Planning Center vs TimelyChurch
Planning Center
planningcenter.com
TimelyChurch
timelychurch.comSide by side
| Figure | Planning Center | TimelyChurch |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $15/mo | $49/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 11 | 3 |
| Spec score · Church Event Management Software | 8.9 (#4) | 7.8 (#24) |
| Spec score · Church Check-In Software | 8.9 (#5) | 7.7 (#30) |
| Spec score · Small Group Management Software | 8.9 (#7) | 7.7 (#26) |
| Company history | Planning Center says it was formed in 2006 by founders Jeff Berg and Aaron Stewart. | The About page says Paul Natekin began building the church CRM in 2013 and the company rebranded to TimelyChurch in 2025. |
| Founded | 2006 | 2013 |
| 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 company says it typically responds within 24 hours, and its help center offers guides, tutorials, documentation, and support tickets. |
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.
TimelyChurch
TimelyChurch brings church management, bookkeeping, and a church website together for small and growing churches. Its people and family tools include a searchable directory, family links, notes, tags, milestones, and automatic follow-ups. Online giving handles one-time and recurring donations, with donations posted to a fund-accounting ledger. Card payments are processed by Stripe, and TimelyChurch says it adds no platform fee to giving. Child check-in offers security codes, guardian-matched pickup, allergy alerts, name-tag printing, and real-time headcounts. Volunteer scheduling includes fair-rotation automation and Telegram confirmations. The website builder uses templates, custom domains, and event, giving, and group data drawn from TimelyChurch. It runs on Android, iOS, and the web. A free plan is available; Growth is $49 a month, and Pro is $129 a month. TimelyChurch began as a church CRM project in 2013 and adopted its current name in 2025.