Overview

Planning Center is a suite of church ministry products covering people records, events, worship planning, giving, groups, and church apps. It suits churches that want multiple ministry workflows in one platform, especially those able to start with free product plans. The trade-off is that costs and limits vary by product, and Services pricing depends on how many people access it.

Formed in 2006 by Jeff Berg and Aaron Stewart, the company is based in Carlsbad, California. Planning Center positions its products for congregations of any size, from neighborhood churches to multi-campus organizations.

Churches comparing broader options can also browse Church Management Software, or focus on Church Directory Software, Church Volunteer Management Software, Church Website Builders, Church Giving Software, and Small Group Management Software.

Key features

People and ministry records

People centralizes membership information alongside attendance, giving, and volunteering activity. Its free plan includes an unlimited database and reporting, making it a strong starting point for churches that need organized records without paying by database size. The platform also supports group management, event registration, child check-in, and SMS messaging.

Worship planning and team coordination

Services combines worship planning with volunteer scheduling, team communication, and rehearsal tools. Its plans include unlimited features, teams, service types, and plans; the price instead scales with the number of people who access the system. That structure suits churches with varied worship workflows, but growing access needs can raise the bill even when feature use stays steady.

Connections, security, and support

Integrations include SongSelect, PraiseCharts, Checkr, Mailchimp, and Zapier, alongside third-party tools and an open API. Planning Center says it is SOC 2 Type 2 certified and PCI Level One compliant, encrypts data in transit and at rest, and uses layered backups. Support is free for customers and noncustomers, with a stated response time of about one business hour on weekdays and an emergency weekend crew.

Pricing

Planning Center uses a freemium model, offers a 30-day trial, and says paid plans start at $5/mo. Its free plans are product-specific rather than a single all-in package: Calendar costs 0.00 USD per free for one room; People costs 0.00 USD per free with an unlimited database and reporting; Services costs 0.00 USD per free for five team members and 100MB of storage.

Those free tiers make it practical to begin with a room calendar, a large people database, or a small Services team. The Services cap of five team members and 100MB storage is a meaningful constraint for broader coordination. Paid Services plans retain unlimited feature access, teams, service types, and plans, but are priced by system access count. The general paid-from figure does not establish a single price for every product or church size.

Accounts continue working after a plan limit is exceeded. If an organization exceeds its limit more than once, Planning Center says it receives an upgrade suggestion, giving some breathing room while making recurring overages a prompt to move up.

Platforms

Planning Center supports Android, iOS, web, and API access. The Services mobile app runs on iOS and Android phones and tablets, but not Windows devices; churches relying on Windows tablets for worship teams should account for that limitation.

Who it's for

Planning Center is a good fit for churches that want connected tools for member records, worship teams, and other ministry functions, with the option to adopt free product plans before committing to paid use. Its stated scope spans small congregations and multi-campus organizations. Churches that need Windows compatibility for the Services app, or that want one predictable price regardless of how many people use worship planning, should compare alternatives.

Pros and cons

Pros: People’s free plan includes an unlimited database and reporting, avoiding a database-size ceiling at the free tier.
Pros: Services plans keep features, teams, service types, and plans unlimited, so the access count—not feature restrictions—sets the pricing distinction.
Pros: The platform supports Android, iOS, web, and an open API, with named integrations including SongSelect, PraiseCharts, Checkr, Mailchimp, and Zapier.
Cons: Free Services is limited to five team members and 100MB storage, which may constrain larger teams.
Cons: Services pricing depends on the number of people who access the system, so the bill can rise as access expands.
Cons: The Services app does not support Windows devices, ruling it out for teams that need that mobile platform.

Alternatives

ChurchTrac is worth comparing for churches seeking a paid product with a free trial and a 75-people plan at 29.00 USD per month billed monthly; unlike Planning Center, it has no free plan.

ChurchPlan is another freemium option on Android, iOS, web, and API. Its free Essentials plan includes unlimited members, online giving and automated tax receipts, a personalized church mobile app, and donation links and QR codes, which may suit churches prioritizing those functions.

One Church Software may suit readers comparing paid church software that offers a free trial and supports Android, iOS, web, API, macOS, and Windows.

Directify is a freemium web and API option for readers whose need is a directory: its free plan covers one directory and 10 listings, with templates, a theme editor, a subdomain, and SSL.

MosesTab Worship Planning is a narrower alternative for worship planning, with a free web plan that allows unlimited members, one admin, one group and ministry, five events, three forms, and 500 MB storage.

MyUCD is a free Android, iOS, and web app offered through Universal Church Directories’ directory program.

Church Social is a paid alternative with a free trial and an annual-invoiced Small plan at 60.00 USD per month for 0–200 members and full feature access.

ChurchTools is a paid option with a free trial; its Package XS is 39.00 USD per month for 100 people, with no additional campuses, 10 resources, and 20 rosters.

Verdict

Choose Planning Center if your church wants a connected set of ministry tools and values being able to start with free plans, particularly the unlimited People database and reporting. Look elsewhere if Windows support for Services is essential or if a Services price tied to user access does not fit your budgeting needs.

	Planning Center	Synodo
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	Yes	Yes
Paid from	$239/mo	$49/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Android, api, iOS, Web	Android, iOS, Web
Free plan	Yes	No
Paid from	5 /mo	49 /mo
Attendance tracking	—	Yes
Group messaging	—	Yes
Mobile access	—	mobile_app

Planning Center vs Synodo

Planning Center

Synodo