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Religion · head to head

Planning Center vs The Church App

Planning Center logo

Planning Center

Religion

Complete church management platform for services, volunteers, and giving

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
The Church App logo

The Church App

Religion

Branded church app and digital engagement platform

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; The Church App specific pricing is not published on the public website
  • They diverge on capability: Planning Center covers Service Planning, The Church App covers Custom Branding.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Planning Center and The Church App actually diverge.

Attributes where Planning Center and The Church App differ
AttributePlanning CenterThe Church App
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Mobile (Church Center app)IOS, Android
Founded20032012

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 Planning Center

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

Only in The Church App

  • Custom Branding
  • Sermon Streaming
  • Giving Integration
  • Event Management
  • Giving Platforms
  • Sermon Storage
  • Analytics
  • Push Notifications

Both cover

  • 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 The Church App
  • Volunteer coordination and event managementnot The Church App
  • Worship service planning and schedulingnot The Church App
  • Online giving and donation trackingnot The Church App

The Church App

  • Church and faith community management and engagementnot Planning Center
  • Giving and donation management (mentioned 10% or more increase in giving)not Planning Center
  • Member and volunteer coordinationnot 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

The Church App

  • Specific pricing is not published on the public website
  • Requires contacting sales team or booking a demo to obtain pricing information

Pricing, plan by plan

Planning Center

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Planning Center review.

The Church App

On request
  • Starter$99/month
    • Basic app
    • Core features
  • Premium$299/month
    • Custom branding
    • Advanced features
    • Analytics

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 The Church App if

  • You need custom branding.
  • You work on IOS, Android.
  • You also want sermon streaming.
The Church App review

Questions people ask

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

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

The Church App: How much does The Church App cost?

Specific pricing is not published on The Church App website. Contact sales at 469-564-3922, [email protected], or use the contact form to request pricing information.

Source
The Church App: Is there a free trial or demo available?

The Church App offers the ability to book a demo to learn about their platform and pricing. Visit their website and click the 'Book a Demo' link to connect with a sales representative.

Source
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Related pages

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