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Church · head to head

Planning Center vs Text In Church

Planning Center logo

Planning Center

Church

Complete church management platform for services, volunteers, and giving

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Text In Church logo

Text In Church

Church

SMS-based giving and engagement 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; Text In Church text volume is the binding limit: 500 texts per month on Basic, 1,500 on Pro and 2,500 on Premium
  • They diverge on capability: Planning Center covers Service Planning, Text In Church covers Text Giving.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Planning Center and Text In Church actually diverge.

Attributes where Planning Center and Text In Church differ
AttributePlanning CenterText In Church
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
PlatformsWeb, Mobile (Church Center app)SMS, Web
Founded20032009

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Church).

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 Text In Church

  • Text Giving
  • SMS Messaging
  • Keyword-based Giving
  • Real-time Alerts
  • Payment Processing
  • Church Management
  • Analytics
  • Reporting

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 Text In Church
  • Volunteer coordination and event managementnot Text In Church
  • Worship service planning and schedulingnot Text In Church
  • Online giving and donation trackingnot Text In Church

Text In Church

  • Two-way texting with a congregation and automated guest follow-upnot Planning Center
  • Digital connect cards and keyword text-in for visitorsnot Planning Center
  • Automated reminder and welcome message workflows for church eventsnot 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

Text In Church

  • Text volume is the binding limit: 500 texts per month on Basic, 1,500 on Pro and 2,500 on Premium
  • Local phone numbers are capped at 1, 2 and 3 across the three plans
  • Monthly billing costs $37, $67 and $97 against $31, $56 and $81 when paid annually, so monthly is roughly 19% more
  • The calling features are a separate Calling Plus add-on at $10 per month per seat
  • Concierge onboarding starts at $249 as a one-off charge purchased at checkout
  • Churches needing more than 2,500 texts a month have no published plan and must contact support

Pricing, plan by plan

Planning Center

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Planning Center review.

Text In Church

Free
  • Basic$31/month
    • 500 texts per month
    • 1 local phone number
    • Unlimited keywords
  • Pro$56/month
    • 1500 texts per month
    • 2 local phone numbers
    • All Basic features
  • Premium$81/month
    • 2500 texts per month
    • 3 local phone numbers
    • All Basic and Pro features

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 Text In Church if

  • You need text giving.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on SMS, Web.
  • You also want sms messaging.
Text In Church review

Questions people ask

Is Planning Center or Text In Church better?
Neither clearly leads. Planning Center starts at Free and Text In Church at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Planning Center or Text In Church?
Planning Center starts at Free and Text In Church at Free.
Does Planning Center or Text In Church run on more platforms?
Planning Center runs on Web, Mobile (Church Center app). Text In Church runs on SMS, 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 Text In Church is typically brought in for.
What can Planning Center do that Text In Church cannot?
Planning Center covers Service Planning, Volunteer Management, Check-in System, Accounting Software. Text In Church covers Text Giving, SMS Messaging, Keyword-based Giving, Real-time Alerts. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Text In Church: How much do you save with annual billing?

Annual billing saves $75 on Basic ($31/month vs $37/month), $136 on Pro ($56/month vs $67/month), and $197 on Premium ($81/month vs $97/month).

Source
Text In Church: Is there a free trial?

Yes, Text In Church offers a free 30-day trial for all plans with no credit card required. They also provide a 30-day money-back guarantee if unsatisfied.

Source
Text In Church: What is the Calling Plus add-on?

Calling Plus ($10/month per seat) adds automated text replies, digital receptionist features, automated greetings, direct extensions, call forwarding, and smart voicemail capabilities.

Source
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