Planning Center review

Planning Center ranks first because it lets a church run members, check-in, groups, worship scheduling and giving in one account while paying only for the parts it uses heavily. The People database and reporting are free with no record limit, and so is the Church Center member app. Each other product has its own free tier: 10 daily check-ins, 15 group members, 5 service team members and 10 donations a month. Past those limits, plans start at $15 a month per product, for example 30 daily check-ins or 75 group members, and rise to $115 for 500 daily check-ins. Every Check-Ins plan includes all features and unlimited kiosk stations. Giving runs at 2.15% plus 30 cents per card gift in the US. The trade-off is that a busy church moving four or five products to mid tiers can pay more than an all-in-one flat rate, and there is no fund accounting, so the treasurer still needs another tool.

Who it is for

Growing churches that want to start free and pay only for the ministries that outgrow a free tier.

Price

Free plans for every product; paid tiers from $15 per month per product, such as 30 daily check-ins.

30 Daily check-ins $15/mo.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 6, 2026.

Key features

• People database with unlimited records and reporting on a free plan
• Check-Ins with unlimited stations, people and events on every plan
• Groups, Services, Registrations and Calendar sold as separate products, each with a free tier
• Church Center member app and web platform included free
• Giving at 2.15% + $0.30 per card gift and $0.30 per ACH gift in the US

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: The member database, reporting and Church Center app cost nothing
• Strength: Each product scales on its own, so a church pays only where it is busy
• Strength: No contracts, setup fees or cancellation fees
• Weakness: Costs add up when several products move off their free tiers
• Weakness: Text messages are bought as credits at $0.02 per text
• Weakness: Accounting is not included, so churches need a separate ledger

Key facts

• Free tier: People database, Church Center app and a free tier on every product
• Paid tiers: From $15 a month per product
• Free trial: 30 days
• Scale: Over 78,000 churches (vendor figure)

Where it ranks

Planning Center is No. 1 in our Best Church Management Software verdict.