Planning Center vs ChurchTrac
Which church management platform is right for your church? An honest, side-by-side comparison to help you decide.
Overview: Planning Center vs ChurchTrac
Planning Center and ChurchTrac serve very different segments of the church software market. Planning Center targets medium to large churches with its suite of specialized apps, while ChurchTrac focuses on providing affordable, practical tools for smaller congregations. The price difference between these platforms can be substantial.
ChurchTrac has built a loyal following among smaller churches by offering features that matter most to them, including built-in accounting, at a fraction of the cost of larger platforms. Planning Center, meanwhile, provides depth and polish that larger churches need, particularly in worship planning and volunteer coordination.
This comparison is especially relevant for growing churches trying to decide whether to invest in a more expensive, feature-rich platform or to maximize value with a budget-friendly option. We examine the trade-offs across key categories to help you make that decision with confidence.
At a Glance
Planning Center
A suite of separate church software apps
Strengths
- Unmatched worship planning and service order management
- Powerful volunteer scheduling with automated communication
- Robust API and extensive third-party integrations
- Excellent mobile apps for staff and congregations
- Active development with frequent feature updates
Weaknesses
- Multi-app pricing can become expensive for small churches
- No built-in accounting or financial management tools
- Requires navigating between separate apps for different tasks
- Can be overwhelming for small church teams with limited tech experience
Best for medium to large churches that need specialized worship and volunteer tools and have the budget for multiple app subscriptions
Apps priced individually. Free tiers available. Monthly costs range from $5-$99 per app based on church size. Typical total: $50-$200+/month for multiple apps.
ChurchTrac
Affordable church management for small churches
Strengths
- Extremely affordable pricing, including a functional free tier with generous limits
- Built-in accounting and financial management features rare in church software
- Solid member management with attendance tracking and custom fields
- Simple, straightforward interface designed for non-technical church leaders
- Includes basic website building capabilities in paid plans
Weaknesses
- Limited worship planning capabilities compared to specialized tools
- Fewer integrations with third-party services
- Mobile experience is less polished than newer competitors
- Volunteer scheduling features are basic compared to Planning Center
Best for small to mid-sized churches on a tight budget that need solid member management and appreciate built-in accounting
Free plan available for churches under 75 members. Paid plans start at $7.50/month (Standard) and go up to $30/month (Plus). Significantly cheaper than most alternatives.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
How Planning Center and ChurchTrac compare across key church management categories.
Planning Center People offers advanced member management with workflows, automated follow-ups, and complex list building. ChurchTrac provides solid member tracking with attendance records, family grouping, and custom fields. For most small churches, ChurchTrac covers member management needs adequately. Larger churches with complex follow-up processes and multiple campuses will benefit from Planning Center's additional depth.
ChurchTrac stands out with built-in double-entry accounting, budgeting, and financial reporting. This is a rare feature in church management software and eliminates the need for separate accounting software like QuickBooks. Planning Center Giving handles donations and fund tracking but does not include accounting features. Churches that want to manage their entire financial picture in one place will find ChurchTrac uniquely capable.
Planning Center Services dominates in worship planning with chord charts, set lists, transposition, rehearsal tools, and detailed service templates. ChurchTrac offers basic service planning but lacks the specialized tools worship teams need. This is arguably the biggest functional gap between the two platforms, and a decisive factor for many churches.
Both platforms are reasonably easy to use for their target audiences. ChurchTrac's straightforward interface suits small church leaders who may not be tech-savvy. Planning Center's individual apps are well-designed, but the multi-app experience adds complexity. Neither platform should present major usability challenges for typical users.
ChurchTrac is one of the most affordable church management solutions on the market. Its free plan supports up to 75 members, and paid plans top out at $30/month. Planning Center can cost $100-$200+/month for a church using several apps. For budget-conscious churches, ChurchTrac delivers remarkable value. The savings could be redirected to ministry needs.
Planning Center offers a well-documented API and integrates with dozens of third-party services, including ProPresenter, Mailchimp, and various accounting tools. ChurchTrac has fewer integrations and a more limited API. For churches that rely on connecting multiple software tools, Planning Center's integration ecosystem is significantly stronger.
Our Verdict
The decision between Planning Center and ChurchTrac often comes down to budget and church size. ChurchTrac is an exceptional choice for small churches that need solid member management, attendance tracking, and especially financial management at a price that respects tight budgets. Its built-in accounting alone saves the cost of a separate QuickBooks subscription.
Planning Center is the right investment for churches that have outgrown basic tools and need specialized capabilities in worship planning, volunteer management, and complex member workflows. If your worship team is growing and you need serious planning tools, Planning Center justifies its higher cost.
Growing churches should consider where they expect to be in two to three years. Starting with ChurchTrac and migrating later is a viable path, though any migration involves effort. If you anticipate needing Planning Center-level features soon, starting there avoids a future transition.
Why Consider MosesTab?
Full disclosure: MosesTab is our product. We aim to keep this comparison honest and balanced.
If you want more features than ChurchTrac offers but find Planning Center's multi-app pricing hard to justify, MosesTab provides a middle path. With 16 integrated features at a single subscription price, MosesTab includes capabilities like AI media generation and social media scheduling that neither platform offers. It is designed to scale with growing churches while keeping pricing transparent and predictable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ChurchTrac really include accounting for free?
ChurchTrac's free plan includes basic financial tracking. The full double-entry accounting with budgeting, reporting, and fund management is available in the paid Standard ($7.50/month) and Plus ($30/month) plans. Even at the paid tier, this is significantly cheaper than purchasing separate church management and accounting software.
Can a growing church start with ChurchTrac and switch to Planning Center later?
Yes, many churches follow this path. Both platforms support data export and import via CSV. The transition requires effort to re-map fields and retrain staff, but it is manageable. Plan for a few weeks of overlap to ensure a smooth migration.
Which platform is better for a church plant?
ChurchTrac is generally the better choice for church plants due to its generous free tier and extremely low paid pricing. Church plants typically have tight budgets and smaller teams. As the church grows and needs more advanced tools, you can evaluate whether to upgrade or switch platforms.
Does Planning Center include any accounting features?
No. Planning Center Giving tracks donations, pledges, and fund designations, but it does not include accounting features like a chart of accounts, general ledger, or budget tracking. Churches using Planning Center typically pair it with a separate accounting tool like QuickBooks or Aplos.