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Planning Center Logo

An all-in-one church management software for every ministry.

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Planning Center - 2026 Pricing, Features, Reviews & Alternatives

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All user reviews are verified by in-house moderators and provider data by our software research team.  Learn more

Last updated: March 2026

Planning Center overview

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Based on 1137 verified user reviews

What is Planning Center?

Planning Center is a church management program with key features that include worship planning, volunteer management, mobile access, member directory, member communication, online giving, and more.

Who uses Planning Center?

By industry, Planning Center reviewers are most commonly professionals in religious institutions (57%). The most frequent use case cited by reviewers is church management (86%).

What do users say about Planning Center pricing?

Reviewers appreciate Planning Center’s modular pricing and flexibility, and they value free core features and ongoing updates. However, some users report that costs rise quickly with more modules, and they find tiered pricing and add-on fees burdensome.

What are the most popular integrations for Planning Center?

The Planning Center integrations most frequently cited by reviewers are: ProPresenter (a church presentation product rated 4.6 out of 5 for its integration with Planning Center), Clearstream (a church management product, 5.0), and Mailchimp (an email marketing product, 4.6).

Starting price

Free
try for free

Pros & Cons

Church Volunteer Management

User Interface

Ministry Management

Pricing

Cumbersome navigation experience

Email communication shortcomings

Planning Center’s user interface

Ease of use rating:

Planning Center pros, cons and reviews insights

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To determine these pros and cons insights, we analyzed responses from 

Overall rating

Reviews sentiment

 
 
 
1-2(2)
3-4(287)
5(848)

What do users say about Planning Center?

Planning Center is a church management program with key features that include worship planning, volunteer management, mobile access, member directory, member communication, online giving, and more.

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Who uses Planning Center?

Based on 1,137 verified user reviews.

Company size

Small Businesses

Midsize Businesses

Enterprises

Top industries

Religious Institutions
Non-Profit Organization Management
Education Management
Design
Others

Use cases

Church Management
Worship
Donation Management

Planning Center's key features

GetApp's analysis of 80 verified user reviews collected between July 2021 and July 2024 identifies Planning Center's most critical features and summarizes user sentiment about those features.

Worship planning

Reviewers appreciate Planning Center's worship planning capabilities. They find it intuitive to set up services, add teams, and manage items. Users report the built-in music database and integration with ProPresenter are particularly valuable. They highlight the ability to automate scheduling and view future worship schedules. They say it simplifies communication with team members and reduces the need for printing materials. Users also mention the flexibility of accessing Planning Center from various devices, including desktops, iPads, and iPhones. Of the 37 Planning Center users who gave detailed accounts of their use of Worship Planning, 100% rated this feature as important or highly important.


Volunteer management

Users report Planning Center's volunteer management capabilities are highly effective. They appreciate the ability to schedule volunteers, track their availability, and send custom emails. Reviewers indicate the system helps avoid double-booking and ensures timely communication. They find the blocking out of unavailable times and preferences useful. Users mention the ease of managing large groups and subgroups, and the ability to see volunteer schedules in advance. They say it simplifies organizing and confirming volunteers for services and events. Of the 23 Planning Center users who gave detailed accounts of their use of Volunteer Management, 100% rated this feature as important or highly important.


Mobile access

Reviewers highlight the convenience of Planning Center's mobile access. They appreciate the ability to access schedules, chord charts, and other materials on the go. Users report the mobile app is helpful for rehearsing and making quick changes. They find it particularly valuable for young adults who prefer using mobile devices. However, some users mention occasional app crashes and a desire for more robust functionality. Overall, they say mobile access encourages active participation and keeps members connected. Of the 29 Planning Center users who gave detailed accounts of their use of Mobile Access, 93% rated this feature as important or highly important.

See related user reviews

“the wireless printing of the name tags/mobile check in”
ss

sandra s.

Administrative Assist. and Database Admin

“I love those features of the software and it seamlessly syncs between mobile devices and PCs.”
MM

Michael M.

