ChurchRaise vs Planning Center
ChurchRaise
churchraise.ai
Planning Center
planningcenter.comSide by side
| Figure | ChurchRaise | Planning Center |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $15/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 11 |
| Spec score · Church Scheduling Software | 7.3 (#35) | 8.8 (#7) |
| Spec score · Church Management Software | 7.2 (#32) | 8.9 (#8) |
| Spec score · Small Group Management Software | 7.2 (#34) | 8.9 (#7) |
| Spec score · Worship Planning Software | 7.3 (#21) | 9.0 (#3) |
| Giving fees | The maker says churches receive 100% of donations; online payment processing is covered by optional donor tips or a service fee, and standard Stripe processing fees apply. | US Giving and event payments charge 2.15% plus $0.30 for cards and 0% plus $0.30 for ACH, with an additional 1.5% for international cards. |
| Integrations | The site lists Zapier, Slack, Vanco, QuickBooks, Stripe, Square, Google, Outlook, and MinistrySafe among compatible tools. | The integrations directory includes services such as BoxCast, Checkr, Mailchimp, PraiseCharts, SongSelect, Zapier, Clearstream and ProPresenter; most connections are maintained by third parties. |
| Intended users | The maker describes the service as built for churches of every size, including small and mid-size churches. | Planning Center describes its products as suitable for churches of any size, including small neighborhood churches and churches with multiple campuses. |
| Security | The privacy policy says data is encrypted in transit with TLS/SSL and at rest via Google Cloud encryption, with role-based access controls and Firebase rules separating organizations. | Planning Center states it is SOC 2 Type 2 certified and PCI Level One compliant, encrypts data in transit and at rest, and uses a multilayered backup strategy. |
| Support | The maker offers email support from real people and says it aims to answer every ticket within 12 hours. | Support is free for customers and noncustomers, with a stated response time of about one business hour Monday through Friday and a weekend crew for emergencies. |
Plans
Planning Center
- CalendarFree
- PeopleFree
- ServicesFree
- Services FreeFree
- Services 20$15 a month
- Services 50$32 a month
- Services 150$69 a month
- Services 400$115 a month
- Services 1000$179 a month
- Services$239 a month
In their own words
ChurchRaise
ChurchRaise is a web-based church management platform from Faith Systems for people, giving, communications, events, and ministry administration. It includes household records, online giving, bulletins, events, groups, forms, reports, a website builder, and service planning. Child check-in, volunteer scheduling, and SMS messaging are listed, but there is no mobile app. Nine AI assistants can help draft newsletters, plan sermons, and generate graphics. Each account starts with 1,000 free Ministry Credits; additional credits cost extra, and AI is optional for core use. The Free Platform plan has no monthly platform fee, unlimited people, and no feature gates for core ChMS features. Churches can import people, households, groups, and giving history using CSV templates with guided setup. Integrations include Zapier, Slack, Vanco, QuickBooks, Stripe, Square, Google, Outlook, and MinistrySafe. The service says churches receive 100% of donations, while processing uses tips or a service fee plus standard Stripe fees.
Planning Center
Planning Center is a church ministry platform with products for people management, events, worship planning, donations, groups, and church apps. People centralizes membership information and ministry activity such as attendance, giving, and volunteering. Services supports worship planning, volunteer scheduling, team communication, and rehearsal tools. Other listed capabilities include group management, event registration, child check-in, and SMS messaging. Free plans are listed for Calendar, People, and Services: Calendar includes one room, People has an unlimited database and reporting, and Services includes five team members and 100 MB of storage. The pricing note lists paid access from $5/mo and a 30-day trial; a member limit of 75 is also listed. Services plans include unlimited feature access, teams, service types, and plans, with pricing based on the number of people accessing the system. The Services app supports iOS and Android phones and tablets, but not Windows devices. Integrations include SongSelect, PraiseCharts, Checkr, Mailchimp, Zapier, and third-party tools; an open API is also available. Planning Center states its products suit churches of any size.