Best Planning Center Alternative for Churches
ChurchTrac vs Planning Center®
ChurchTrac is the best Planning Center alternative for small and mid-size churches that want people, giving, worship planning, fund accounting, a website and a church app in one system at one flat price. Planning Center is a strong modular suite, but it has no accounting module, and the bill grows with every app and every person you add. Here is how the two compare on price, features and fit.
Key Takeaways:
- On Average, Planning Center costs three times more than ChurchTrac for a comparable set of apps.
- Planning Center does not offer accounting or a complete church website solution. ChurchTrac includes both.
- ChurchTrac is the most common destination for Capterra reviews who switched away from Planning Center (Capterra, October 2026)
ChurchTrac VS Planning Center Pricing
Compared to Planning Center, ChurchTrac tends to cost 1/3 the price while offering its additional accounting module.
| Church Size | ChurchTrac (with accounting) | Planning Center (no accounting) |
| 75 People | $29/month | $105/month |
| 125 People | $39/month | $105/month |
| 250 People | $59/month | $190/month |
| 500 People | $79/month | $318/month |
| 1,000 People | $99/month | $584/month |
| Unlimited | $119/month | $1,000+/month |
For small churches (under 200 people)
Many smaller ministries begin with Planning Center’s free tiers, then 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 per month.
Small churches using ChurchTrac typically pay $29 to $39 per month. This price includes ChurchTrac’s accounting features and free church website hosting.
For mid-size churches (200 to 1,000 people)
Mid-size 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 per month.
ChurchTrac gives these same tools, including the built-in website and accounting, for under $90 per month. That is a saving of up to $6,000 per year for a ministry switching from Planning Center to ChurchTrac.
For large churches (1,000+ people)
Large churches get the same flat pricing. Planning Center scales its price by app and by usage volume, often past $1,000 per month. ChurchTrac caps at $119 per month for unlimited names, with every feature included.
The decision point for a large church is not price. It is whether your staff relies on deep third-party integrations that only Planning Center supports. If they do not, the savings are real at every size.
See ChurchTrac pricing for your church size.
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.
| Feature | ChurchTrac | Planning Center |
| People Management | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
| Attendance Tracking | ✅ Included | ⚠️ (Limited free version) |
| Calendar & Events | ✅ Included | ⚠️ (Limited free version) |
| Check-In | ✅ Included | ⚠️ (Limited free version) |
| Worship Planning | ✅ Included | ⚠️ (Limited free version) |
| Volunteer Scheduling | ✅ Included | ⚠️ (Limited free version) |
| Donation Tracking | ✅ Included | ⚠️ (Limited free version) |
| Online Giving | ✅ Included | ⚠️ (Limited free version) |
| Church Accounting | ✅ Included | ❌ (Unavailable) |
| Church Website Hosting | ✅ Included | ❌ (Unavailable) |
| Church App | ✅ Included | ⚠️ (Limited free version) |
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’s church website builder hosts your site on your own domain, and the Church Connect app updates from the same place. Worship planning and volunteer scheduling are built in, not bolted on.
Which Should You Choose? Where Platform Fits
Planning Center fits churches that rely on multiple integrations. ChurchTrac fits ministries that want one system for everything. The decision point is simple: if you want fewer logins and one bill, choose ChurchTrac; if you need a specific app and nothing else, Planning Center’s free tier may be enough.
ChurchTrac excels if:
- You want an affordable system for everything.
- You want a church software that includes accounting and websites.
- You're a small or mid-size church 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.
- You only need worship planning and Planning Center Services' free tier covers your team.
Pros and Cons of each Platform
Planning Center is scalable, but its costs add up. ChurchTrac is often more affordable, but it includes some features a church may not need.
| Platform | Pros | Cons |
| Planning Center | Great for churches needing apps for specific ministry functions. Free mobile apps for each product offering. | Costs can add up quickly for ministries using multiple apps regularly. Multiple apps can be harder for leaders and volunteers to manage. |
| ChurchTrac | All-in-one approach provides great value for churches wanting to save money. A unified church app and complete website builder that update at the same time. | ChurchTrac’s all-in-one approach may include features some churches do not need. Fewer advanced customization options than enterprise-level systems |
Why Churches Switch From Planning Center To ChurchTrac
According to Capterra’s October 2026 data, of the 35 reviewers who reported switching away from Planning Center, more chose ChurchTrac than any other product. The reasons they give are cost and ease of use. On the same Capterra data, ChurchTrac scores 4.7 out of 5 for ease of use across 864 reviews; Planning Center scores 4.4 across 1,139 reviews. Here are two of those 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.
