# Planning Center Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is Planning Center the right Worship solution for you? Explore 1138 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/76708/Planning-Center/reviews --- Planning Center 4.7 (1138) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of Planning Center Ease of use 4.4 Customer Service 4.6 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews AH Andy H Associate Pastor of WorshipReligious Institutions, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Planning Center is the most robust, powerful, intuitive, and helpful way to plan worship services, organize team members, and communicate across ministries in our church.“ February 25, 2026 JB Jami B Guest ExperienceReligious Institutions, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “There is one tiny feature that I can't edit (all forms require an email address) and that is the only, admittedly very tiny, thing.“ July 22, 2025 PG Paula G AdminReligious Institutions, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It allows me to complete administrative tasks in a timely, organized way, allowing me to be most effective. When I've encountered issues, they respond quickly and thoroughly.“ May 14, 2026 AN Alicia N TeacherEducation Management, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Probably how inconsistent song edits can be. If I want to change a key of a song, it is sometimes more of a hassle to even try.“ August 3, 2025 PG Paula G AdminReligious Institutions, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It's also great because users can customize which level they want for each module of Planning Center, giving a greater ability to cut back on potential product costs.“ May 14, 2026 Amber M OwnerDesign, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “It is hard to find where you're scheduled to serve in the Church Center app/website.“ March 6, 2026 SG Steven G PastorReligious Institutions, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “We love it and use it for our service planning, church database, forms, giving, app, communication, sign-ups, and registrations.“ June 19, 2025 Victoria W Volunteer AdministratorReligious Institutions, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “It appears an integration with our donation platform is not available, so we may have to switch providers.“ October 14, 2024 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 1138 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Amber M. Owner Design Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "The GOAT of Church Management Software!" March 6, 2026 5.0 Planning Center is a highly effective tool for church management. It is easy enough that attendees can use it, while also being complex enough that the administrative team can do many things with it. Pros Planning Center is the GOAT of all church administration software. There is a reason nearly every church or ministry uses them, and it's because it's highly functional, has many useful add-ons, and keeps things organized. On another note, the customer service team has always been helpful and kind in my experience. That goes a long way when you're stuck on a problem! Cons Would love to see more forward-thinking design. It is hard to find where you're scheduled to serve in the Church Center app/website. That design could be more effective, as well, having a calendar showing or something. I'd like to see my confirmed dates more prominently displayed. Review Source PG Paula G. Admin Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Highly Recommend Planning Center" May 14, 2026 5.0 Overall, my experience with Planning Center has been very positive! It allows me to complete administrative tasks in a timely, organized way, allowing me to be most effective. When I've encountered issues, they respond quickly and thoroughly. Pros Planning Center has a very user-friendly interface. It integrates well with other programs (i.e. MailChimp), which enables users to be more effective in administrative tasks. There are several modules in Planning Center, which allows users to pick and choose what they desire to utilize the program for, including donations, emails, CRM database + member management, scheduling events (including volunteer schedule/event timeline and room/resource requests), and event registration for attendees. They have great customer support, providing timely answers to specific questions, as well as a database of videos and articles on specific topics. There is even an app for the admin-side of the program, as well as an app for the customer-side (event signup, etc.). It's primarily designed for churches, although I'm sure other non-profits could utilize it as well. When a user understands the options available, it can be a powerful program in comparison to the monthly cost. When compared with other programs, Planning Center seems to have great value for the cost, with the abilities it includes. It's also great because users can customize which level they want for each module of Planning Center, giving a greater ability to cut back on potential product costs. Cons Sometimes specific features aren't available that I would like. They are open to feedback for future updates, but don't always incorporate feedback. For instance, I've asked about including a "signature" feature on their forms (for parental consent, for example), but the still haven't updated for this feature. Also, while the cost is not unreasonable, each module only has specific levels available for each cost. Moving from the each level seems to have a large increase in capacity (i.e. number of attendees allowed) and somewhat high jump in cost. For instance, the Registration Module allows for 150 registrants at $69/month, but then jumps to 400 registrants at $115/month. It would be helpful to have more options in-between 150 and 400. Switched from [ACTIVE Network](https://www.capterra.com/p/221947/ACTIVE-Network/)[FellowshipOne](https://www.capterra.com/p/230779/Fellowship-One/) Previous products were outdated, not user friendly, and segmented. Planning