CiviCRM vs Planning Center
CiviCRM
civicrm.org
Planning Center
planningcenter.comSide by side
| Figure | CiviCRM | Planning Center |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $15/mo | $15/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 11 |
| Spec score · Nonprofit Membership Management Software | 8.9 (#4) | 8.8 (#6) |
| Founded | 2005 | 2006 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States | Carlsbad, California, United States |
| Integrations | The official integrations showcase lists payment and communication services including Stripe, PayPal, Mailchimp, Twilio, and QuickBooks, and CMS integrations including Drupal, Backdrop, WordPress, and Joomla. | The integrations directory includes services such as BoxCast, Checkr, Mailchimp, PraiseCharts, SongSelect, Zapier, Clearstream and ProPresenter; most connections are maintained by third parties. |
| Security | CiviCRM publishes security advisories and provides instructions for subscribing to security notices and reporting suspected issues. | 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 | Support options include documentation, Stack Exchange, community chat, events, release notes, bug reporting, and professional consulting. | 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
CiviCRM
- CiviCRM (self-hosted)Free
- Spark Starter$15 a month
- Spark Essentials$30 a month
- Spark Pro$50 a month
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
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.