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Religion · head to head

Planning Center vs ShelbyNext Membership

Planning Center logo

Planning Center

Religion

Complete church management platform for services, volunteers, and giving

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
S

ShelbyNext Membership

Religion

Cloud-based church membership and management system

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Planning Center has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • They diverge on capability: Planning Center covers Service Planning, ShelbyNext Membership covers Member Portal.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Planning Center and ShelbyNext Membership actually diverge.

Attributes where Planning Center and ShelbyNext Membership differ
AttributePlanning CenterShelbyNext Membership
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Mobile (Church Center app)Web, IOS, Android
Founded20031996

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

Only in ShelbyNext Membership

  • Member Portal
  • Membership Management
  • Online Giving
  • Communications
  • Payment Processing
  • Email Marketing
  • Calendar Integration
  • Mobile App

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

ShelbyNext Membership

  • 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

ShelbyNext Membership

Nothing recorded yet. See the ShelbyNext Membership review.

Pricing, plan by plan

Planning Center

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Planning Center review.

ShelbyNext Membership

On request
  • Core$99/month
    • Basic features
    • Up to 300 members
  • Plus$299/month
    • Full suite
    • Unlimited members
    • Advanced 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 ShelbyNext Membership if

  • You need member portal.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want membership management.
ShelbyNext Membership review

Questions people ask

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