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Religion · head to head

Planning Center vs SimpleChurch CRM

Planning Center logo

Planning Center

Religion

Complete church management platform for services, volunteers, and giving

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
S

SimpleChurch CRM

Religion

Customer relationship management for churches

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, SimpleChurch CRM covers Contact Management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Planning Center and SimpleChurch CRM actually diverge.

Attributes where Planning Center and SimpleChurch CRM differ
AttributePlanning CenterSimpleChurch CRM
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Mobile (Church Center app)Web, Mobile
Founded20032011

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
  • IOS support

Only in SimpleChurch CRM

  • Contact Management
  • Interaction Tracking
  • Pipeline Management
  • Reporting
  • Email Integration
  • Calendar Systems
  • Church Management
  • Communication Tools

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

SimpleChurch CRM

  • 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

SimpleChurch CRM

Nothing recorded yet. See the SimpleChurch CRM review.

Pricing, plan by plan

Planning Center

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Planning Center review.

SimpleChurch CRM

On request
  • Basic$59/month
    • Basic CRM
    • Up to 300 contacts
  • Professional$179/month
    • Advanced features
    • Unlimited contacts
    • 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 SimpleChurch CRM if

  • You need contact management.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want interaction tracking.
SimpleChurch CRM review

Questions people ask

Is Planning Center or SimpleChurch CRM better?
Neither clearly leads. Planning Center starts at Free and SimpleChurch CRM at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Planning Center or SimpleChurch CRM?
Planning Center has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Planning Center and On request for SimpleChurch CRM.
Does Planning Center or SimpleChurch CRM run on more platforms?
Planning Center runs on Web, Mobile (Church Center app). SimpleChurch CRM 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. SimpleChurch CRM 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 SimpleChurch CRM is typically brought in for.
What can Planning Center do that SimpleChurch CRM cannot?
Planning Center covers Service Planning, Volunteer Management, Check-in System, Accounting Software. SimpleChurch CRM covers Contact Management, Interaction Tracking, Pipeline Management, Reporting. Both handle Web support.
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