How ChurchTrac Compares With Other Planning Center Alternatives
Most Planning Center alternatives replace one or two of its apps. Few replace all of them, and only ChurchTrac adds accounting and a custom-domain website on the same bill. The table below compares the alternatives churches most often weigh against Planning Center.
|
Platform |
Pricing model |
Published starting price |
Built-in accounting |
Website on your domain |
Worship planning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
ChurchTrac |
Flat, by church size, all features |
$29/month |
✅ Included |
✅ Included |
✅ Included |
|
Planning Center |
Per app, rises with usage |
Free tiers; paid per app |
❌ Not offered |
⚠️ Church Center subdomain |
✅ Services app |
|
Flat for the ChMS; giving, sites and apps billed separately |
$72/month |
❌ Not offered |
⚠️ Separate Tithely Sites product |
⚠️ Basic included; Worship Tools $29/month extra |
|
|
Quote, by church size and usage |
Not published |
❌ Not listed |
✅ Included in Subsplash One |
✅ Service planning listed |
|
|
Plan tiers (Inform, Connect, Multiply) |
Not published |
✅ Listed as a tool |
✅ Listed as a tool |
✅ Listed |
Competitor details are from each vendor’s own site, checked November 2026. Tithe.ly’s church management product is the former Breeze ChMS, which Tithe.ly acquired; the Breeze comparison and all other head-to-heads are on the church software comparisons page.
If you need accounting and a website on the same bill, ChurchTrac is the only option in this table that includes both. If you only need worship planning, Planning Center Services is still a reasonable pick. If you are weighing a second tool, the comparison pages linked above show how ChurchTrac stacks up against each one.
Switching From Planning Center to ChurchTrac
Switching from Planning Center to ChurchTrac takes three steps, and your song library comes with you.
-
Export from Planning Center. Download your people, giving history and Services song library from Planning Center.
-
Import into ChurchTrac. ChurchTrac imports people, families, giving history and your song library, including attachments such as chord charts and audio files. Follow the import guide for Planning Center data.
-
Book a one-on-one onboarding workshop. A ChurchTrac team member walks your staff through setup on a live Zoom call, and weekly live webinars cover the rest. Start with a free 30-day trial; no credit card required.
The common mistake is switching the week before a big Sunday. Import mid-week, run both systems for one service, then turn Planning Center off.
ChurchTrac VS Planning Center FAQs
No. Planning Center does not include an accounting module. Churches using Planning Center pay for a third-party tool such as QuickBooks to manage their finances, which adds a second subscription and a second login. ChurchTrac includes fund accounting at every plan level, so you can track expenses, manage funds and build budgets in the same system that handles giving.
ChurchTrac is the best Planning Center alternative for small and mid-size churches because of its lower learning curve and all-inclusive pricing. Planning Center requires managing multiple separate apps and subscriptions. ChurchTrac provides one interface that volunteers can learn quickly, at $29 to $39 per month for churches under 200 people.
Planning Center uses a modular pricing structure where each app (Giving, People, Check-Ins and so on) is billed as a separate subscription, which can total over $200 per month for small and mid-size churches. ChurchTrac offers flat-rate pricing by church size, starting at $29 per month and capping at $119 per month for unlimited names with every feature included.
Planning Center is a modular church management system. Because it lacks native church accounting and custom-domain website hosting, it is not a complete all-in-one church software. ChurchTrac includes integrated fund accounting and a website builder with custom-domain hosting, so churches can manage everything in one place.
Yes. ChurchTrac includes worship planning and volunteer scheduling: service plans, song library with chord charts and audio, team scheduling and availability, all in the same system as your people and giving data. Your Planning Center song library imports with its attachments.
Yes. ChurchTrac imports most of your Planning Center data, including people, giving history and your song library with attachments such as audio files and chord charts. See the three-step switching process above.
Both companies answer support tickets quickly. The difference is live help. ChurchTrac offers one-on-one Zoom onboarding workshops and weekly live webinars with Q&A at no extra cost. Planning Center support is primarily conducted through email and written requests.
No. Church Center is Planning Center’s member-facing app and website product. It is part of the Planning Center suite, and websites built with it live on a Church Center subdomain rather than your own domain.