Planning Center vs Gloo Messaging

Clearstream

Tithely Church Management

ChurchTrac

Send mass texts and emails, have two-way conversations, follow up with workflows, and create text-to-join keywords, QR codes, and more.


Breeze is a cloud-based church management software designed to assist small & mid-sized churches in managing events, donations, follow-ups, volunteers, and more.

Try a free 30-day trial of Breeze today and see why more than 11,000 churches love Breeze!

ChurchTrac is a church management software with features for membership management, donation tracking, accounting, reporting and attendance management

Associate Pastor of Worship

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

Planning Center Services helps you plan and prepare for any kind of service. You can schedule volunteers, organize your worship music, communicate with your team, and give musicians all the tools they need to rehearse. See what else you can do and start for free at www.planningcenter.com/services. 

Access Controls/Permissions

Activity Dashboard

Activity Tracking

Alerts/Notifications

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 Communication

Member Directory

Member Portal

Membership Management

Mobile Access

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

Volunteer Management

Website Management

Worship Planning

By industry, Planning Center reviewers are most commonly professionals in religious institutions (57%). The most frequent use case for Planning Center cited by reviewers is church management (85% of reviewers).

Users and use cases

Some users report that Planning Center's modular pricing and sliding scale make it cost-effective and accessible, and reviewers appreciate the free plan and reasonable monthly fees. However, some reviewers feel costs add up quickly, and they find tiered pricing daunting.

Value for money

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 SMS marketing product, 5.0), and Mailchimp (an email marketing product, 4.6).

Integrations

Planning Center is a church management solution offering key features such as worship planning, volunteer management, mobile access, member directory, member communication, and online giving, among others.

Planning Center

Web-based

Android

iPad

iPhone

ChurchStaq

Realm

Tithe.ly

WorshipPlanning.com

FellowshipOne

Pushpay

ShelbyNext Membership

Rock RMS

Servant Keeper

Elvanto

Text In Church

MinistryPlatform

Church Windows

Churchteams

People

Services

Check-ins

Giving

Groups

Registrations

Complex navigation experience

Senior Pastor

Sometimes the navigation gets a littel cumbersome and it's hard to find exactly what you are looking for

62% of reviewers feel negative about Navigation. Some users report difficulty finding features and navigating between modules, especially due to clunky menus and inconsistent interfaces. Reviewers indicate that learning the software takes time, and they often struggle to locate files, reports, or specific functions. They find the user interface confusing, particularly for new users or when switching between different areas of the platform.

Unreliable email communication

Volunteer

There are times where emails notifications don't go through and then you don't know if it was the software or the person using the software.

40% of reviewers feel negative about Email Communication. Reviewers indicate issues with email delivery, integration, and formatting. Some users report that emails sometimes fail to reach recipients, get blocked, or arrive in the wrong inbox. They find sending messages to groups challenging and note problems with duplicate profiles and repetitive notifications. Users mention the lack of robust email tools and difficulties with Markdown formatting.

Limited mobile functionality

46% of reviewers feel negative about Mobile Access. Some users report that the mobile app lacks features available on the desktop version and is often glitchy or difficult to navigate. Reviewers indicate that accessing administrator settings, confirming assignments, and managing tasks on mobile devices can be cumbersome. They find the app crowded, unintuitive, and less reliable for completing essential functions.

High and tiered pricing

Pastor

It worked for a little while but was just too expensive and limited in its functionality for what we needed.

The second problem is that the price can be a little daunting and can start to add up quickly when choosing different apps at their various capacities which can limit some of the churches who might have interest.

40% of reviewers feel negative about Pricing. Some users report that costs increase quickly as features and modules are added, making it expensive for smaller organizations. Reviewers indicate frustration with tiered pricing, user limits, and having to pay separately for each feature. They find onboarding and scaling up costly, and some mention that the price is difficult to justify compared to other options.

Frequent bugs and glitches

Director, Digital Media

There is no easy way to log into Planning Center and delete multiple, old files in the system.

Customer Service Representative

The formatting and interface is a little clunky and there is definitely the occasional system glitch.

57% of reviewers feel negative about Bugs and Issues. Reviewers indicate that system glitches, slow file loading, and app crashes are common, especially during peak times like Sunday mornings. Some users report problems with syncing data across devices, deleting files, and making edits. They find the interface occasionally clunky and experience frustration with inconsistent updates and compatibility issues with certain hardware.

