Lutheran Service Builder vs Planning Center
Lutheran Service Builder
music.cph.org
Planning Center
planningcenter.comSide by side
| Figure | Lutheran Service Builder | Planning Center |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $5/mo | $15/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 10 | 11 |
| Spec score · Worship Planning Software | 8.1 (#8) | 9.0 (#3) |
| Founded | 1869 | 2006 |
| Headquarters | St. Louis, Missouri, USA | Carlsbad, California, United States |
| Support | The maker offers an online help center, support technicians, webinars, and blog posts, and lists support by phone and email. | 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
Lutheran Service Builder
- One and All Rejoice$60 a year
- Hymn License — 1–199 weekly attendance$150 a year
- Hymn License — 200–399 weekly attendance$260 a year
- The Concordia Organist subscription$300 a year
- Hymn License — 400–699 weekly attendance$375 a year
- Hymn License — 700+ weekly attendance$500 a year
- Lutheran Service Builder — 1–199 weekly attendance$500 a year
- Lutheran Service Builder — 200–399 weekly attendance$650 a year
- Lutheran Service Builder — 400–699 weekly attendance$800 a year
- Lutheran Service Builder — 700+ weekly attendance$950 a year
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
Lutheran Service Builder
Lutheran Service Builder is paid web software for planning worship services, bulletins, and presentations. Service plans can include daily propers, lectionary or other readings, hymns, an order of service, rites, and staff notes. Bulletin and presentation views draw from the plan; bulletins export to a word processor, while presentations export to MediaShout 6. Global search filters resources by type, topic, tune, meter, author, copyright, and holiday, and can show hymn text, melody, copyright details, and Scripture references. My Worship Resources stores custom elements and liturgies, supports creating hymns and common service parts, and reuses templates. Desktop databases, including custom resources, can be uploaded. The Concordia Organist add-on creates playlists and downloadable MP3 ZIP files. A separate Hymn License tracks covered use and submits reports, with stated exclusions for LSB 462 tune and LSB 712 text and tune. Core plans start at $500 a year for 1–199 weekly attendance.
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.