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.
Whova
Whova is an all-in-one event management software designed to increase attendee engagement and simplify logistics for organizers hosting in-person, hybrid, and virtual conferences or community events worldwide.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Planning Center | Whova |
|---|---|---|
| Website | planningcenter.com | whova.com |
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Custom |
| Starting Price | Free | Custom Pricing |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 30 days free trial | ✘ No 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 | 2013 |
| Headquarters | Carlsbad, USA | San Diego, 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.
Whova
Whova helps you create engaging event experiences while taking the stress out of logistics. Whether you are planning a local workshop or a massive international conference, you can manage registrations, build complex agendas, and facilitate networking through a single, unified platform. You can easily transition between in-person, virtual, and hybrid formats without losing your data or attendee momentum.
The platform focuses heavily on community building, allowing you to spark discussions and help attendees connect before the event even starts. You can save hours of manual work by using automated check-in tools, name badge generation, and real-time announcement features. It is a go-to choice for academic institutions, non-profits, and corporate planners who need a reliable way to keep their audience active and informed.
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.
Whova Features
- Mobile Event App. Give your attendees a digital guide where they can view agendas, speaker profiles, and floor maps right from their smartphones.
- Attendee Networking. Break the ice with community boards and attendee profiles that let your guests message each other and set up meetups.
- Online Registration. Set up your ticket sales in minutes and track your revenue in real-time with integrated payment processing and custom forms.
- Live Polling and Q&A. Keep your audience involved during sessions by letting them submit questions and vote in live polls directly through the app.
- Exhibitor Management. Empower your sponsors to collect leads digitally and showcase their products with virtual booths and promotional tools.
- Name Badge Generation. Design and print professional name badges for all your attendees with just a few clicks using your registration data.
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
Whova Pricing
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
Whova
Pros
- High attendee engagement through the community board
- User-friendly interface for both organizers and guests
- Excellent customer support during live event days
- Streamlined badge printing and check-in processes
Cons
- Pricing is not transparent on the website
- Occasional notification delays on older mobile devices
- Limited customization for the app's visual branding