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Religion · head to head

MediaShout vs Planning Center

MediaShout logo

MediaShout

Religion

Worship presentation and media management software

From
$198/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Planning Center logo

Planning Center

Religion

Complete church management platform for services, volunteers, and giving

From
Free
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: MediaShout the perpetual MediaShout 7 Site licence is a $599 one-time purchase, and phone support is limited to 2 sessions in the first 30 days before dropping to email and live chat; Planning Center free tier limited to 5 team members and 10 daily check-ins per product
  • They diverge on capability: MediaShout covers Lyric Display, Planning Center covers Service Planning.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where MediaShout and Planning Center differ
AttributeMediaShoutPlanning Center
Starting price$198/yearFree
Pricing modelone-timefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindowsWeb, Mobile (Church Center app)
Founded20002003

Identical on both: 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 MediaShout

  • Lyric Display
  • Video Integration
  • Theme Creation
  • Remote Control
  • Song Databases
  • Planning Center
  • CCLI Integration
  • Web Remote

Only in Planning Center

  • Service Planning
  • Volunteer Management
  • Check-in System
  • Accounting Software
  • PayPal
  • Stripe
  • Pushpay
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

MediaShout

  • Church worship presentation and lyrics displaynot Planning Center
  • Multi-screen sermon notes and Bible verse displaynot Planning Center
  • CCLI SongSelect integration for compliancenot Planning Center
  • 70+ Bible translation displaynot Planning Center

Planning Center

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

Where each one falls short

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

MediaShout

  • The perpetual MediaShout 7 Site licence is a $599 one-time purchase, and phone support is limited to 2 sessions in the first 30 days before dropping to email and live chat
  • Ongoing phone and video support with remote desktop control requires the Plus Membership at $199 per year on top of the software
  • The cheapest option, MediaShout LE at $198 per year, licenses one computer only and omits the stage and confidence display
  • Shift Worship media access requires MediaShout 7 Complete at $798 one-time plus $299 per year
  • Upgrading from a previous MediaShout version still costs $399 for the Site licence or $498 for Essentials
  • The published plans are for MediaShout 7 for Windows, listed separately from the Mac product

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

Pricing, plan by plan

MediaShout

$198/year
  • MediaShout 7 LE (Subscription)$198/year
    • Single computer
    • Limited features
    • Annual subscription
  • MediaShout 7 Essentials (Windows)$698/one-time
    • Perpetual license
    • 1 year Plus Membership ($199 annual renewal)
    • Unlimited computers with Site License upgrade
  • MediaShout 7 Complete (Windows)$798/one-time
    • Perpetual license
    • Plus Membership
    • Shift Worship media library access
  • MediaShout 7 Site License (Windows)$599/one-time
    • Unlimited computers
    • Perpetual license

Planning Center

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Planning Center review.

Which should you pick?

Choose MediaShout if

  • You need lyric display.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want video integration.
MediaShout review

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

Questions people ask

Is MediaShout or Planning Center better?
Neither clearly leads. MediaShout starts at $198/year and Planning Center at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, MediaShout or Planning Center?
Planning Center has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $198/year for MediaShout and Free for Planning Center.
Does MediaShout or Planning Center run on more platforms?
MediaShout runs on Windows. Planning Center runs on Web, Mobile (Church Center app).
Can I use Planning Center for free?
Yes. Planning Center has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. MediaShout starts at $198/year.
What is MediaShout best used for?
MediaShout is most often used for church worship presentation and lyrics display, multi-screen sermon notes and bible verse display, ccli songselect integration for compliance, 70+ bible translation display. Of those, church worship presentation and lyrics display and multi-screen sermon notes and bible verse display are not what Planning Center is typically brought in for.
What can MediaShout do that Planning Center cannot?
MediaShout covers Lyric Display, Video Integration, Theme Creation, Remote Control. Planning Center covers Service Planning, Volunteer Management, Check-in System, Accounting Software.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

MediaShout: What is the cheapest way to use MediaShout for a church?

MediaShout 7 LE subscription at $198/year provides single-computer access. Alternatively, Site License at $599 one-time covers unlimited computers permanently without annual fees.

Source
MediaShout: Does the perpetual license include ongoing support after purchase?

No, perpetual licenses (Essentials $698, Complete $798, Site $599) require optional Plus Membership renewal annually ($199-299/year) for priority support and training access.

Source
MediaShout: What is the cost difference between Windows and Mac versions?

Mac Essentials costs $598 (vs $698 Windows). Mac Complete costs $698 (vs $798 Windows). Mac Site License costs $499 (vs $599 Windows). All include same perpetual license model with annual membership options.

Source
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