We think you should pick the tool that actually fits your church — so here is an honest comparison, including the places where we are not the strongest option.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The congregation-facing platform — app, website, events, prayer, giving, people, sermons — is free forever. Full church management is one $29/month membership, no matter how many members you have.
Best for: small, rural, and under-resourced churches, and any church that wants one predictable price.
The most established platform in the category, built as separate products — People, Services, Check-Ins, Groups, Registrations, Giving — that you subscribe to individually, with a congregation app called Church Center.
Best for: larger churches with staff and budget who want depth in a few specific areas and a long ecosystem track record.
A focused worship-and-scheduling tool with a genuinely strong song library — native ChordPro chord charts, keys and transposition, and export to OnSong and SongbookPro.
Best for: worship leaders whose main need is charts, keys, and rotating a volunteer team.
The biggest difference is not a feature — it is who the software is built for.
| Capability | Your Churches™ | Planning Center | Church Planner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Yes. One membership. One price. | Partial. Modular — subscribe per product | Partial. Flat subscription, tiered |
| Free tier | Yes. Free forever, not a trial | Partial. Free starting plans on several products | Not advertised. See their site |
| Price changes as your church grows | Yes. No — flat $29/month, any size | Partial. Some products scale with size or usage | Not advertised. See their site |
| Who keeps the money | Yes. 501(c)(3) nonprofit — funds free churches | No. Commercial software company | No. Commercial product |
“Free” and “Membership” show which Your Churches™ tier includes each capability.
| Capability | Your Churches™ | Planning Center | Church Planner |
|---|---|---|---|
| People & household database | Yes. Free | Yes. People | Yes. Contacts |
| Events & calendar | Yes. Free | Yes. Included | Yes. Included |
| Congregation mobile app (iOS & Android) | Yes. Free | Yes. Church Center | Partial. Apps for planning & scheduling |
| Public church website, built for you | Yes. Free — your own indexed page | Partial. Church Center pages | Not advertised. Not advertised |
| Online giving | Yes. Free to receive | Yes. Giving | Not advertised. Not advertised |
| Children’s check-in & safety | Yes. Membership | Yes. Check-Ins | Not advertised. Not advertised |
| Small groups | Yes. Membership | Yes. Groups | Not advertised. Not advertised |
| Event registration | Yes. Membership | Yes. Registrations | Not advertised. Not advertised |
| Worship & service planning | Yes. Membership | Yes. Services | Yes. Included |
| Volunteer scheduling | Yes. Membership | Yes. Included | Yes. Included |
| Attendance tracking | Yes. Membership | Yes. Included | Yes. Included |
| Song library & CCLI number tracking | Yes. Membership | Yes. Music Stand | Yes. Included |
| Chord charts & transposition | No. Not yet — on our roadmap | Yes. Music Stand | Yes. ChordPro, keys, export |
| Pastoral care & visitation tracking | Yes. Membership | Not advertised. Not advertised | Not advertised. Not advertised |
| Prayer requests | Yes. Free | Not advertised. Not advertised | Not advertised. Not advertised |
| Broadcasts & in-app chat | Yes. Free | Not advertised. Not advertised | Not advertised. Not advertised |
| AI sermon helper | Yes. Free | Not advertised. Not advertised | Not advertised. Not advertised |
| AI bulletin builder from a photo | Yes. Membership | Not advertised. Not advertised | Not advertised. Not advertised |
| Auto-publish to YouTube, Facebook & Instagram | Yes. Free | Not advertised. Not advertised | Not advertised. Not advertised |
| Apple TV & Android TV app | Yes. Free | Not advertised. Not advertised | Not advertised. Not advertised |
Your church page, your app presence, events, prayer, giving, and people management cost nothing, permanently. You can add the membership later, or never.
Last reviewed September 28, 2026. Comparisons are based on each company’s public marketing pages on that date and are provided in good faith. “Not advertised” means we could not find the capability promoted publicly — not that it is unavailable. Pricing and features change, so please confirm current details directly with Planning Center and Church Planner. Planning Center and Church Planner are trademarks of their respective owners and are not affiliated with, and do not endorse, Your Churches™. Found something inaccurate? Tell us and we will correct it.
Whether you're searching for a church home or leading a congregation that needs a hand, Your Churches™ is here to serve you—starting free and growing with your ministry.