Sales Account Manager

“Not all mobile phone platforms are supported for texting.”
NB

Nate B.

Worship Pastor

“The mobile access version of Planning Center has a few kinks that can only be done on desktop versions.”
KS

Kyler S.

Worship & Creative Director


Member communication

Users find Planning Center's member communication capabilities helpful for organizing events and staying in touch with members. They appreciate the integration with MailChimp and the built-in emailing and template creation. Reviewers mention the ability to send mass emails and track responses. They highlight the ease of communicating with volunteers and coordinating schedules. Some users note limitations with the email system and texting software. Overall, they say it simplifies communication and enhances organizational success. Of the 24 Planning Center users who gave detailed accounts of their use of Member Communication, 92% rated this feature as important or highly important.


Member directory

Reviewers appreciate Planning Center's member directory for managing contact information and household data. They find it useful for staff to learn members' names and faces. Users report the directory makes it easy to compile lists, contact people, and keep track of everyone. They highlight the ability for members to update their own information. Some users mention challenges in regulating access to information. Overall, they say the member directory is easy to use and essential for their planning needs. Of the 19 Planning Center users who gave detailed accounts of their use of Member Directory, 89% rated this feature as important or highly important.


All Planning Center features

Features rating:

Access controls/permissions
Activity dashboard
Activity tracking
Alerts/Notifications
API
Attendance management
Attendance tracking
Campaign planning
Catalog management
Child check-in
Collaboration tools
Communication management
Configurable workflow
Contact database
Contact management
Content library
Content management
Credit card processing
Customizable fields
Customizable forms
Customizable reports
Customizable templates
Data import/export
Document management
Document storage
Donation management
Donation tracking
Donor management
Drag & drop
Electronic payments
Email management
Email templates
Event management
Event scheduling
Event ticketing
Forms management
For nonprofits
For religious organizations
Gift matching management
Historical trend analysis
Image library
Media library
Member portal
Membership management
Mobile app
Mobile giving
Multi-Location
Online calendar
Online giving
Payment processing
Personalization
Playlist management
Pledge management
Receipt management
Recurring giving
Recurring/Subscription billing
Registration management
Reminders
Reporting/Analytics
Reporting & statistics
Role-Based permissions
Scheduling
Search/Filter
Small group management
SMS messaging
Summary Reports
Template management
Third-Party integrations
Usage tracking/analytics
Visitor tracking
Website management

Planning Center alternatives

Planning Center logo
visit website

Starting from

Empty state illustration for "No pricing info"

No pricing info

Free trial
Free version
Ease of Use
Features
Value for Money
Customer Support
Clearstream logo

Starting from

29

Per month

Free trial
Free version
Ease of Use
Features
Value for Money
Customer Support

Starting from

72

Per month

Free trial
Free version
Ease of Use
Features
Value for Money
Customer Support
ChurchTrac logo

Starting from

9

Per month

Free trial
Free version
Ease of Use
Features
Value for Money
Customer Support

Planning Center pricing

Value for money rating:

Pricing plans

Pricing details:

Free plan
Free trial
Subscription

People

Empty state illustration for "No pricing info"

No pricing info

Features included:

  • Coordinate the Details
  • Inventory Tracking
  • Latest Product Update
  • Notifications
  • Permission Levels
  • Reports
  • Resource Tracking
  • Room Setups
  • Room Setups Organize and Schedule
  • Share With Your Church
  • Unlimited Events

Services

0.00

Features included:

  • Calendar Subscription
  • Household Scheduling
  • Integrations
  • Latest Product Update
  • Media Library
  • Mobile App
  • Permission Levels
  • Rehearsal Tools
  • Reporting
  • Stage Layouts
  • Volunteer Scheduling
  • Worship Planning

Check-ins

0.00

Features included:

  • Checkistrations
  • Communication
  • CSV Import
  • Fast and Smooth
  • Flexible Setup
  • Latest Product Update
  • Promote Grades
  • Reports
  • Safe and Secure
  • Safe Volunteers
  • Volunteer Check-in

