Planning Center
Planning Center is a comprehensive church management software suite providing modular tools for attendance tracking, donation processing, volunteer scheduling, and worship service coordination to help ministries stay organized.
ProPresenter
ProPresenter is a cross-platform presentation and production application for live events that allows you to display lyrics, slides, and media across multiple screens with professional-grade control.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Planning Center | ProPresenter |
|---|---|---|
| Website | planningcenter.com | renewedvision.com |
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Subscription |
| Starting Price | Free | $33.25/month |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 30 days free trial | ✓ 0 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✓ Has free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2006 | 2000 |
| Headquarters | Carlsbad, USA | Alpharetta, USA |
Overview
Planning Center
Planning Center is a modular software suite designed to help you manage every aspect of your church's daily operations. Instead of a rigid, all-in-one system, you can choose specific applications for check-ins, giving, registrations, and worship planning. This flexibility allows you to build a custom toolkit that fits your ministry's unique size and specific workflow requirements without paying for features you don't use.
You can track member engagement, coordinate complex volunteer schedules, and process digital donations through a unified interface. The platform simplifies communication with your congregation through automated emails and a dedicated mobile app. Whether you are a small plant or a multi-site campus, you can scale your tools as your community grows while keeping your data synchronized across all departments.
ProPresenter
ProPresenter is a powerful presentation tool designed to help you manage high-quality live productions across multiple displays. Whether you are running a church service, a corporate conference, or a live broadcast, you can seamlessly trigger lyrics, videos, and graphics while maintaining complete control over what your audience sees. It eliminates the limitations of traditional slide software by allowing you to output different content to different screens simultaneously from a single computer.
You can manage complex layers of media, including live video inputs, scrolling text, and dynamic backgrounds, without needing a dedicated video switcher for every task. The software is built for stability in high-pressure environments, ensuring your transitions remain smooth and your media stays synced. It works across both Mac and Windows, providing a consistent experience for your production team regardless of their hardware preference.
Overview
Planning Center Features
- Services & Scheduling Plan your worship sets and schedule volunteers with automated requests so your weekend services run without a hitch.
- People Database Organize your member information in one central hub and track engagement levels to ensure no one falls through the cracks.
- Online Giving Accept donations via credit card, ACH, or text-to-give and automatically generate year-end tax statements for your donors.
- Secure Check-Ins Keep your children's ministry safe with fast label printing and secure pickup codes that give parents peace of mind.
- Event Registrations Create custom sign-up forms for camps or conferences and process payments directly through your church website.
- Church Center App Give your congregation a mobile home where they can join groups, register for events, and manage their own profiles.
ProPresenter Features
- Multi-Screen Output. Send different content to your main screens, stage displays, and live streams simultaneously from one workstation.
- Advanced Layering Engine. Control backgrounds, live video, slides, and props independently with a sophisticated layering system for complex visual setups.
- Dynamic Text Reflow. Edit your lyrics or presentation text once and watch it automatically update across all your slides and templates.
- Live Video Integration. Bring in multiple live camera feeds and overlay graphics or lower thirds in real-time without external hardware.
- Stage Display Control. Create custom confidence monitors for your speakers with clocks, timers, and private notes that only they can see.
- Remote Control Apps. Control your entire presentation from your iPad or smartphone, giving you the freedom to move around the room.
Pricing Comparison
Planning Center Pricing
- Free versions of all apps
- Up to 5 Service members
- Up to 15 Check-ins/month
- Up to 10 Registration signups
- Unlimited People profiles
- Community support access
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Up to 25 Service members
- Unlimited service plans
- File storage for charts
- Volunteer scheduling tools
- Rehearsal pack integration
ProPresenter Pricing
- Single active workstation
- Full feature set included
- Advanced multi-screen support
- Software updates and support
- Billed annually at $399
- Everything in Seat License, plus:
- Unlimited workstations on campus
- Ideal for multi-room facilities
- Centralized license management
- Billed annually at $999
Pros & Cons
Planning Center
Pros
- Modular approach lets you pay only for needed features
- Highly intuitive interface requires very little staff training
- Excellent mobile app for both staff and congregation
- Seamless data syncing between different ministry modules
- Regular feature updates based on direct user feedback
Cons
- Costs can add up quickly when using multiple modules
- Limited customization for some automated email templates
- Reporting features can be basic for complex data needs
ProPresenter
Pros
- Unmatched flexibility for multi-screen and stage display setups
- High stability during demanding live production environments
- Intuitive interface that is easy for volunteers to learn
- Excellent integration with professional video protocols like NDI
Cons
- Significant hardware requirements for high-resolution video
- Subscription model may be costly for very small organizations
- Steep learning curve for advanced video routing features