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Church & Religious · head to head

Planning Center vs ChurchPlanner

Planning Center logo

Planning Center

Church & Religious

Complete church management platform for services, volunteers, and giving

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
C

ChurchPlanner

Church & Religious

Integrated church service and ministry planning platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Planning Center free tier limited to 5 team members and 10 daily check-ins per product; ChurchPlanner limited to basic church management functions; lacks financial/giving analysis compared to full suites
  • They diverge on capability: Planning Center covers Volunteer Management, ChurchPlanner covers Team Collaboration.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Planning Center and ChurchPlanner actually diverge.

Attributes where Planning Center and ChurchPlanner differ
AttributePlanning CenterChurchPlanner
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Mobile (Church Center app)Web, Android mobile app
Founded20032020

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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

  • Volunteer Management
  • Check-in System
  • Accounting Software
  • PayPal
  • Stripe
  • Pushpay

Only in ChurchPlanner

  • Team Collaboration
  • Volunteer Scheduling
  • Song Selection
  • Planning Center
  • Music Databases
  • Calendar Systems
  • Email Notifications

Both cover

  • Service Planning
  • Web support
  • IOS support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Planning Center

  • Integrated church management and schedulingnot ChurchPlanner
  • Volunteer coordination and event managementnot ChurchPlanner
  • Worship service planning and schedulingnot ChurchPlanner
  • Online giving and donation trackingnot ChurchPlanner

ChurchPlanner

  • 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

ChurchPlanner

  • Limited to basic church management functions; lacks financial/giving analysis compared to full suites
  • No built-in website or membership portal included in pricing
  • Mobile app limited to Android; limited iOS functionality

Pricing, plan by plan

Planning Center

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Planning Center review.

ChurchPlanner

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 15 contacts
    • Unlimited trial period
    • No credit card required
  • Premium$9.99/month
    • Up to 80 contacts
    • Service planning and volunteer scheduling
    • Attendance tracking
  • Pro$19.99/month
    • Unlimited contacts
    • All Premium features
    • SMS and email reminders

Which should you pick?

Choose Planning Center if

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

Choose ChurchPlanner if

  • You need team collaboration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Android mobile app.
  • You also want volunteer scheduling.
ChurchPlanner review

Questions people ask

Is Planning Center or ChurchPlanner better?
Neither clearly leads. Planning Center starts at Free and ChurchPlanner at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Planning Center or ChurchPlanner?
Planning Center starts at Free and ChurchPlanner at Free.
Does Planning Center or ChurchPlanner run on more platforms?
Planning Center runs on Web, Mobile (Church Center app). ChurchPlanner runs on Web, Android mobile app.
Can I use Planning Center for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 ChurchPlanner is typically brought in for.
What can Planning Center do that ChurchPlanner cannot?
Planning Center covers Volunteer Management, Check-in System, Accounting Software, PayPal. ChurchPlanner covers Team Collaboration, Volunteer Scheduling, Song Selection, Planning Center. Both handle Service Planning, Web support, IOS support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ChurchPlanner: How much does ChurchPlanner cost?

ChurchPlanner has a free tier with up to 15 contacts indefinitely (no credit card required), Premium at $9.99 CAD/month (up to 80 contacts), and Pro at $19.99 CAD/month (unlimited contacts with SMS reminders).

Source
ChurchPlanner: Does ChurchPlanner include worship planning?

Yes. ChurchPlanner includes worship planning with service order building, ministry team scheduling, and support for chord charts in ChordPro format.

Source
ChurchPlanner: Can volunteers get automated reminders?

Yes. ChurchPlanner sends automated SMS and email reminders to volunteers before services, reducing no-shows on the Pro plan.

Source
ChurchPlanner: Is attendance tracking included?

Yes. ChurchPlanner includes attendance tracking from any device with trend analysis and follow-up flagging capabilities.

Source
ChurchPlanner: Can I export my church data?

Yes. ChurchPlanner emphasizes data ownership and allows users to export their information anytime without restrictions.

Source
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Related pages

More on Planning Center

More on ChurchPlanner

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