Softwr

Religion · head to head

Planning Center Services vs Servant Keeper

Planning Center Services logo

Planning Center Services

Religion

Digital worship planning and service execution platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Servant Keeper logo

Servant Keeper

Religion

Church scheduling and volunteer management software

From
$79.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Planning Center Services the free tier of Services stops at 5 team members; Servant Keeper the Core plan at $79.99 per month is limited to 4 estimated users and the Complete plan at $159.99 to 8
  • They diverge on capability: Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, Servant Keeper covers Position Management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Planning Center Services and Servant Keeper differ
AttributePlanning Center ServicesServant Keeper
Starting priceOn request$79.99/month
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb, Mobile
Founded20062002

Identical on both: 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
  • Song Setlists
  • Planning Center Giving
  • Music Database
  • IOS support
  • Android support

Only in Servant Keeper

  • Position Management
  • Automated Reminders
  • Skill Tracking
  • Email Notifications
  • Text Messaging
  • Mobile App
  • 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 managementnot Servant Keeper
  • Donation trackingnot Servant Keeper
  • Event planningnot Servant Keeper
  • Volunteer schedulingnot Servant Keeper
  • Communicationnot Servant Keeper

Servant Keeper

  • Church membership and family record managementnot Planning Center Services
  • Recording contributions and issuing giving statementsnot Planning Center Services
  • Child check-in and attendance tracking for congregationsnot 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

Servant Keeper

  • The Core plan at $79.99 per month is limited to 4 estimated users and the Complete plan at $159.99 to 8
  • Check-in is a $199 optional add-on on the Core plan rather than an included feature
  • Core gets only the standard payment processing rate; the preferred rate requires the Complete plan
  • Onboarding on Core is self-guided, and white glove data transfer is priced on request on both plans
  • SMS text messaging on Complete is capped at 1,000 messages per month
  • Live streaming on Complete is capped at 25 hours per month of 720p HD, with 50 GB of storage
  • Email, texting, website and app features are all withheld from the Core plan
  • The 8% saving requires paying annually, at $879.89 or $1,759.89 up front

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

Servant Keeper

$79.99/month
  • Core (Monthly)$79.99/month
    • For smaller ministries
    • Track unlimited families/members
    • 4 estimated users included
  • Core (Annual)$879.89/year
    • Annual billing saves $80/year
    • $73.32/month equivalent
    • Same features as monthly Core plan
  • Complete (Monthly)$159.99/month
    • Labeled best value, for established ministries
    • 8 estimated users included
    • Included check-in
  • Complete (Annual)$1759.89/year
    • Annual billing saves $160/year
    • $146.66/month equivalent
    • Same features as monthly Complete plan

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 Servant Keeper if

  • You need position management.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want automated reminders.
Servant Keeper review

Questions people ask

Is Planning Center Services or Servant Keeper better?
Neither clearly leads. Planning Center Services starts at On request and Servant Keeper at $79.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Planning Center Services or Servant Keeper?
Planning Center Services starts at On request and Servant Keeper at $79.99/month.
Does Planning Center Services or Servant Keeper run on more platforms?
Planning Center Services runs on Web, IOS, Android. Servant Keeper 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. Of those, member management and donation tracking are not what Servant Keeper is typically brought in for.
What can Planning Center Services do that Servant Keeper cannot?
Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, Song Setlists, Planning Center Giving, Music Database. Servant Keeper covers Position Management, Automated Reminders, Skill Tracking, Email Notifications. Both handle Volunteer Scheduling, Calendar Systems, Web 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
Servant Keeper: How much does Servant Keeper cost?

Servant Keeper offers Core at $79.99/month or $879.89/year (8% savings), and Complete at $159.99/month or $1,759.89/year (labeled best value). An Unlimited Option is available for ministries needing expanded capacity in texting, livestreaming, website, and app features.

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
Servant Keeper: What is included in each Servant Keeper plan?

Core includes unlimited families/members and 4 estimated users with optional check-in. Complete includes 8 estimated users, check-in, email, unlimited texting (1,000/month), website, app (50GB), and livestreaming (25 hours/month).

Source
Servant Keeper: Is there phone and email support included?

Yes, both Core and Complete plans include phone, email, and chat support. The Complete plan also offers preferred payment processing rates and premium onboarding with a Kick-off Call.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Planning Center Services

More on Servant Keeper

Keep looking

Other head to heads