Planning Center is a flexible, modular platform used by churches of every size. Churchease is one simple, affordable platform for new and growing churches. Here's an honest, side-by-side comparison.
Planning Center is a respected, modular system: you pick individual products like Services, Giving, or Check-Ins and pay for each separately. Churchease takes the opposite approach: one plan, one predictable price, with the core tools a growing church needs already included. Here's how they compare.
| Features | Churchease | Planning Center |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Starter, free forever | Free tier on every product |
| Lowest paid plan | $29 / month (Standard) | $15 / month per product |
| Pricing model | Flat tiers, unlimited members | Modular, pay per product |
| Member management | All plans | People (free) |
| Online giving | Growth plan | |
| Text-to-give | Growth plan | |
| Giving fees | 0.5% platform fee + Stripe processing | 2.15% + 30¢ card, 30¢ flat ACH |
| Pledge & fund tracking | Growth plan | |
| Full church accounting | Growth plan | Donation tracking only |
| Events & registration | Standard plan and up | |
| Child check-in | Growth plan | |
| Groups & ministry | All plans | |
| Volunteer scheduling | Standard plan and up | |
| Forms & surveys | Growth plan | Free in People |
| Email to your congregation | Included, all plans | |
| SMS / text messaging | A2P 10DLC compliant, usage-based | |
| Workflow automation | Growth plan | |
| AI features | Shepherd's Briefing & more | No native AI |
| Members' mobile app | All plans | Church Center app |
| Multi-campus management | Growth plan |
Free plan
Lowest paid plan
Pricing model
Member management
Online giving
Text-to-give
Giving fees
Pledge & fund tracking
Full church accounting
Events & registration
Child check-in
Groups & ministry
Volunteer scheduling
Forms & surveys
Email to your congregation
SMS / text messaging
Workflow automation
AI features
Members' mobile app
Multi-campus management
Planning Center pricing and features reflect that provider's publicly listed information as of May 2026 and may have changed since.
We'd rather you find the right tool than the wrong one. Planning Center may suit your church better if:
Churchease is built around one plan that already includes members, giving, events, communication, and more, instead of separate modules you assemble and pay for individually. For many new and growing churches, that means a faster setup and one predictable bill.
Planning Center prices each product separately, starting around $15/month per product, so the total depends on how many modules you add. Churchease uses flat plans (a free Starter plan, then $29 and $49 per month) with core tools included in each.
Yes. You can import your members from a CSV or Excel export, and Churchease includes free data transfer to help churches switch over.
No. Planning Center's Giving product tracks donations, but it does not include general-ledger accounting or budgeting. Churchease includes full church accounting on the Growth plan.
Yes, the Shepherd's Briefing, an AI giving narrative, and AI form insights. Planning Center does not currently offer native AI features.
It depends on how many Planning Center products you use, since each is billed separately and several scale with usage. Churchease charges one flat price per plan, so the cost stays predictable as you add capabilities.
Yes. Churchease includes a members' mobile app on every plan. Planning Center offers the free Church Center app for congregants.
Start free today with no credit card required, and decide for yourself.