Accessible chord chart sharing

93% of reviewers feel positive about Chord Charts. Reviewers appreciate being able to upload, share, and access chord charts, lyrics, and practice materials in one place. Some users report that integration with tools like SongSelect and Music Stand makes rehearsals smoother and ensures musicians are prepared. They value the ease of attaching files to schedules, transposing charts, and providing resources for the entire worship team.

Comprehensive attendance tracking

Assistant Director

Love all the functionalities and how you can track and keep a record of meetings, attendance, planning, etc.

94% of reviewers feel positive about Attendance and Tracking. Reviewers appreciate the ability to efficiently track volunteers, members, and event attendance. Some users report that custom lists, workflows, and check-in features help keep everyone organized and connected. They find it valuable for maintaining records, monitoring participation, and ensuring security, especially for children’s ministries, all within a single platform.

Unified ministry operations

Kids Director

This product allows our church to successful run ministries, track member engagement, steward relationships and connection with people, among many other capabilities.

Audio Visual Admin

From planning services to keeping track of church members, Planning Center helps organize multiple parts of your ministry. If you're looking for an all-in-one solution, this platform is your best option.

95% of reviewers feel positive about Ministry Management. Reviewers indicate the software connects various ministries, streamlines communication, and reduces administrative workload. Some users report that scheduling, tracking member engagement, and attaching relevant documents are efficient. They value the suite of integrated tools for organizing events, managing volunteers, and keeping staff aligned, which helps expand ministry capacity and maintain clear oversight across different church activities.

Admin

It's primarily designed for churches, although I'm sure other non-profits could utilize it as well. When a user understands the options available, it can be a powerful program in comparison to the monthly cost. When compared with other programs, Planning Center seems to have great value for the cost, with the abilities it includes.

Communications Director

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.

Interim Worship Leader

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

There is even an app for the admin-side of the program, as well as an app for the customer-side (event signup, etc.).

It is difficult to keep the people database under control due to the automatic creation of profiles anytime anyone downloads the app, fills out a form, registers for an event, etc.

Moving from the each level seems to have a large increase in capacity (i.e. number of attendees allowed) and somewhat high jump in cost.

The user interfaces for all of their apps are intuitive, and it makes managing and communicating with our members quick and easy.

I do enjoy the customization opportunities to use specific church language, as well as the ability to use other supported platforms in combination.

It would be helpful to have more options in-between 150 and 400.

Owner

I'd like to see my confirmed dates more prominently displayed.

Sometimes specific features aren't available that I would like.

They've continued to add more features over the years, and it's only gotten better with each new release.

We’ve had several duplicates - some are easy fixes and others are more complicated if they are using the giving feature.

They are open to feedback for future updates, but don't always incorporate feedback.

Planning Center helps keep all our teams communicating and unified.

The name tags that we use for church each week when people check in makes it easier to greet and get to know others.

Creative arts coordinator

Calendar is helpful but can get very jumbled when dealing with a large church and all of the events we have

Planning Center is the GOAT of all church administration software.

Minister of Youth and Education

Planning Center was made for churches and by people who work in churches.

I love Planning Center so much that I have incorporated into two different churches that I am part of.

We never experience error issues; there's always support to help us navigate any questions we have.

Guest Experience

We switched to Planning Center from a similar product because of the intuitive ease of use and the availability of constant support.

Administrative Assist. and Database Admin

the wireless printing of the name tags/mobile check in

I love how the team is always innovating and listening to customers!

On another note, the customer service team has always been helpful and kind in my experience.

Every staff members can find it helpful in their area of ministry.

I don't enjoy the updated group chat feature as much as I did the functionality of it before.

The extent of features when it comes to organizing and scheduling teams is fantastic.

Teacher

Even just simply for just to have songs on planning center is helpful!

Anyone from anywhere can be a part of the service planning and others on the team can view it in real time!

coordinator

Even if you don't have any experience with building sign ups it takes a minimal amount of time to learn.

We appreciate the value to help our church manage everything well.

It’s very helpful for our church worship band!

It is easy to use, has many great features, and is cloud based meaning it can be used anywhere.

Administrator

The functionalities and features of songs and teams and filters and types of services are all helpful to faithfully and effectively plan services.

Our staff love it and use it regularly at church or on the go!

Director of Operations

It's a great place to keep track of and keep in contact with the individuals in our church.

Of course, we all wish everything was cheaper.

The interface is very user-friendly (unlike almost any other data management for churches).

Planning Center vs Gloo Messaging Comparison (2026)

Planning Center

Gloo Messaging

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives