TL;DR: Planning Center uses modular, per-app pricing. People (the member database) is free. Most other apps start with a free or low-cost tier and scale up based on your church size. A small church (100 members) can get started for $0-50/month. A mid-size church (300 members) will typically spend $100-175/month. A large church (1,000+ members) using most apps should budget $250-400+/month. Annual billing saves you roughly 17%. Here’s every app, every tier, and the real total cost by church size.
How Planning Center Pricing Works
Before we dig into the numbers, you need to understand how Planning Center’s pricing model is different from most church management software.
Planning Center is not one product. It’s a suite of eight separate apps that work together. You only pay for the apps you use, and each app has its own pricing tiers based on your church’s size.
This is the opposite of competitors like Breeze ($72/month flat for everything) or Tithe.ly ($119/month for all-access). With Planning Center, you build your own bundle.
The upside: you only pay for what you actually need. A small church that only uses People and Check-Ins pays $0.
The downside: costs add up fast once you start using three, four, or five apps. And every app’s price increases as your church grows.
Every Planning Center App and What It Costs
Let’s break down each of the eight apps, tier by tier.
1. People (Member Database): Free
Planning Center People is the foundation of the entire platform. It’s your member database, household manager, and CRM.
| Tier | Profiles | Price/Month |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Up to 100 | $0 |
| Growth 1 | Up to 250 | $19 |
| Growth 2 | Up to 500 | $39 |
| Growth 3 | Up to 1,000 | $59 |
| Growth 4 | Up to 2,500 | $99 |
| Growth 5 | Up to 10,000 | $199 |
The free tier gives you up to 100 active profiles (members, attenders, visitors, children). Workflows and custom fields are included at every level. People is the one app every church should activate. The free tier is a legitimate starting point, not a crippled demo.
2. Giving (Online Donations): Free to Start
Planning Center Giving handles online tithes, offerings, and fund management.
| Tier | Features | Price/Month |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Basic giving, 1 fund | $0 |
| Growth 1 | Multiple funds, statements | $0 |
| Growth 2 | Recurring giving, detailed reporting | $49 |
| Growth 3 | Advanced reporting, batch management | $99 |
| Growth 4 | ACH priority, campus-level reporting | $199 |
Processing fees apply on every tier: 2.1% + $0.30 per card transaction, 0.8% per ACH transfer (capped at $5). Supports credit/debit cards, ACH, and Apple Pay. US payment methods only. No international cards, no mobile money, no multi-currency.
Bottom line: The app itself can be free, but the per-transaction fees are the real cost. A church receiving $20,000/month in online giving pays roughly $450/month in processing fees alone.
3. Services (Worship Planning): Free to Start
This is Planning Center’s primary differentiator. Services handles worship planning, team scheduling, song libraries, and service coordination.
| Tier | Teams | Price/Month |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 1 service type, limited | $0 |
| Growth 1 | Up to 5 service types | $14 |
| Growth 2 | Up to 10 service types | $24 |
| Growth 3 | Up to 25 service types | $49 |
| Growth 4 | Unlimited service types | $99 |
Includes service plans, team scheduling with conflict detection, chord charts and lyrics, CCLI reporting, ProPresenter integration, and rehearsal mode. If you have a worship team, this app alone might justify the whole platform. It’s the best worship planning tool in the industry. (See our full Planning Center review for a deeper look.)
4. Check-Ins (Children’s Ministry & Attendance): Free to Start
Check-Ins handles children’s ministry security, attendance tracking, and self-service kiosks.
| Tier | Features | Price/Month |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Basic check-in, 1 station | $0 |
| Growth 1 | Multiple stations, label printing | $14 |
| Growth 2 | Security labels, parent paging | $24 |
| Growth 3 | Advanced security, headcounts | $49 |
| Growth 4 | Multi-campus, advanced reporting | $99 |
Print security labels, match children to authorized guardians, track allergies, and support kiosk mode. The best check-in system available for children’s ministry. The free tier works for small churches with a single station.
5. Groups (Small Group Management): Paid Only
Groups manages small groups, sign-ups, leaders, and communication within groups.
| Tier | Features | Price/Month |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Core group management | $20 |
| Growth 1 | Group reporting, leader tools | $40 |
| Growth 2 | Advanced features, campus grouping | $80 |
No free tier. Members browse and join groups through Church Center. Leaders manage rosters and track attendance. At $20/month, it’s modest on its own, but it adds to the overall bill.
6. Registrations (Event Sign-Ups): Paid Only
Registrations handles event sign-ups, capacity management, and event payments.
| Tier | Features | Price/Month |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Core event registration | $10 |
| Growth 1 | Multiple events, waitlists | $20 |
| Growth 2 | Advanced capacity, reports | $40 |
Handles online registration forms, capacity limits, waitlists, and payment collection (same processing fees as Giving). If your church runs events that need registration and payment collection, this saves time. If you only do a few events a year, a Google Form might do the job.
