Softwr

Church & Religious · head to head

Planning Center Services vs ChurchDesk

Planning Center Services logo

Planning Center Services

Church & Religious

Digital worship planning and service execution platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
C

ChurchDesk

Church & Religious

Church management and member portal platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Planning Center Services the free tier of Services stops at 5 team members; ChurchDesk all subscription plans carry a one time setup fee of 655 GBP per parish for onboarding and training
  • They diverge on capability: Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, ChurchDesk covers Member Portal.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Planning Center Services and ChurchDesk differ
AttributePlanning Center ServicesChurchDesk
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb, Mobile
Founded20062010

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
  • IOS support
  • Android support

Only in ChurchDesk

  • Member Portal
  • Announcements
  • Event RSVP
  • Volunteer Coordination
  • Email Integration
  • Giving Platforms
  • Mobile App
  • Mobile support

Both cover

  • 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

ChurchDesk

  • 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

ChurchDesk

  • All subscription plans carry a one time setup fee of 655 GBP per parish for onboarding and training
  • Multi-Parish support is only available by contacting sales on the Small, Medium and Large plans
  • Payment Terminal add-on costs 456 GBP per year on top of the Basic through Medium plans

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

ChurchDesk

On request
  • Starter$99/month
    • Basic features
    • Up to 500 members
  • Plus$299/month
    • All features
    • Unlimited members
    • Advanced portal

Which should you pick?

Choose Planning Center Services if

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

Choose ChurchDesk if

  • You need member portal.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want announcements.
ChurchDesk review

Questions people ask

Is Planning Center Services or ChurchDesk better?
Neither clearly leads. Planning Center Services starts at On request and ChurchDesk 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 ChurchDesk?
Planning Center Services starts at On request and ChurchDesk at On request.
Does Planning Center Services or ChurchDesk run on more platforms?
Planning Center Services runs on Web, IOS, Android. ChurchDesk 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 ChurchDesk cannot?
Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, Volunteer Scheduling, Song Setlists, Planning Center Giving. ChurchDesk covers Member Portal, Announcements, Event RSVP, Volunteer Coordination. Both handle Calendar Systems, Web support.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Planning Center Services

More on ChurchDesk

Keep looking

Other head to heads