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Religion · head to head

Planning Center Services vs Text In Church

Planning Center Services logo

Planning Center Services

Religion

Digital worship planning and service execution platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Text In Church logo

Text In Church

Religion

SMS-based giving and engagement for churches

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Text In Church has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Planning Center Services the free tier of Services stops at 5 team members; Text In Church text volume is the binding limit: 500 texts per month on Basic, 1,500 on Pro and 2,500 on Premium
  • They diverge on capability: Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, Text In Church covers Text Giving.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Planning Center Services and Text In Church actually diverge.

Attributes where Planning Center Services and Text In Church differ
AttributePlanning Center ServicesText In Church
Starting priceOn requestFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidSMS, Web
Founded20062009

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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
  • IOS support
  • Android support

Only in Text In Church

  • Text Giving
  • SMS Messaging
  • Keyword-based Giving
  • Real-time Alerts
  • Payment Processing
  • Church Management
  • Analytics
  • Reporting

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 Text In Church
  • Donation trackingnot Text In Church
  • Event planningnot Text In Church
  • Volunteer schedulingnot Text In Church
  • Communicationnot Text In Church

Text In Church

  • Two-way texting with a congregation and automated guest follow-upnot Planning Center Services
  • Digital connect cards and keyword text-in for visitorsnot Planning Center Services
  • Automated reminder and welcome message workflows for church eventsnot 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

Text In Church

  • Text volume is the binding limit: 500 texts per month on Basic, 1,500 on Pro and 2,500 on Premium
  • Local phone numbers are capped at 1, 2 and 3 across the three plans
  • Monthly billing costs $37, $67 and $97 against $31, $56 and $81 when paid annually, so monthly is roughly 19% more
  • The calling features are a separate Calling Plus add-on at $10 per month per seat
  • Concierge onboarding starts at $249 as a one-off charge purchased at checkout
  • Churches needing more than 2,500 texts a month have no published plan and must contact support

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

Text In Church

Free
  • Basic$31/month
    • 500 texts per month
    • 1 local phone number
    • Unlimited keywords
  • Pro$56/month
    • 1500 texts per month
    • 2 local phone numbers
    • All Basic features
  • Premium$81/month
    • 2500 texts per month
    • 3 local phone numbers
    • All Basic and Pro features

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 Text In Church if

  • You need text giving.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on SMS, Web.
  • You also want sms messaging.
Text In Church review

Questions people ask

Is Planning Center Services or Text In Church better?
Neither clearly leads. Planning Center Services starts at On request and Text In Church at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Planning Center Services or Text In Church?
Text In Church has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Planning Center Services and Free for Text In Church.
Does Planning Center Services or Text In Church run on more platforms?
Planning Center Services runs on Web, IOS, Android. Text In Church runs on SMS, Web.
Can I use Text In Church for free?
Yes. Text In Church has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Planning Center Services starts at On request.
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 Text In Church is typically brought in for.
What can Planning Center Services do that Text In Church cannot?
Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, Volunteer Scheduling, Song Setlists, Planning Center Giving. Text In Church covers Text Giving, SMS Messaging, Keyword-based Giving, Real-time Alerts. Both handle 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
Text In Church: How much do you save with annual billing?

Annual billing saves $75 on Basic ($31/month vs $37/month), $136 on Pro ($56/month vs $67/month), and $197 on Premium ($81/month vs $97/month).

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
Text In Church: Is there a free trial?

Yes, Text In Church offers a free 30-day trial for all plans with no credit card required. They also provide a 30-day money-back guarantee if unsatisfied.

Source
Text In Church: What is the Calling Plus add-on?

Calling Plus ($10/month per seat) adds automated text replies, digital receptionist features, automated greetings, direct extensions, call forwarding, and smart voicemail capabilities.

Source
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