7. Calendar (Facility & Event Scheduling): Paid Only
Calendar handles room booking, facility management, and organizational scheduling.
| Tier | Features | Price/Month |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Core calendar features | $10 |
| Growth 1 | Approval workflows, resources | $20 |
| Growth 2 | Advanced scheduling, conflicts | $40 |
Manage room bookings, approval workflows, conflict detection, and resource tracking. Most useful for churches with multiple rooms and shared spaces. Smaller churches with one worship space may not need this.
8. Publishing (Church App & Content): Free to Start
Publishing lets you create a branded church app experience through Church Center.
| Tier | Features | Price/Month |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Basic Church Center listing | $0 |
| Growth | Custom branding, push notifications | $0-$49 |
Church Center is Planning Center’s member-facing app (iOS and Android) for giving, event registration, group sign-ups, and directory access. It’s free to use, but it’s a connector, not a standalone product. It surfaces content from your other apps, so the apps it pulls from cost money.
What’s Actually Free on Planning Center?
This is a question we hear all the time. Here’s the honest answer.
| App | Free Tier Available? | What You Get for Free |
|---|---|---|
| People | Yes | Up to 100 profiles, core CRM features |
| Services | Yes | 1 service type, basic planning |
| Giving | Yes | Basic giving, 1 fund (processing fees still apply) |
| Check-Ins | Yes | 1 check-in station, basic features |
| Groups | No | Starts at $20/month |
| Registrations | No | Starts at $10/month |
| Calendar | No | Starts at $10/month |
| Publishing | Yes | Basic Church Center listing |
The realistic free setup: A church under 100 members can use People, basic Services, basic Giving, and basic Check-Ins for $0/month (plus processing fees on donations). That’s genuinely useful, not a stripped-down trial.
Where free ends: Once you grow past 100 profiles, need multiple service types, or want Groups and Registrations, you’re into paid territory.
Total Cost by Church Size: Realistic Scenarios
Here’s what Planning Center actually costs for churches of different sizes, assuming they use a typical set of apps.
Small Church (100 Members)
A small church using the basics: People, Services, Giving, and Check-Ins.
| App | Tier | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| People | Free (100 profiles) | $0 |
| Services | Free (1 service type) | $0 |
| Giving | Free (basic) | $0 |
| Check-Ins | Free (1 station) | $0 |
| Total | $0/month |
Plus processing fees: If the church receives $8,000/month in online giving, expect roughly $200/month in processing fees (2.1% + $0.30 per transaction).
Annual cost (software only): $0. Annual cost (with processing fees): ~$2,400.
Medium Church (300 Members)
A growing church using People, Services, Giving, Groups, Check-Ins, and Registrations.
| App | Tier | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| People | Growth 2 (500 profiles) | $39 |
| Services | Growth 2 (10 service types) | $24 |
| Giving | Growth 2 (recurring, reporting) | $49 |
| Groups | Standard | $20 |
| Check-Ins | Growth 2 (security labels) | $24 |
| Registrations | Standard | $10 |
| Total | $166/month |
Plus processing fees: With $25,000/month in online giving, expect roughly $555/month in processing fees.
Annual cost (software only): ~$1,992. Annual cost (with processing fees): ~$8,652.
Large Church (1,000+ Members)
A large church using all major apps at higher tiers.
| App | Tier | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| People | Growth 3 (1,000 profiles) | $59 |
| Services | Growth 3 (25 service types) | $49 |
| Giving | Growth 3 (advanced reporting) | $99 |
| Groups | Growth 1 (reporting, leaders) | $40 |
| Check-Ins | Growth 3 (advanced security) | $49 |
| Registrations | Growth 1 (waitlists) | $20 |
| Calendar | Growth 1 (approvals) | $20 |
| Total | $336/month |
Plus processing fees: With $80,000/month in online giving, expect roughly $1,710/month in processing fees.
Annual cost (software only): ~$4,032. Annual cost (with processing fees): ~$24,552.
Hidden Costs Most Guides Don’t Mention
Planning Center’s listed prices tell only part of the story.
Payment processing fees are the big one. Every online donation gets hit with 2.1% + $0.30 per card or 0.8% per ACH (capped at $5), on every tier including free. A church receiving $30,000/month in online giving can pay $400-600/month in processing fees alone. Over a year, that’s $5,000-7,000.
Church Center requires paid apps. The member-facing app is free, but it only surfaces content from Giving, Groups, Registrations, etc. Without paid apps behind it, there’s nothing for members to see.
Check-in hardware adds up. iPads ($300-500 each), label printers ($200-400 each), and stands ($50-100 each). A two-station setup runs $700-1,200.
SMS credits cost extra. Texting through Church Center uses a credits-based system on top of your subscriptions. These add up for larger congregations.
How to Save Money on Planning Center
Here are practical ways to reduce your Planning Center bill.
- Pay annually (save ~17%). On a $166/month plan, that’s roughly $330/year in savings. Always choose annual billing if cash flow allows.
