Best Alternative to Planning Center® [2026]

Strengths of ChurchTrac and Planning Center

Planning Center tends to excel for churches that rely on multiple integrations, while ChurchTrac offers a one-stop solution for ministries looking to streamline their systems.

ChurchTrac excels if:

• You want an affordable system for everything.
• You want a church software that offers accounting and websites.
• You're a small or mid-size church that values that values simplicity.

Planning Center excels if:

• You want modular tools for a large multi-campus setup.
• You only need a specific app for functions like worship or check-in.
• Your church already relies on integrating with multiple applications.

Pros and Cons of each Platform

Though Planning Center is scalable, its costs can add up. ChurchTrac is often more affordable, but it does include some features a church may not need.

ChurchTrac & Planning Center Features Compared

When comparing their features, both Planning Center and ChurchTrac have similar core features. However, Planning Center does not offer Accounting or a complete website solution.

Planning Center does not include a church accounting module, and websites created through Church Center are hosted as subdomains rather than full custom domains. Churches that need integrated accounting and a church website with their own URL will need to supplement Planning Center with additional paid tools.

ChurchTrac VS Planning Center Pricing

Compared to Planning Center, ChurchTrac tends to cost 1/3 the price while offering its additional accounting module.

For small churches (under 200 people)

Many smaller ministries begin with Planning Center's free tiers, but quickly outgrow them as they add apps like check-ins, giving, and service planning. Small churches using most of Planning Center's features can expect to pay $100 to $200/month.

Small churches using ChurchTrac typically pay $24 to $33/month. This prices includes ChurchTrac's accounting features as well as free church website hosting.

For mid-size churches (200 to 1,000 people)

Mid-sized churches typically use most of Planning Center's core apps — People, Services, Check-Ins, and Giving — plus integrations for a website or accounting. These costs can easily exceed $600/month for mid-size churches.

ChurchTrac gives this same tools (including built-in website and accounting options) for under $90/month. This equates to a savings of up to $6,000 per year for ministries switching from Planning Center to ChurchTrac.

For large churches (1,000+ people)

Larger churches appreciate ChurchTrac's simple pricing. Planning Center scales pricing by app and usage volume — often over $1,000/month — ChurchTrac caps out at around $120/month, even for unlimited names.

With Planning Center's price being based on usage, larger ministries may opt to supplement their existing ChMS rather than completely replace it with the entire Planning Center product suite.

Why Churches Switch From Planning Center To ChurchTrac

Churches switching to ChurchTrac from Planning Center often cite cost or ease-of-use for making the switch. Here are a few real reviews:

ChurchTrac is easier to use, cheaper, and has a better app. — Bill H, Senior Pastor (Source: Capterra)

"ChurchTrac was much more cost effective, and much more intuitive to use." — Stephanie F, Church Secretary (Source: Capterra)

According to Software Advice, ChurchTrac ranked #1 for customer satisfaction and usability while Planning Center ranked just behind a few others.