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Church & Religious · head to head

Planning Center vs ACS Technologies Church Software

Planning Center logo

Planning Center

Church & Religious

Complete church management platform for services, volunteers, and giving

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
ACS Technologies Church Software logo

ACS Technologies Church Software

Church & Religious

Church information and management system with advanced features

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Planning Center has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Planning Center free tier limited to 5 team members and 10 daily check-ins per product; ACS Technologies Church Software pricing is not published and requires a demo
  • They diverge on capability: Planning Center covers Service Planning, ACS Technologies Church Software covers Member Management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Planning Center and ACS Technologies Church Software actually diverge.

Attributes where Planning Center and ACS Technologies Church Software differ
AttributePlanning CenterACS Technologies Church Software
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Mobile (Church Center app)Web, Mobile-responsive
Founded20031987

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Church & Religious).

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

  • Service Planning
  • Volunteer Management
  • Check-in System
  • PayPal
  • Stripe
  • Pushpay
  • IOS support
  • Android support

Only in ACS Technologies Church Software

  • Member Management
  • Attendance Tracking
  • Giving Management
  • Financial Reporting
  • Email Systems
  • Payment Processing
  • Data Import/Export
  • Mobile-responsive support

Both cover

  • Accounting Software
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Planning Center

  • Integrated church management and schedulingnot ACS Technologies Church Software
  • Volunteer coordination and event managementnot ACS Technologies Church Software
  • Worship service planning and schedulingnot ACS Technologies Church Software
  • Online giving and donation trackingnot ACS Technologies Church Software

ACS Technologies Church Software

  • Church membership and attendance managementnot Planning Center
  • Fund accounting for a congregation or diocesenot Planning Center
  • Online and recurring givingnot Planning Center
  • Background checks for volunteersnot Planning Center
  • Reporting across a diocese or multi-site ministrynot Planning Center

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Planning Center

  • Free tier limited to 5 team members and 10 daily check-ins per product
  • Pricing model requires customers to pay per product used; total cost scales with adoption
  • No monthly minimums but multiple product subscriptions can accumulate

ACS Technologies Church Software

  • Pricing is not published and requires a demo
  • A suite of separate products including Realm, fund accounting and giving rather than one application

Pricing, plan by plan

Planning Center

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Planning Center review.

ACS Technologies Church Software

On request
  • Standard$149/month
    • Core modules
    • Up to 500 members
  • Premium$399/month
    • All modules
    • Unlimited members
    • Custom reports

Which should you pick?

Choose Planning Center if

  • You need service planning.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile (Church Center app).
  • You also want volunteer management.
Planning Center review

Choose ACS Technologies Church Software if

  • You need member management.
  • You work on Web, Mobile-responsive.
  • You also want attendance tracking.
ACS Technologies Church Software review

Questions people ask

Is Planning Center or ACS Technologies Church Software better?
Neither clearly leads. Planning Center starts at Free and ACS Technologies Church Software at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Planning Center or ACS Technologies Church Software?
Planning Center has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Planning Center and On request for ACS Technologies Church Software.
Does Planning Center or ACS Technologies Church Software run on more platforms?
Planning Center runs on Web, Mobile (Church Center app). ACS Technologies Church Software runs on Web, Mobile-responsive.
Can I use Planning Center for free?
Yes. Planning Center has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ACS Technologies Church Software starts at On request.
What is Planning Center best used for?
Planning Center is most often used for integrated church management and scheduling, volunteer coordination and event management, worship service planning and scheduling, online giving and donation tracking. Of those, integrated church management and scheduling and volunteer coordination and event management are not what ACS Technologies Church Software is typically brought in for.
What can Planning Center do that ACS Technologies Church Software cannot?
Planning Center covers Service Planning, Volunteer Management, Check-in System, PayPal. ACS Technologies Church Software covers Member Management, Attendance Tracking, Giving Management, Financial Reporting. Both handle Accounting Software, Web support.
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Related pages

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