Giving

0.00

Features included:

  • Connected Donor Profiles
  • Cover Processing Fees
  • Deposit Checks Remotely
  • Disable Credit Card
  • Export Data
  • Flexible Donation Options
  • Insightful Donation Data
  • Integrations
  • Latest Product Update
  • Protect Donor Data

Groups

0.00

Features included:

  • Create Opportunity
  • Cultivate Commitment
  • Group Photos
  • Latest Product Update
  • Open Signups
  • Private Groups

Registrations

0.00

Features included:

  • Collect and Organize the Information You Need From Attendees.
  • Coordinate Attendees
  • Early Bird Discounts
  • Latest Product Update
  • Permission Levels
  • Reports
  • Simplify Signups

User opinions about Planning Center price and value

Value for money rating:

To see what individual users think of Planning Center's price and value, check out the review snippets below.

“Helps us track our attendees, schedule volunteers and service positions, and allows us to safely and effectively sign-in children and students in-lieu of a headcount.”
IS

Isaac S.

Communications Director

“It's extremely effective in scheduling volunteers for Sunday mornings and for equipping them with the resources they need to prepare the week before.”
MB

Matt B.

Interim Worship Leader

Planning Center integrations (13)

Integrations rated by users

We looked at 1,137 user reviews to identify which products are mentioned as Planning Center integrations and how users feel about them.

Integration rating: 4.6 (27)

After creating my service plan in PCO, I can easily import it in ProPresenter.

MB

Matt B.

Interim Worship Leader

Clearstream logo
Clearstream

Integration rating: 4.6 (21)

Integration rating: 4.0 (20)

The integration with Mailchimp is important because it allows you to automatically collect and manage email subscribers from your website, making it easier to run email marketing campaigns, send updates, and stay connected with customers without manu

NC

Nikole C.

permit tech

Checkr logo
Checkr

Integration rating: 4.9 (11)

Stripe logo
Stripe

Integration rating: 4.5 (11)

Integration rating: 5.0 (3)

CMS helps me keep in touch with members.

DG

DAVID G.

Pastor

Planning Center customer support

What do users say about Planning Center customer support?

Customer support rating:

We analyzed verified user reviews to identify positive and negative aspects of Planning Center customer support.

Widely noted by reviewers, Planning Center’s support team responds quickly and is consistently helpful via email and online channels.

A significant portion of users appreciate the knowledgeable support staff and useful training resources like videos and tutorials.

A limited number of users mention difficulty reaching live support by phone and occasional lack of follow-up on reported issues.

Support options

Faqs/forum
Email/help desk
Phone support
Knowledge base

Training options

Webinars
Documentation
Videos

To see what individual users say about Planning Center's customer support, check out the review snippets below.

“Design is top notch, customer service is responsive, and the features are so very helpful to me.”

AH

Andy H.

Associate Pastor of Worship

“Customer support is fast but it's hard to talk to a real person over the phone (email is their preferred support, but I would rather talk to a person personally).”

MM

Micah M.

Elder

Planning Center FAQs

Q. Who are the typical users of Planning Center?

Planning Center has the following typical customers:
Small Business, Large Enterprises, Mid-size Business, Freelancers

These products have better value for money


Q. What is Planning Center used for?

Planning Center’s the all-in-one church management software that helps churches help people. It gives leaders, teams, and congregants a single place to organize, connect, and get involved. No matter your size, Planning Center’s the easy-to-use platform for: - Scheduling volunteers - Accepting online donations - Creating event signups - Establishing safe and secure family check-ins And so much more! Find out all you can do from the freedom of a 30-day trial. No credit card needed! And, when you’re ready to upgrade, you only pay for what you need, when you need it, and cancel whenever you want.


Q. Does Planning Center support mobile devices?

Planning Center supports the following devices:
Android, iPad, iPhone


Q. What level of support does Planning Center offer?

Planning Center offers the following support options:
FAQs/Forum, Email/Help Desk, Phone Support, Knowledge Base

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