Center integrated across ministries and the abilities were much more user friendly and powerful. Review Source sS sandra S. Administrative Assist. and Database Admin Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "rating of PC" January 9, 2025 3.0 overall it has been good. No major issues Pros the wireless printing of the name tags/mobile check in Cons probably tech support. hard to get answer rt away Alternatives considered [Realm](https://www.capterra.com/p/146265/Realm/) Reason for choosing Planning Center we use both. we kept PC for the kids check in bc of the ease Switched from [Servant Keeper](https://www.capterra.com/p/276838/Servant-Keeper/) uh servant keeper! lol so out of date..... Review Source Response from Planning Center January 13, 2025 Hi Sandra! Thank you for your kind review. We are glad you are enjoying our Check-Ins feature. Regarding support, we do our best to reply via email within one business hour, although it can look slightly different on holidays and weekends. We would love to learn more and get your feedback on your most recent tech support experience. If possible, send us a message here - support@planningcenter.com. We look forward to hearing back from you! AH Andy H. Associate Pastor of Worship Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "This is the worship planning software you are looking for." February 25, 2026 5.0 I have been a faithful customer since 2011. Several companies have tried to duplicate what Planning Center does, and no one can come close in my opinion. Design is top notch, customer service is responsive, and the features are so very helpful to me. This software is the lifeblood behind the administrative tasks in the ministry I oversee. Pros Planning Center is the most robust, powerful, intuitive, and helpful way to plan worship services, organize team members, and communicate across ministries in our church. I love how the team is always innovating and listening to customers! Cons There is honestly not much to dislike! Of course, we all wish everything was cheaper. There may be a few UI things that could improve on their apps, but for the most part, this is some of the best software I engage with daily. Review Source DD Duane D. Pastor Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Excellent Church Software" September 18, 2025 5.0 A wonderful cloud-based software that accurately keeps all records of our church membership. Our staff love it and use it regularly at church or on the go! Pros Planning Center is a great resource for our church. It is easy to use, has many great features, and is cloud based meaning it can be used anywhere. The apps that accompany it are just as intuitive and user friendly! Cons Planning Center sometimes doesn’t recognize a name or email and will create a new profile. We’ve had several duplicates - some are easy fixes and others are more complicated if they are using the giving feature. Switched from [Shepherd's Staff](https://www.capterra.com/p/10027639/Shepherds-Staff/) The other software just wasn’t doing all we needed it to do Review Source Response from Planning Center September 30, 2025 Hi Duane! Thank you for your kind words! You mentioned having a bit of trouble with logs in and duplicate profiles. Our Support Team is a great resource for help in that area. Hit the '?' icon in the upper-right of the screen when you are looking at your List. Please send us a message and our team will jump in to help! SG Steven G. Pastor Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The Best All In One Church Software " June 19, 2025 5.0 We love it and use it for our service planning, church database, forms, giving, app, communication, sign-ups, and registrations. Pros The user interfaces for all of their apps are intuitive, and it makes managing and communicating with our members quick and easy. Cons There are certain tasks in the services app that feel a little redundant, but fortunately, they have videos that walk you through them. Alternatives considered [ShelbyNext Membership](https://www.capterra.com/p/71788/ShelbyNext-Membership/) Reason for choosing Planning Center Ease of use and scalability. All the different apps and features are easily scaled up. Switched from [Pushpay](https://www.capterra.com/p/142580/Pushpay/) Ease of use and great scalability options. Review Source HM Hannah M. Creative arts coordinator Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The one-stop shop for church data management" May 15, 2025 4.0 I am very glad they decided to expand beyond programming management. The interface is very user-friendly (unlike almost any other data management for churches). It integrates with messaging apps and giving platforms as well Pros I appreciate the wholistic nature of planning center’s capabilities. It is a church data management software that does it all Cons There are times when it feels like it’s doing too much, like it can’t keep up with the demands of certain capabilities. Through the many functions, programs and people are my most used, but I have access to all of its functions. Calendar is helpful but can get very jumbled when dealing with a large church and all of the events we have Switched from [ACS](https://www.capterra.com/p/2668/ACS/) ACS was very outdated and retrieving any data for any useful purpose was very difficult Review Source KA Kylee A. Communications Director Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A GREAT resource for small-medium sizes Churches" August 3, 2025 5.0 Overall it’s a helpful tool for our church with a lot of great features. It’s much more user friendly than other software’s we’ve tried. The database includes more profiles than we would like. Pros I like how many features it has to be fully customizable for your church’s needs. Every staff members can find it helpful in their area of ministry. Cons It is difficult to keep the people database under control due to the automatic creation of profiles anytime anyone downloads the app, fills out a form, registers for an event, etc. Switched from [Pushpay](https://www.capterra.com/p/142580/Pushpay/) We switched from CCB (church