ParishSOFT vs Planning Center
ParishSOFT
parishsoft.com
Planning Center
planningcenter.comSide by side
| Figure | ParishSOFT | Planning Center |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $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 |
| Plans published | 7 | 11 |
| Spec score · Church Volunteer Management Software | 8.4 (#5) | 8.9 (#4) |
| Spec score · Church Scheduling Software | 8.3 (#12) | 8.8 (#7) |
| Spec score · Church Background Check Software | 8.4 (#11) | 9.0 (#7) |
| Spec score · Church Giving Software | 8.2 (#9) | 8.8 (#6) |
| Spec score · Church Management Software | 8.3 (#15) | 8.9 (#8) |
| Spec score · Church Directory Software | 8.2 (#19) | 8.8 (#8) |
| Founded | 1998 | 2006 |
| Integrations | ParishSOFT Families connects with ParishSOFT Giving, Offering and Pledge, Religious Education, Tuition, Intelligent Query, and Ministry Scheduler. | The integrations directory includes services such as BoxCast, Checkr, Mailchimp, PraiseCharts, SongSelect, Zapier, Clearstream and ProPresenter; most connections are maintained by third parties. |
| Mobile app | The MinistryOne app offers digital giving, media, event management, prayer requests, group messaging, and push notifications. | The Planning Center mobile app provides dashboards, tasks, push notifications and product access, but dashboard editing requires a web browser. |
| Security | The company says ParishSOFT Giving is PCI compliant and uses SSL certificates, encryption, intrusion detection, and transaction security. | 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 | ParishSOFT provides a support ticket option and an online help center covering Family Suite, Accounting, diocesan products, websites, and online giving. | 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
ParishSOFT
- ParishSOFT Giving Consulting Plan$250, paid once
- Family Suite Guided Consulting Plan$900, paid once
- Family Suite Basic Consulting Plan$1,700, paid once
- ParishSOFT Accounting Basic Consulting Plan$1,700, paid once
- Family Suite Standard Consulting Plan$3,200, paid once
- ParishSOFT Accounting Standard Consulting Plan$3,200, paid once
- ParishSOFT GivingPriced on request
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
ParishSOFT
ParishSOFT provides church management software and related tools for Catholic parishes, dioceses, schools, and ministry organizations in the United States and Canada. Families manages household and member details, sacramental records, communications, and reporting. Accounting supports budgets, payroll, purchasing, and financial reporting; the maker describes it as GAAP compliant. Giving handles online and recurring donations, reports, payment forms, and contribution and pledge tracking. Family Suite also supports religious education and ministry scheduling, and connects with several ParishSOFT products. MinistryOne offers digital giving, media, event management, prayer requests, group messaging, and push notifications. The listed platforms include web, Android, iOS, and an API. Pricing for the main products is on request. Separate consulting plans range from $250, paid once for ParishSOFT Giving Consulting to $3,200, paid once for Family Suite or Accounting Standard Consulting. ParishSOFT Giving has a stated free 30-day trial. The maker says its tools are used by more than 185 dioceses and 12,000 parishes across the United States and Canada.
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.