Congregate vs Planning Center
Congregate
congregateonline.com
Planning Center
planningcenter.comSide by side
| Figure | Congregate | Planning Center |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $10/mo | $15/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 10 | 11 |
| Spec score · Church Website Builders | 9.1 (#1) | 9.0 (#2) |
| Spec score · Church Directory Software | 8.9 (#6) | 8.8 (#8) |
| Founded | The Congregate service was launched in 2009. | 2006 |
| Integrations | Congregate supports embedded or linked live-stream and online-giving providers and offers Google Analytics and Google Maps API settings. | 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 | Congregate describes its service as built for local churches and their visitors, members, and leaders. | Planning Center describes its products as suitable for churches of any size, including small neighborhood churches and churches with multiple campuses. |
| Mobile app | The native members app is available for iPhone, iPad, and Android and includes member modules, directory, Bible, and sermon audio. | The Planning Center mobile app provides dashboards, tasks, push notifications and product access, but dashboard editing requires a web browser. |
| Rating on Apple App Store | 3.9 out of 5 from 19 ratings | 4.6 out of 5 from 34 ratings |
| Rating on Google Play | 2.4 out of 5 from 20 reviews | 4.1 out of 5 from 8,200 reviews |
| Security | The service supports two-factor authentication for administrators and members. | 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 | Free technical support is included in every service plan, and the company says it responds to support tickets within 24 hours or less. | 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. |
| System requirements | Congregate Admin runs in a modern browser on a computer, tablet, or phone and requires an internet connection. | Web products support current Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge versions; many products also have iOS and Android apps. |
| What it does | Congregate combines a public church website, members-only area, and leadership management tools. | Planning Center combines church membership data, scheduling, giving, events and communications in connected products. |
| Worship planning | The worship scheduler automatically assigns worship positions and volunteer tasks and supports blockout dates, replacements, confirmations, and reminders. | Services supports worship planning, volunteer scheduling, team communication, and rehearsal tools. |
Plans
Congregate
- Virtual Library$10 a month
- Sermon Transcriptions$15 a month
- Economy$20 a month
- Members Only$20 a month
- Text Messaging$25 a month
- Voice Messaging$25 a month
- Classic$45 a month
- Self-Hosted WordPress$55 a month
- Unlimited$55 a month
- Congregate-Hosted WordPress$70 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
Congregate
Congregate is a church management platform that combines a church website, member management, and leadership tools. Member features include a directory, attendance tracking, visitor registration and follow-up, and a leadership CRM. Communications include email, premium SMS, and premium text-to-speech voice messages. Its worship scheduler assigns positions and volunteer tasks, with support for blockout dates, replacements, confirmations, and reminders.
Churches can upload sermon media in formats such as MP3, PowerPoint, PDF, or YouTube links; the platform can create podcast feeds and support social sharing. The native members app is available for iPhone, iPad, and Android, and includes member modules, a directory, Bible, and sermon audio. Congregate says more than 30 modules are included in each service plan. Plans include a public website and mobile app at $20/mo for Economy, while Members Only is also $20/mo and omits the public website and email accounts. Standard plans carry a one-time $499 setup fee, discounted by $50 for churches with fewer than 50 members. Free technical support is included, with ticket responses stated as within 24 hours or less. The site offers a free test drive but gives no duration. The service runs on web, Android, and iOS.
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.