community builder) to Planning Center because it’s more user friendly and provides more features Review Source TS Travis S. Communications Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "All in One Place and it Works" June 9, 2025 4.0 Overall, I love working with the system, and anytime I have questions, I receive relevant and clear answers very quickly. Pros I like that we can have all event registrations, giving, and people database management in the same place. Cons For what I do, learning the best way to pull reports (Lists) was a little tricky. To overcome this and other challenges when we made the full transition to PCO, we worked with a paid professional team to transfer and set us up. Switched from [ShelbyNext Membership](https://www.capterra.com/p/71788/ShelbyNext-Membership/)[ShelbyNext Financials](https://www.capterra.com/p/224954/ShelbyNext-Financials/) Our version of Shelby was out of date and we needed a more flexible solution that would also work with our volunteer team management. Review Source JB Jami B. Guest Experience Religious Institutions Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "The switch was worth it" July 22, 2025 5.0 Their online university has helped our whole team stay informed and well educated about the capabilities and usefulness of these tools Pros We switched to Planning Center from a similar product because of the intuitive ease of use and the availability of constant support. We appreciate the value to help our church manage everything well. Cons There is one tiny feature that I can't edit (all forms require an email address) and that is the only, admittedly very tiny, thing. Other than that our experience is stellar. Switched from [ChurchStaq](https://www.capterra.com/p/211982/ChuchStaq/) Frustration with the previous product and countless glowing reviews and recommendations for Planning Center Review Source JT Josh T. Regional Director Events Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Planning Center Review" July 7, 2024 5.0 Pros The volunteer and crew scheduling piece is great! I also really like creating run of shows or order of service on planning center. Cons It’s great for crew management and run of show building but now so much client management. Switched from [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) PCO made automating schedules and teams easy when creating new events. Review Source Response from Planning Center July 9, 2024 Thank you for the kind words! If we can help review anything with you, be sure to let our support team know. Have a great day! DA Dave A. Business Administrator Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "PCO as full ChMS" July 30, 2021 4.0 We have been very pleased with a fully-integrated solution that is continually improving with a great support team at a price that saves us money! Pros When making the switch to PCO as our full ChMS I was concerned at first because there is no dedicated implementation process. However, I was amazed by how smoothly the implementation went. It is extremely intuitive and the support team is amazing. The online help is very useful, the support team responds quickly (I think their target is within 2 hours), and the Slack channel helps glean ideas from other users. We saved about $3,000 per year compared to our previous solution and have a better product. Cons PCO is not perfect. There is not a perfect solution. I don't think we've found any issues that we can't work around so far and I've really been impressed by the development team and the rolling out of improved features. Alternatives considered [ShelbyNext Membership](https://www.capterra.com/p/71788/ShelbyNext-Membership/)[ChurchStaq](https://www.capterra.com/p/211982/ChuchStaq/)[Shelby Arena](https://www.capterra.com/p/175655/Arena/)[Rock RMS](https://www.capterra.com/p/141654/Rock-RMS/) Reason for choosing Planning Center We gave CCB/Push Pay an opportunity to convince us to stay with them. Rock RMS seemed a bit over our head because we don't have dedicated IT experts on staff. Shelby seemed like a good product but we got the feel that our experience would probably be similar to CCB. PCO is very intuitive, easy to implement, fully-integrated, has great resources and support, is frequently pushing out improvements, and saved us money. Switched from [ChurchStaq](https://www.capterra.com/p/211982/ChuchStaq/) The primary catalyst for our decision to look at other options was the merger with Push Pay. I had a negative impression of Push Pay when we were looking at mobile app solutions. CCB did not offer a fully-integrated solution. Also, some of their features were cumbersome to use (process queues & reporting). They promised a lot but were slow to roll-out improvements. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer CEO Internet Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Planning center best tool for managing charismatic groups and churches" August 31, 2022 4.0 Planning center allowed me to better know all the members of the organization to which I belong and to know how to enlist them in the work for a common good. Pros What I liked most about this software is its ability to manage religious groups. Cons What I liked least is that it is not easily usable by new religious organizations. Alternatives considered [ChurchStaq](https://www.capterra.com/p/211982/ChuchStaq/)[Tithely Church Management](https://www.capterra.com/p/132513/Breeze-ChMS/) Reason for choosing Planning Center This software allowed me to organize the work in the religious groups and to better follow the groups. Review Source Response from Planning Center September 14, 2022 Hi there! Thank you for your review. You mentioned having a bit of trouble getting started as a new org. Our Support Team is a great resource for help in tis area. Hit the '?' icon in the upper-right of the screen when you are looking at your page. Send us a message and our team will jump in to help. Thank you! TB Trae B. Family Ministry Pastor Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Trae Bremer" June 17, 2023 5.0 Pros Planning center provides a foundation to manage