Planning Center vs SimpleServ
Planning Center
planningcenter.comSimpleServ
simpleserv.appSide by side
| Figure | Planning Center | SimpleServ |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $15/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 | 11 | 3 |
| Spec score · Church Volunteer Management Software | 8.9 (#4) | 7.5 (#23) |
| Integrations | The integrations directory includes services such as BoxCast, Checkr, Mailchimp, PraiseCharts, SongSelect, Zapier, Clearstream and ProPresenter; most connections are maintained by third parties. | The site states that calendar links work with iPhone, Google, and Outlook calendars, and its privacy policy names Resend for email and Stripe for billing. |
| Intended users | Planning Center describes its products as suitable for churches of any size, including small neighborhood churches and churches with multiple campuses. | The product is aimed at small churches and volunteer coordinators who need to schedule teams without a larger church operating platform. |
| 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. | The privacy policy says church data is separated using database-level row-level security and encrypted in transit. |
| Support | 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. | The site says the Settings support button messages the founder, and the About page identifies Cody Woodlee as the builder. |
Plans
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
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.
SimpleServ
SimpleServ is web-based volunteer scheduling software for small churches. Coordinators can email service requests and see confirmations on a dashboard; volunteers accept or decline using email buttons, without an account or app download. Churches can save weekly services as templates and add the next unscheduled week with one tap. For open roles, the fill feature proposes volunteers asked least recently, while skipping people marked away or already serving. Starter and Pro include reminders after 48 hours without a response and the day before a service. Volunteers can add accepted assignments to iPhone, Google or Outlook calendars, and churches can import volunteer names, contact details and teams from CSV. The free plan is $0 forever and supports up to 5 volunteers and 1 admin account. Starter costs $15 per month and supports up to 50 volunteers; Pro costs $35 per month and supports up to 200. A 14-day trial is listed. Two-way text messaging and Pro reporting are listed as coming soon.