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Software · head to head

Planning Center Services vs MediaShout

Planning Center Services logo

Planning Center Services

Software

Digital worship planning and service execution platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
MediaShout logo

MediaShout

Software

Worship presentation and media management 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; MediaShout the perpetual MediaShout 7 Site licence is a $599 one-time purchase, and phone support is limited to 2 sessions in the first 30 days before dropping to email and live chat
  • They diverge on capability: Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, MediaShout covers Lyric Display.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Planning Center Services and MediaShout differ
AttributePlanning Center ServicesMediaShout
Pricing modelsubscriptionone-time
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWindows
Founded20062000

Identical on both: starting price (On request), 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
  • Web support
  • IOS support

Only in MediaShout

  • Lyric Display
  • Video Integration
  • Theme Creation
  • Remote Control
  • Song Databases
  • Planning Center
  • CCLI Integration
  • Web Remote

What people use each for

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

Planning Center Services

  • Member managementnot MediaShout
  • Donation trackingnot MediaShout
  • Event planningnot MediaShout
  • Volunteer schedulingnot MediaShout
  • Communicationnot MediaShout

MediaShout

  • Projecting worship lyrics, scripture and sermon slides during church servicesnot Planning Center Services
  • Running separate control, main and stage confidence displays in a sanctuarynot Planning Center Services
  • CCLI SongSelect integration with automatic reporting of songs usednot 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

MediaShout

  • The perpetual MediaShout 7 Site licence is a $599 one-time purchase, and phone support is limited to 2 sessions in the first 30 days before dropping to email and live chat
  • Ongoing phone and video support with remote desktop control requires the Plus Membership at $199 per year on top of the software
  • The cheapest option, MediaShout LE at $198 per year, licenses one computer only and omits the stage and confidence display
  • Shift Worship media access requires MediaShout 7 Complete at $798 one-time plus $299 per year
  • Upgrading from a previous MediaShout version still costs $399 for the Site licence or $498 for Essentials
  • The published plans are for MediaShout 7 for Windows, listed separately from the Mac product

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

MediaShout

On request
  • Standard$199/month
    • Core features
    • Basic support
    • Annual updates
  • Professional$499/month
    • All features
    • Priority support
    • Advanced tools

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 MediaShout if

  • You need lyric display.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want video integration.
MediaShout review

Questions people ask

Is Planning Center Services or MediaShout better?
Neither clearly leads. Planning Center Services starts at On request and MediaShout 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 MediaShout?
Planning Center Services starts at On request and MediaShout at On request.
Does Planning Center Services or MediaShout run on more platforms?
Planning Center Services runs on Web, IOS, Android. MediaShout runs on Windows.
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 MediaShout is typically brought in for.
What can Planning Center Services do that MediaShout cannot?
Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, Volunteer Scheduling, Song Setlists, Planning Center Giving. MediaShout covers Lyric Display, Video Integration, Theme Creation, Remote Control.
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