GraceSquad vs Planning Center
GraceSquad
gracesquad.org
Planning Center
planningcenter.comSide by side
| Figure | GraceSquad | Planning Center |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $39/mo | $15/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 11 |
| Spec score · Church Volunteer Management Software | 9.1 (#2) | 8.9 (#4) |
| Integrations | The privacy policy identifies Stripe, Twilio, Mailgun, Cloudflare R2, and Amazon Lightsail as service providers used by GraceSquad. | 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 | GraceSquad identifies churches, food banks, youth programs, healthcare volunteers, and other mission-driven organizations coordinating volunteers as intended users. | Planning Center describes its products as suitable for churches of any size, including small neighborhood churches and churches with multiple campuses. |
| Security | The FAQ states that TLS 1.3, encrypted database backups, and organization-level role-based access are used. | 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 contact page promises replies within one business day on weekdays from 9am to 6pm Central and offers 20-minute demos. | 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. |
| What it does | GraceSquad is a volunteer scheduling and member-management platform for churches and nonprofits. | Planning Center combines church membership data, scheduling, giving, events and communications in connected products. |
Plans
GraceSquad
- StarterFree
- Community$39 a month
- Growth$79 a month
- Ministry$119 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
GraceSquad
GraceSquad is a volunteer scheduling and member-management platform for churches, nonprofits, and other mission-driven organizations. Its scheduling engine weighs skills, certifications, availability, and rotation fairness, then prepares assignments for a coordinator to review and publish. Member records can include profiles, skills, certifications, availability, family groups, service history, hours, and badges. Starter is free forever for up to 100 members and one ministry, with manual scheduling and email notifications. Community costs $39 a month and adds auto-fill scheduling, SMS and email reminders, a volunteer portal, conflict detection, reporting, child safety, and giving management. Growth costs $79 a month, and Ministry costs $119 a month. Child-safety tools include QR-code check-in, parent tags, and two-adult-rule enforcement; the FAQ places background-check tracking on Growth and above. Donations can be one-time or recurring through Stripe, with a stated processing pass-through of 2.2% + $0.30 per transaction. The web app is available now; iOS and Android apps are marked coming soon.
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.