Quick Verdict
Planning Center — The most popular all-in-one church management platform trusted by 70,000+ churches. ChurchTrac — Budget-friendly church management software with powerful features for small churches.
Feature Comparison
Pricing Comparison
Planning Center
Free starter — paid plans from $14/mo per module
Starter — $14/mo per module
Basic features for small churches
Standard — $34/mo per module
Most popular for growing churches
Plus — $79/mo per module
Advanced features for large ministries
💡 Free tier: Free plan includes up to 25 people in People and basic Services for small teams.
ChurchTrac
Starting at $10/mo
Starter — $10/mo
Up to 75 members
Standard — $20/mo
Up to 300 members
Pro — $40/mo
Unlimited members
Pros & Cons
Planning Center
Pros
- Extremely polished UI
- Best-in-class service planning
- Modular pricing (pay only for what you use)
- Excellent mobile apps
- Large community & resources
Cons
- Costs add up with multiple modules
- Learning curve for newcomers
- Giving module requires Stripe
ChurchTrac
Pros
- Extremely affordable
- Easy to use
- Good giving/contribution tools
- Long track record
Cons
- Interface feels dated
- Limited integrations
- Mobile experience is basic
Who Should Choose Each?
Choose Planning Center if…
- Mid-size churches
- Churches with complex service production
- Multi-site ministries
- Your church is small or medium or large or mega size
Choose ChurchTrac if…
- Very small churches
- Budget-constrained ministries
- Traditional congregations
- Your church is small or medium size
The Bottom Line
Planning Center edges out as our top pick with a 4.8/5 rating and 2,340 verified reviews. It's especially strong for Mid-size churches and Churches with complex service production.
That said, ChurchTrac is the better fit if Very small churches. At Starting at $10/mo, it delivers solid value for the right church.