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Software · head to head

Planning Center Services vs ChurchTrac

Planning Center Services logo

Planning Center Services

Software

Digital worship planning and service execution platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
ChurchTrac logo

ChurchTrac

Software

Church management and member tracking software

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; ChurchTrac priced by how many people are tracked, in bands of 75, 125, 250, 500, 1,000 and unlimited names, so growth pushes a church up a tier
  • They diverge on capability: Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, ChurchTrac covers Member Management.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Planning Center Services and ChurchTrac differ
AttributePlanning Center ServicesChurchTrac
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb, Mobile-responsive
Founded20062009

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

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 ChurchTrac

  • Member Management
  • Attendance Tracking
  • Visitor Tracking
  • Payroll Systems
  • Payment Processors
  • Data Import/Export
  • Mobile-responsive support

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 ChurchTrac
  • Donation trackingnot ChurchTrac
  • Event planningnot ChurchTrac
  • Volunteer schedulingnot ChurchTrac
  • Communicationnot ChurchTrac

ChurchTrac

  • Church membership, giving and event management in one systemnot Planning Center Services
  • Fund accounting and contribution tracking for a congregationnot 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

ChurchTrac

  • Priced by how many people are tracked, in bands of 75, 125, 250, 500, 1,000 and unlimited names, so growth pushes a church up a tier
  • The published figure is a starting price of $29 a month, with per band prices shown only in an on page calculator
  • Enhanced messaging is a $7 a month add on and includes 250 credits
  • Website and app setup starts at $477 and accounting setup at $399, both one off

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

ChurchTrac

On request
  • Basic$29/month
    • Basic tracking
    • Up to 200 members
  • Professional$99/month
    • Full features
    • Unlimited members
    • Mobile app

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 ChurchTrac if

  • You need member management.
  • You work on Web, Mobile-responsive.
  • You also want attendance tracking.
ChurchTrac review

Questions people ask

Is Planning Center Services or ChurchTrac better?
Neither clearly leads. Planning Center Services starts at On request and ChurchTrac 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 ChurchTrac?
Planning Center Services starts at On request and ChurchTrac at On request.
Does Planning Center Services or ChurchTrac run on more platforms?
Planning Center Services runs on Web, IOS, Android. ChurchTrac 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 ChurchTrac is typically brought in for.
What can Planning Center Services do that ChurchTrac cannot?
Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, Volunteer Scheduling, Song Setlists, Planning Center Giving. ChurchTrac covers Member Management, Attendance Tracking, Visitor Tracking, Payroll Systems. Both handle Web support.
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Related pages

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