Ministry Planner vs Planning Center
Ministry Planner
ministryplanner.church
Planning Center
planningcenter.comSide by side
| Figure | Ministry Planner | Planning Center |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $49/mo | $15/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 11 |
| Spec score · Worship Planning Software | 7.9 (#10) | 9.0 (#3) |
| Spec score · Church Volunteer Management Software | 7.9 (#13) | 8.9 (#4) |
| Spec score · Church Scheduling Software | 7.8 (#23) | 8.8 (#7) |
| Spec score · Small Group Management Software | 7.8 (#21) | 8.9 (#7) |
| Giving fees | Online giving has no monthly fee, and Ministry Planner charges 0.5% per online gift in addition to Stripe processing fees. | 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 platform lists two-way Planning Center sync, Church Community Builder sync, Google Calendar, and Google Drive integrations. | The integrations directory includes services such as BoxCast, Checkr, Mailchimp, PraiseCharts, SongSelect, Zapier, Clearstream and ProPresenter; most connections are maintained by third parties. |
| Security | The company says church data is isolated and encrypted in transit and at rest on SOC 2-compliant infrastructure. | 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. |
Plans
Ministry Planner
- Free toolsFree
- Plant$49 a month
- Grow$150 a month
- Multiply$300 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
Ministry Planner
Ministry Planner is a web platform for church planning and administration, combining service planning, volunteer scheduling, team chat, online giving, and a church website. Its planning tools connect a teaching calendar and series library with service plans and personalized mobile run sheets. Volunteers can accept or decline assignments through secure RSVP links without creating an account or installing an app. Listed integrations include two-way sync with Planning Center, sync with Church Community Builder, Google Calendar, and Google Drive. A free tools option allows one standalone tool per church account, with limits that vary by tool; paid plans start at $49.00 per month, and a 30-day trial is listed. Online giving has no monthly fee, but each gift incurs a 0.5% Ministry Planner charge plus Stripe processing fees. The company says church data is encrypted in transit and at rest, churches can export it at any time, and it is not sold or shared. AI features include an assistant, smart imports, and engagement predictions; data is stated not to train models. A congregation app is listed as 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.