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Religion · head to head

Planning Center Services vs The Church App

Planning Center Services logo

Planning Center Services

Religion

Digital worship planning and service execution platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
The Church App logo

The Church App

Religion

Branded church app and digital engagement platform

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; The Church App specific pricing is not published on the public website
  • They diverge on capability: Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, The Church App covers Custom Branding.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Planning Center Services and The Church App actually diverge.

Attributes where Planning Center Services and The Church App differ
AttributePlanning Center ServicesThe Church App
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidIOS, Android
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
  • Web support

Only in The Church App

  • Custom Branding
  • Sermon Streaming
  • Giving Integration
  • Event Management
  • Giving Platforms
  • Sermon Storage
  • Analytics
  • Push Notifications

Both cover

  • 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 The Church App
  • Donation trackingnot The Church App
  • Event planningnot The Church App
  • Volunteer schedulingnot The Church App
  • Communicationnot The Church App

The Church App

  • Church and faith community management and engagementnot Planning Center Services
  • Giving and donation management (mentioned 10% or more increase in giving)not Planning Center Services
  • Member and volunteer coordinationnot 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

The Church App

  • Specific pricing is not published on the public website
  • Requires contacting sales team or booking a demo to obtain pricing information

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

The Church App

On request
  • Starter$99/month
    • Basic app
    • Core features
  • Premium$299/month
    • Custom branding
    • Advanced features
    • Analytics

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 The Church App if

  • You need custom branding.
  • You work on IOS, Android.
  • You also want sermon streaming.
The Church App review

Questions people ask

Is Planning Center Services or The Church App better?
Neither clearly leads. Planning Center Services starts at On request and The Church App 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 The Church App?
Planning Center Services starts at On request and The Church App at On request.
Does Planning Center Services or The Church App run on more platforms?
Planning Center Services runs on Web, IOS, Android. The Church App runs on IOS, Android.
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 The Church App is typically brought in for.
What can Planning Center Services do that The Church App cannot?
Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, Volunteer Scheduling, Song Setlists, Planning Center Giving. The Church App covers Custom Branding, Sermon Streaming, Giving Integration, Event Management. Both handle 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
The Church App: How much does The Church App cost?

Specific pricing is not published on The Church App website. Contact sales at 469-564-3922, [email protected], or use the contact form to request pricing information.

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
The Church App: Is there a free trial or demo available?

The Church App offers the ability to book a demo to learn about their platform and pricing. Visit their website and click the 'Book a Demo' link to connect with a sales representative.

Source
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Related pages

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