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Religion · head to head

Planning Center Services vs Pushpay

Planning Center Services logo

Planning Center Services

Religion

Digital worship planning and service execution platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Pushpay logo

Pushpay

Religion

Mobile-first giving platform for churches and nonprofits

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; Pushpay the pricing page names Core, Advanced and Complete packages but publishes no price, no minimum and no per-transaction rate for any of them
  • They diverge on capability: Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, Pushpay covers Mobile Giving.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Planning Center Services and Pushpay differ
AttributePlanning Center ServicesPushpay
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb, IOS, Android, SMS
Founded20062012

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

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

Only in Pushpay

  • Mobile Giving
  • Recurring Donations
  • Text-to-Give
  • Planning Center
  • Accounting Software
  • CRM Systems
  • SMS support

Both cover

  • Web support
  • IOS support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Planning Center Services

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

Pushpay

  • church giving and donation managementnot Planning Center Services
  • churchcommunity building and engagementnot Planning Center Services
  • remote check deposit processingnot 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

Pushpay

  • The pricing page names Core, Advanced and Complete packages but publishes no price, no minimum and no per-transaction rate for any of them
  • Integrations and API access are withheld from the Core package and require Advanced
  • Giving history on Advanced is capped at 7 years
  • Multi-site support, per-campus branding, multiple bank accounts and metric dashboards require the Complete package
  • Check-in, facility management, forms and volunteer scheduling are excluded from Core
  • Check scanning and remote deposit start at $0.29 per check on top of the plan

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

Pushpay

On request
  • StandardFree
    • Transaction fees apply (2.2% + $0.30)
    • Mobile giving
  • Premium$299/month
    • Advanced analytics
    • Priority support
    • Custom integrations

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 Pushpay if

  • You need mobile giving.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android, SMS.
  • You also want recurring donations.
Pushpay review

Questions people ask

Is Planning Center Services or Pushpay better?
Neither clearly leads. Planning Center Services starts at On request and Pushpay 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 Pushpay?
Planning Center Services starts at On request and Pushpay at On request.
Does Planning Center Services or Pushpay run on more platforms?
Planning Center Services runs on Web, IOS, Android. Pushpay runs on Web, IOS, Android, SMS.
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 Pushpay is typically brought in for.
What can Planning Center Services do that Pushpay cannot?
Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, Volunteer Scheduling, Song Setlists, Planning Center Giving. Pushpay covers Mobile Giving, Recurring Donations, Text-to-Give, Planning Center. Both handle Web support, IOS support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Planning Center Services: How much does Planning Center Services cost?

Planning Center Services pricing is not publicly available. The pricing page requires account authentication and redirects to the login portal. Contact Planning Center sales directly for rate information.

Source
Pushpay: How much does Pushpay cost?

Pushpay pricing is not published; the vendor requires you to request a demo to receive pricing for Core, Advanced, or Complete subscription tiers.

Source
Planning Center Services: Does Planning Center Services offer a free plan or trial?

No public information about free plans or trial availability is accessible without logging in. Contact Planning Center directly to inquire about trial options.

Source
Pushpay: Does Pushpay charge per transaction?

Pushpay does not appear to charge per-transaction fees; subscription is monthly or annual with ACH payments; additional services like check scanning cost USD 0.29 per check.

Source
Pushpay: Are there setup fees for Pushpay?

No, Pushpay explicitly states there are no setup fees required for any of their plans, making it easier to get started with their services.

Source
Pushpay: What payment options and contract terms does Pushpay offer?

Pushpay allows automatic ACH payments with monthly or annual subscriptions; contract terms of 1, 2, or 3 years are available based on your needs.

Source
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