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Religion · head to head

Planning Center vs SermonAudio

Planning Center logo

Planning Center

Religion

Complete church management platform for services, volunteers, and giving

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SermonAudio logo

SermonAudio

Religion

Free sermon hosting and distribution platform for churches

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; SermonAudio app requires reconfiguration after restart and resets items to default ordering
  • They diverge on capability: Planning Center covers Service Planning, SermonAudio covers Sermon Hosting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Planning Center and SermonAudio differ
AttributePlanning CenterSermonAudio
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Mobile (Church Center app)iOS, Android, Web
Founded20032005

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

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

Only in SermonAudio

  • Sermon Hosting
  • Podcast Distribution
  • Audio Transcription
  • Analytics
  • Podcast Platforms
  • Website Integration
  • Email Distribution
  • Social Media Sharing

Both cover

  • 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 SermonAudio
  • Volunteer coordination and event managementnot SermonAudio
  • Worship service planning and schedulingnot SermonAudio
  • Online giving and donation trackingnot SermonAudio

SermonAudio

  • 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

SermonAudio

  • App requires reconfiguration after restart and resets items to default ordering
  • Bookmark search functionality sometimes returns no results due to app bugs
  • Mobile app limited to iOS and Android without web-based access for church administrators

Pricing, plan by plan

Planning Center

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Planning Center review.

SermonAudio

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the SermonAudio review.

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 SermonAudio if

  • You need sermon hosting.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want podcast distribution.
SermonAudio review

Questions people ask

Is Planning Center or SermonAudio better?
Neither clearly leads. Planning Center starts at Free and SermonAudio at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Planning Center or SermonAudio?
Planning Center starts at Free and SermonAudio at Free.
Does Planning Center or SermonAudio run on more platforms?
Planning Center runs on Web, Mobile (Church Center app). SermonAudio runs on iOS, Android, Web.
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 SermonAudio is typically brought in for.
What can Planning Center do that SermonAudio cannot?
Planning Center covers Service Planning, Volunteer Management, Check-in System, Accounting Software. SermonAudio covers Sermon Hosting, Podcast Distribution, Audio Transcription, Analytics. Both handle Web support, IOS support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

SermonAudio: Is SermonAudio free for listening to sermons?

Yes, the sermon library of nearly 3 million audio and video sermons from conservative Christian churches is free to access. However, churches and ministries that want to broadcast their own sermons must pay a subscription fee.

Source
SermonAudio: What is the cost for churches to broadcast sermons on SermonAudio?

SermonAudio offers a flat-fee subscription model at $29.95/month, with smaller ministries potentially eligible for financial aid through a third-party scholarship program.

Source
SermonAudio: What platforms does SermonAudio support for accessing sermons?

SermonAudio supports native apps across a wide range of devices, including iOS, Android, and web browsers, allowing access to sermons anytime, anywhere.

Source
SermonAudio: Does SermonAudio provide offline access to downloaded sermons?

Yes, the app supports offline download capabilities, allowing you to download sermon audio or video and access them even without an internet connection.

Source
SermonAudio: What integrations does SermonAudio offer?

SermonAudio integrates with Logos Bible Software, Blue Letter Bible, Biblearc, and Church Plant Media, enabling seamless distribution and organization of sermon content across platforms.

Source
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