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Church & Religious · head to head

Planning Center vs Church Community Builder

Planning Center logo

Planning Center

Church & Religious

Complete church management platform for services, volunteers, and giving

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Church Community Builder logo

Church Community Builder

Church & Religious

Social network platform for churches to build community and engage members

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; Church Community Builder churchcommunitybuilder.com now redirects entirely to pushpay.com, confirming the product has been folded into Pushpay's ChMS/ChurchStaq line (Core, Advanced, Complete tiers); Pushpay's own pricing page states all dollar figures are withheld until a demo request or phone call to 1-844-PUSHPAY.
  • They diverge on capability: Planning Center covers Service Planning, Church Community Builder covers Private Social Network.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Planning Center and Church Community Builder actually diverge.

Attributes where Planning Center and Church Community Builder differ
AttributePlanning CenterChurch Community Builder
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Mobile (Church Center app)Web, Mobile apps
Founded20032008

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
  • Accounting Software
  • PayPal
  • Stripe
  • Pushpay
  • IOS support

Only in Church Community Builder

  • Private Social Network
  • Event Management
  • Prayer Requests
  • Email Integration
  • Calendar Systems
  • Photo Sharing
  • Mobile apps support

Both cover

  • 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 Church Community Builder
  • Volunteer coordination and event managementnot Church Community Builder
  • Worship service planning and schedulingnot Church Community Builder
  • Online giving and donation trackingnot Church Community Builder

Church Community Builder

  • Member managementnot Planning Center
  • Donation trackingnot Planning Center
  • Event planningnot Planning Center
  • Volunteer schedulingnot Planning Center
  • Communicationnot 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

Church Community Builder

  • churchcommunitybuilder.com now redirects entirely to pushpay.com, confirming the product has been folded into Pushpay's ChMS/ChurchStaq line (Core, Advanced, Complete tiers); Pushpay's own pricing page states all dollar figures are withheld until a demo request or phone call to 1-844-PUSHPAY.

Pricing, plan by plan

Planning Center

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Planning Center review.

Church Community Builder

On request
  • Starter$59/month
    • Basic community features
    • Up to 200 members
  • Plus$179/month
    • All features included
    • Unlimited members
    • Analytics

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 Church Community Builder if

  • You need private social network.
  • You work on Web, Mobile apps.
  • You also want event management.
Church Community Builder review

Questions people ask

Is Planning Center or Church Community Builder better?
Neither clearly leads. Planning Center starts at Free and Church Community Builder at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Planning Center or Church Community Builder?
Planning Center has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Planning Center and On request for Church Community Builder.
Does Planning Center or Church Community Builder run on more platforms?
Planning Center runs on Web, Mobile (Church Center app). Church Community Builder runs on Web, Mobile apps.
Can I use Planning Center for free?
Yes. Planning Center has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Church Community Builder 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 Church Community Builder is typically brought in for.
What can Planning Center do that Church Community Builder cannot?
Planning Center covers Service Planning, Volunteer Management, Check-in System, Accounting Software. Church Community Builder covers Private Social Network, Event Management, Prayer Requests, Email Integration. Both handle Web support.
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Related pages

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