- Start with free tiers. Don’t upgrade until you genuinely outgrow them. People’s free tier (100 profiles) and Services’ free tier (1 service type) are both legitimate.
- Push ACH over cards. The processing fee drops from 2.1% to 0.8%. On $30,000/month in giving, that’s roughly $390/month in savings.
- Enable donor-covered fees. Many members are happy to absorb the processing cost. This can recover 50-70% of your processing fees.
- Skip apps you don’t need. Don’t pay for Calendar if Google Calendar works. Don’t pay for Registrations if a Google Form does the job. Be ruthless.
- Audit your tier annually. Church sizes fluctuate. If active profiles drop, you might be able to downgrade.
Planning Center Pricing vs. Competitors
How does Planning Center stack up on cost compared to the main alternatives?
| Platform | Pricing Model | Cost (200 members) | Cost (500 members) | Free Tier | Processing Fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planning Center | Per-app, per-tier | $50-120/month | $150-250/month | Yes (limited) | 2.1% + $0.30 (card), 0.8% (ACH) |
| Breeze | Flat rate | $72/month | $72/month | No (trial only) | 2.9% + $0.30 (card) |
| Tithe.ly | Bundled tiers | $0-149/month | $0-149/month | Yes (giving only) | 2.9% + $0.30 (card) |
| ChurchTrac | Flat rate + size | $7-15/month | $7-15/month | Yes (limited) | Varies by gateway |
| Subsplash | Custom quote | ~$200+/month | ~$200+/month | No | 2.9% + $0.30 |
Breeze is simpler and cheaper ($72/month flat) but lacks worship planning. Tithe.ly offers strong bundled value at $119-149/month. ChurchTrac is the budget pick at under $15/month. Planning Center is the most expensive option with 4+ apps, but also the deepest in features.
For a deeper look, see our Planning Center alternatives guide.
Is Planning Center Worth It?
Yes, if you’re a US or Canadian church with a worship production team, you need strong check-ins, and you’re mid-size or larger (200+ members) with budget for $100-200+/month.
Maybe not, if you’re a small church that wants flat-rate pricing, your budget is tight, or you don’t need worship planning or advanced check-ins. Breeze or ChurchTrac may give you more value per dollar.
Probably not, if you’re outside North America. Planning Center’s giving only supports US payment methods, SMS is US/Canada only, and there’s no WhatsApp, no multi-currency giving, no mobile money, and no offline mode.
The Global Perspective: What International Churches Should Know
Planning Center prices everything in USD with no regional adjustments. A church in Nairobi, Lagos, or Mumbai pays the same rate as a church in Dallas. But the pricing is only part of the problem.
No multi-currency giving. Members can’t give in local currencies. No mobile money. M-Pesa, MTN MoMo, and GCash aren’t supported. No WhatsApp. The default communication channel for billions of people worldwide isn’t available. No offline mode. Fully cloud-based and JavaScript-heavy, which creates issues with intermittent internet.
If you’re a church outside North America, the core features you need simply aren’t there. See our guide to choosing church management software for region-specific recommendations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Planning Center free for small churches?
Partially. People is free for up to 100 profiles. Services, Giving, Check-Ins, and Publishing have free tiers. A small church can use Planning Center at zero software cost, though you’ll still pay processing fees on online giving.
How much does it cost for a 200-member church?
Expect roughly $50-120/month for People, Services, Giving, and Check-Ins. Add Groups and Registrations and you’re at $80-160/month. Processing fees on giving are extra.
Does Planning Center offer nonprofit discounts?
No separate nonprofit discount, but the free tiers and modular pricing are designed to keep costs accessible. Annual billing saves roughly 17%.
Can I switch tiers or cancel anytime?
Yes. Upgrade, downgrade, or cancel any app at any time. No long-term contracts.
What payment methods does Giving support?
Credit/debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover), ACH bank transfers (US only), and Apple Pay. No international payment methods, no mobile money, no multi-currency.
Is Planning Center better than Breeze?
Planning Center is deeper, especially for worship planning and check-ins. Breeze is simpler, cheaper ($72/month flat), and faster to set up. Small churches often prefer Breeze. Churches with production teams prefer Planning Center.
Can I use just one app?
Absolutely. Many churches start with just People (free) and add apps as they grow. You’re never forced to buy the whole suite.
The Bottom Line
Planning Center’s modular pricing is genuinely flexible, but “flexible” doesn’t mean “cheap.” Small churches can start free. Mid-size churches will spend $150-200/month. Large churches should budget $300-400+/month before processing fees.
For US churches with worship teams and children’s ministry, Planning Center delivers more depth than any competitor. Crunch the numbers using the tables above, factor in processing fees, and compare to Breeze or Tithe.ly to see which model saves your church more.
And if you’re a church outside North America looking for software that actually fits your context, see our Planning Center alternatives for the global church for options with regional payment support and pricing.