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.
Pushpay
Pushpay provides a comprehensive financial technology platform designed to help churches and non-profits increase participation through integrated giving, custom apps, and church management software solutions.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Planning Center | Pushpay |
|---|---|---|
| Website | planningcenter.com | pushpay.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 | 2011 |
| Headquarters | Carlsbad, USA | Redmond, 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.
Pushpay
Pushpay is a specialized financial management and engagement platform built specifically for the unique needs of faith-based organizations and non-profits. You can simplify how your community gives by offering multiple digital channels including mobile apps, text-to-give, and web-based portals. The platform focuses on removing friction from the donation process, allowing you to manage recurring gifts and track financial trends through a centralized administrative dashboard.
Beyond just processing payments, you can use the platform to build custom community apps that keep your members connected throughout the week. It integrates your giving data directly with church management tools, helping you manage events, track attendance, and nurture donor relationships from a single source of truth. This holistic approach helps you move from simple transactions to deeper community engagement while streamlining your back-office administration.
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.
Pushpay Features
- Mobile Giving App. Give your community a fast, secure way to donate in seconds directly from their smartphones.
- Recurring Giving. Set up automatic weekly or monthly donations to create a predictable financial foundation for your mission.
- Custom Community Apps. Build a branded mobile home for your organization where you can share sermons, news, and events.
- Check-in & Attendance. Track participation at services and events to better understand and serve your growing community.
- Donor Development. Identify new donors and track giving patterns with automated insights to help grow your ministry.
- Text-to-Give. Enable your supporters to make instant contributions by simply sending a text message from any device.
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
Pushpay 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
Pushpay
Pros
- Extremely fast and intuitive mobile giving experience
- High-quality custom app interface for community engagement
- Reliable customer support with dedicated success managers
- Strong integration with popular church management systems
Cons
- Higher processing fees compared to some competitors
- Contract terms can be long and restrictive
- Pricing lacks transparency for smaller organizations