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Software · head to head

Planning Center vs Servant Keeper

Planning Center logo

Planning Center

Software

Complete church management platform for services, volunteers, and giving

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Servant Keeper logo

Servant Keeper

Software

Church scheduling and volunteer management software

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; Servant Keeper the Core plan at $79.99 per month is limited to 4 estimated users and the Complete plan at $159.99 to 8
  • They diverge on capability: Planning Center covers Service Planning, Servant Keeper covers Volunteer Scheduling.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Planning Center and Servant Keeper actually diverge.

Attributes where Planning Center and Servant Keeper differ
AttributePlanning CenterServant Keeper
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Mobile (Church Center app)Web, Mobile
Founded20032002

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Servant Keeper

  • Volunteer Scheduling
  • Position Management
  • Automated Reminders
  • Skill Tracking
  • Email Notifications
  • Calendar Systems
  • Text Messaging
  • Mobile App

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

Servant Keeper

  • Church membership and family record managementnot Planning Center
  • Recording contributions and issuing giving statementsnot Planning Center
  • Child check-in and attendance tracking for congregationsnot 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

Servant Keeper

  • The Core plan at $79.99 per month is limited to 4 estimated users and the Complete plan at $159.99 to 8
  • Check-in is a $199 optional add-on on the Core plan rather than an included feature
  • Core gets only the standard payment processing rate; the preferred rate requires the Complete plan
  • Onboarding on Core is self-guided, and white glove data transfer is priced on request on both plans
  • SMS text messaging on Complete is capped at 1,000 messages per month
  • Live streaming on Complete is capped at 25 hours per month of 720p HD, with 50 GB of storage
  • Email, texting, website and app features are all withheld from the Core plan
  • The 8% saving requires paying annually, at $879.89 or $1,759.89 up front

Pricing, plan by plan

Planning Center

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Planning Center review.

Servant Keeper

On request
  • Basic$29.95/month
    • Basic scheduling
    • Up to 200 volunteers
  • Pro$99.95/month
    • Advanced features
    • Unlimited volunteers
    • Mobile app

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 Servant Keeper if

  • You need volunteer scheduling.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want position management.
Servant Keeper review

Questions people ask

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