church Alive

  • Member Management
  • Event Planning
  • Group Coordination
  • Email Integration
  • Payment Processing
  • Giving Integration
  • Mobile support

Both cover

  • Volunteer Scheduling
  • Calendar Systems
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Planning Center Services

  • Member management
  • Donation tracking
  • Event planning
  • Volunteer scheduling
  • Communication

Church Alive

  • Member management
  • Donation tracking
  • Event planning
  • Volunteer scheduling
  • Communication

Both are used for member management, donation tracking, event planning, volunteer scheduling, communication, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

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

Church Alive

Nothing recorded yet. See the Church Alive review.

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

Church Alive

On request
  • Basic$49/month
    • Core management
    • Up to 200 members
  • Professional$149/month
    • All features
    • Unlimited members
    • Advanced reporting

Which should you pick?

Choose Planning Center Services if

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

Choose Church Alive if

  • You need member management.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want event planning.
Church Alive review

Questions people ask

Is Planning Center Services or Church Alive better?
Neither clearly leads. Planning Center Services starts at On request and Church Alive 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 Church Alive?
Planning Center Services starts at On request and Church Alive at On request.
Does Planning Center Services or Church Alive run on more platforms?
Planning Center Services runs on Web, IOS, Android. Church Alive runs on Web, Mobile.
What is Planning Center Services best used for?
Planning Center Services is most often used for member management, donation tracking, event planning, volunteer scheduling.
What can Planning Center Services do that Church Alive cannot?
Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, Song Setlists, Planning Center Giving, Music Database. Church Alive covers Member Management, Event Planning, Group Coordination, Email Integration. Both handle Volunteer Scheduling, Calendar Systems, Web support.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Planning Center Services

More on Church Alive

Keep looking

Other head to heads