Planning Center vs VolunteerReady
Planning Center
planningcenter.com
VolunteerReady
volunteerready.orgSide by side
| Figure | Planning Center | VolunteerReady |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 4 |
| Spec score · Church Background Check Software | 9.0 (#7) | 7.6 (#25) |
| Integrations | The integrations directory includes services such as BoxCast, Checkr, Mailchimp, PraiseCharts, SongSelect, Zapier, Clearstream and ProPresenter; most connections are maintained by third parties. | Named third-party services include Checkr, Sterling, Google OAuth, Stripe, Resend, Sentry, Vercel Analytics, and Upstash Redis. |
| Intended users | Planning Center describes its products as suitable for churches of any size, including small neighborhood churches and churches with multiple campuses. | The platform describes workflows for volunteers, nonprofits, and corporate social-responsibility programs. |
| 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 maker says data is encrypted in transit with TLS 1.3 and at rest with AES-256, and organization data is isolated through organization-scoped database queries. |
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
VolunteerReady
- FreeFree
- Starter$49 a month
- Pro$149 a month
- Corporate & enterprisePriced on request
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.
VolunteerReady
VolunteerReady gives nonprofits and other organizations tools to recruit, screen, schedule, and manage volunteers. Volunteers can find opportunities and carry verified records between organizations using the platform. Organizations can build screening questionnaires with automatic pass-or-fail rules and review results in an application queue. Background checks use Checkr and Sterling and include an FCRA adverse-action workflow. Credentials such as training, orientation, ID verification, and reference checks can travel with volunteers across organizations. For scheduling, organizations can set up shifts, define capacity, accept sign-ups, and track attendance. Reporting covers hours, headcount, and credential status; corporate ESG summaries can be exported as CSV or PDF. The service is available on Android, iOS, and the web. Its free plan is free and has no volunteer, opportunity, or seat cap. Starter is $49 a month, and Pro is $149 a month. Roster CSV export is included in every plan, but rollout is organization by organization and may require enabling.