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Church & Religious · head to head

Planning Center vs ProPresenter

Planning Center logo

Planning Center

Church & Religious

Complete church management platform for services, volunteers, and giving

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
ProPresenter logo

ProPresenter

Church & Religious

Professional presentation system for worship and events

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; ProPresenter standard plan is licensed per seat at $29 per month or $289 per year; the 20 seat Campus plan at $59 per month is restricted to worship customers only
  • They diverge on capability: Planning Center covers Service Planning, ProPresenter covers Advanced Presentation.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Planning Center and ProPresenter differ
AttributePlanning CenterProPresenter
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumone-time
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Mobile (Church Center app)Mac, Windows
Founded20031997

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
  • Web support

Only in ProPresenter

  • Advanced Presentation
  • Video Playback
  • Multi-screen
  • Live Control
  • Media Libraries
  • Lyrics Database
  • Streaming
  • Networking

What people use each for

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

Planning Center

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

ProPresenter

  • Live worship service presentation with lyrics, media and scripture displaynot 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

ProPresenter

  • Standard plan is licensed per seat at $29 per month or $289 per year; the 20 seat Campus plan at $59 per month is restricted to worship customers only

Pricing, plan by plan

Planning Center

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Planning Center review.

ProPresenter

On request
  • ProPresenter$2500/month
    • Core software
    • 1 year support
  • Enterprise$5000/month
    • Full suite
    • Priority support
    • Training

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 ProPresenter if

  • You need advanced presentation.
  • You work on Mac, Windows.
  • You also want video playback.
ProPresenter review

Questions people ask

Is Planning Center or ProPresenter better?
Neither clearly leads. Planning Center starts at Free and ProPresenter at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Planning Center or ProPresenter?
Planning Center has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Planning Center and On request for ProPresenter.
Does Planning Center or ProPresenter run on more platforms?
Planning Center runs on Web, Mobile (Church Center app). ProPresenter runs on Mac, Windows.
Can I use Planning Center for free?
Yes. Planning Center has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ProPresenter 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 ProPresenter is typically brought in for.
What can Planning Center do that ProPresenter cannot?
Planning Center covers Service Planning, Volunteer Management, Check-in System, Accounting Software. ProPresenter covers Advanced Presentation, Video Playback, Multi-screen, Live Control.
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