Planning Center vs ChurchTrac
By ChurchTechStack · Prices and facts from each vendor's own pages, with sources. Anything we couldn't confirm is left out.
Planning Center
People: Free; paid modules priced by usage
ChurchTrac
$29/mo (75 names)A small church weighing these two is really choosing between paying for exactly the modules it uses and paying one price that includes everything, accounting included.
Often it's a solo pastor or a bivocational team trying to keep software under a hundred dollars a month.
At a glance
| Planning Center | ChurchTrac | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | People: Free; paid modules priced by usage | $29/mo (75 names) |
| Pricing model | modular | by database size |
| Who it's for | Churches with real volunteer teams and a weekly service to plan, especially ones that want to start small and add tools over time. | Small churches that want everything, including accounting, in one inexpensive system. |
| Pricing source | official pricing page | official pricing page |
Pricing, in plain terms
Planning Center
- People, Calendar events and the basic Church Center app: free.
- Services, Giving, Check-Ins, Groups and Registrations: monthly plans per product, sized by your usage (team members, donations, check-ins, group members, event attendees).
- U.S. giving fees: 2.15% + $0.30 per card gift and $0.30 flat per ACH gift. International cards add 1.5%.
- No setup, cancellation or monthly-minimum fees on processing. You can upgrade, downgrade or cancel any time.
- New products include a 30-day free trial.
From Planning Center pricing, checked 2026-10-29.
ChurchTrac
- Priced by how many people you track: 75 names $29/month, 125 $39, 250 $59, 500 $79, 1,000 $99, unlimited $119.
- Every size includes all features. Paying yearly saves 10%.
- 30-day free trial, no credit card needed.
- Optional services: website and app build from $477, and accounting setup from $399.
From ChurchTrac pricing, checked 2026-10-29.
Key features
Planning Center
- Free People database: Member records, reporting and communication tools at no cost.
- Services: Service planning and volunteer scheduling, tied to song arrangements and keys for the band and tech team. Music Stand is a $5/month add-on.
- Giving: Online and in-app giving, priced by the number of donations you get each month.
- Check-Ins: Kids and event check-in, priced by your Sunday check-in count.
- Groups: Small-group management with group chat, priced by the number of people in groups.
- Registrations and Calendar: Event sign-ups and payments, plus a free unlimited calendar. You pay only if you book rooms.
ChurchTrac
- People database: Member records and tracking.
- Fund accounting: Built in, not an add-on.
- Giving: Online giving included.
- Website and app: Included, and ChurchTrac's team can build them for you for a fee.
- Check-in, worship planning, groups and events: All included at every size.
- Enhanced Messaging (add-on): Two-way texting, group messaging, voice messages, text giving and a dedicated number. 250 credits a month.
👍 What each does well
Planning Center
ChurchTrac
- Rated 4.8/5 from 864 reviews on Software Advice, with responsive support and ease of use praised source
- Recommended on Reddit for very small churches starting out source
- Fund accounting included at every price source
- Rated 4.8/5 from 864 Capterra reviews, with high value-for-money and support scores source
⚠️ Where each falls short
Planning Center
- Costs add up as you add more products and people source
- Giving subscriptions scale with the number of donations, not dollars, so a church with many small gifts pays more source
- The learning curve, and staff pushback, grow once the whole church is on it source
- Pricing isn't one simple number. You have to model each product on the pricing page to know your monthly cost. source
ChurchTrac
- Report customization is limited and confusing source
- One pastor found it 'counterintuitive' and hard to train people on source
- The website builder draws criticism, and at about 500 names it's no cheaper than Breeze source
- Texting is a paid add-on source
- Basic reporting with limited report customization source
Our verdict
ChurchTrac is the straightforward pick for small churches: $29 a month for 75 names, $59 for 250, every feature included, and fund accounting built in. Reviewers love the support, but report customization is limited, and by about 500 names it's no cheaper than flat-rate rivals.
Planning Center becomes the better tool once you have multiple volunteer teams and a weekly service plan to coordinate. Its People database is free, and ACH gifts cost a flat $0.30. You'll still need separate accounting software, and the bill grows with each product you add.
Read the full reviews: Planning Center review · ChurchTrac review