Planning Center vs SimpleUpdates
Planning Center
planningcenter.comSimpleUpdates
simpleupdates.comSide by side
| Figure | Planning Center | SimpleUpdates |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $15/mo | $20/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 11 | 9 |
| Spec score · Church Website Builders | 9.0 (#2) | 8.6 (#8) |
| Company history | Planning Center says it was formed in 2006 by founders Jeff Berg and Aaron Stewart. | Darryl Hosford founded the business as Hosford Web Service in 1995; the CMS later became SimpleUpdates.com and the company says it has operated online since 2005. |
| Founded | 2006 | 1995 |
| Headquarters | Carlsbad, California, United States | The company says it operates remotely around the United States and lists a mailing address in Gentry, Arkansas. |
| Integrations | The integrations directory includes services such as BoxCast, Checkr, Mailchimp, PraiseCharts, SongSelect, Zapier, Clearstream and ProPresenter; most connections are maintained by third parties. | Documented integrations include Google Analytics, YouTube, Zoom, Facebook oEmbed, iTunes podcasting and social-media widgets. |
| 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 terms allow HTTPS certificates for custom domains, while the current plans advertise SSL. |
| 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. | Support is offered by email with a stated one-business-day response target, scheduled calls and telephone numbers. |
| System requirements | Web products support current Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge versions; many products also have iOS and Android apps. | The archived manual says any current internet-connected computer works and lists minimum browsers including Firefox 2+, Internet Explorer 7+, Safari 3+, Opera 9.5+, Chrome 1+ and Camino 1+. |
| What it does | Planning Center combines church membership data, scheduling, giving, events and communications in connected products. | SimpleUpdates builds hosted business, nonprofit, church and school websites from an interview and supplies written draft pages. |
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
SimpleUpdates
- STARTERFree
- Basic$24 a month
- PRO$37 a month
- Growth$39 a month
- Premium$59 a month
- Basic$240 a year
- Growth$399 a year
- PRO$399 a year
- Premium$599 a year
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.
SimpleUpdates
SimpleUpdates Studio is a hosted website builder and content management system for creating and updating websites without coding. Its visual editor uses drag-and-drop controls and offers more than 36 elements and 200 ready-to-use icons; the company advertises more than 100 templates. Content tools include blogs, galleries, a form builder, collections, and custom HTML and CSS. The free Starter plan is free and includes unlimited pages and storage plus SSL, with limited features. Pro costs $37 a month for one website and includes unlimited pages and storage, SSL, up to two domains and three email addresses, and all Pro layouts, blocks, and elements. Paid website plans include free personal calls and support for technical questions. The pricing page lists contact form app integration, while legacy CMS update notes document Stripe integration for store payments and forms. SimpleUpdates says it does not collect or store end-user payment information; that information is passed to the payment processors customers choose. The service is web-based and serves commercial and nonprofit clients, including businesses and ministries. The company says Darryl Hosford founded it as Hosford Web Service in 1995, before it became SimpleUpdates.com as the CMS was developed.