your church. Its a go to platform that allows to approach and manage every aspect all from one software. That's my favorite part, the fact our whole church can be managed from one program. Cons I do think planning center can continue to update it's email system. Though Mailchimp is a great integration, the lack of customizing email templates and list can be updated. Alternatives considered [Text In Church](https://www.capterra.com/p/142758/Text-In-Church/) Reason for choosing Planning Center Planning center was better in at every angle. Review Source Response from Planning Center June 21, 2023 Hi Trae! Thank you for your time and feedback regarding email templates. Our Support Team is a great resource for assistance in this area. Hit the '?' icon in the upper-right of the screen. Send us this feedback as a feature request and our team will be sure to process it for you. Thank you, Trae! HK Harrison K. Communications Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The only option for scheduling Worship Services" January 27, 2025 4.0 Having used Planning Center extensively as a volunteer and an administrator, I am very impressed with it. I wouldn't consider using any other software. Pros The extent of features when it comes to organizing and scheduling teams is fantastic. I find it very helpful that Planning Center tells me how long it has been since a particular volunteer has been scheduled, regardless of what role they were serving. Additionally, the level of functionality on the side of the volunteer is great. They can add blackout dates and respond to serving requests directly within an email. Cons At times, the menus can be a little clunky, and I find myself having to hunt for specific features. Planning Center's help section is fairly comprehensive though, so this usually fixes the issue for me. Review Source Response from Planning Center January 31, 2025 Harrison, thank you so much for this great review! Always feel free to reach out to our team at support@planningcenter.com if you have questions about specific features you cannot find. We're glad to help. AN Alicia N. Teacher Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Good outweighs bad!!" August 3, 2025 5.0 The good experiences definitely outweigh the bad. It’s a great app that makes things much easier in life!! Pros It’s very helpful for our church worship band! We have loved how it helps us manage schedules and team organization! Even just simply for just to have songs on planning center is helpful! Cons Probably how inconsistent song edits can be. If I want to change a key of a song, it is sometimes more of a hassle to even try. Maybe it’s improved lately but last I used it, it would just not update my changes. Also, using 2 apps in one can be a pain. Music stand and planning center. It would be nice to have everything work together. Review Source AC Andy C. Minister of Recreation Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great product that we use for lots!" January 30, 2025 5.0 Pros It is very easy to use and functional for all of the needs we have. Cons There really isn't anything that I like the least about it. Switched from [Arena](https://www.capterra.com/p/186809/Arena/) Just needed updated features and usability. Review Source Response from Planning Center January 31, 2025 Andy, thanks for the great review. We're always glad to hear why people appreciate what we provide! CB Cooper B. Director of Media Ministries Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Great tool, but expensive" February 3, 2025 4.0 I think planning center is an excellent tool for church's like ours that need better communication, but the price just makes me wonder if we should continue paying for it. Pros It makes communicating with my volunteers so much easier. Cons The price is too much for what it offers in my opinion. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Field service engineer Semiconductors Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Great software for church" October 23, 2024 5.0 Pros I think it's most amazing to make church-related work easy because all the functions are gathered in one place. I'm satisfied with being able to communicate with the songs and lyrics, all the other volunteers, and plan church-related work without difficulty. Also, I was able to easily manage the relevant information of the people. Cons There is no cons, everything is good so far. Review Source Response from Planning Center October 23, 2024 Thank you for taking the time to leave a review! We love our churches, and we love hearing how our products make your work easier and more efficient! VR Verified Reviewer Director of Creative Elements, Digital Ministry and Co-director of Television Ministry Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "This is the software you want" November 1, 2018 5.0 I can't reccomend planning center enough. It's easy to use. It looks good when integrated with our website and digital signage. It encourages collaboration between teams. While it doesn't have an accounting module that kind of thing is best left up to the experts; intuit's products handle accounting much better than any church management software anyway. If you're not already using planning center services, you really should it makes planning worship so much easier and once you see how great that is you'll want to get groups, resources, and everything else and by that time most of your database is already populated and the people module is free. You'll be swapped over to it as your main church management software before you even realize it. Pros It is the most user-friendly software. They have more features than you'll ever need and it makes collaboration a breeze. The system always functions as it should and most of the time the development team is several steps ahead, putting out new features that are actually helpful. The fact that they work with groups like renewed vision to integrate with propresenter is incredibly valuable. Everything being cloud based also makes it easy to collaborate between departments on events. Their groups search is easy to use, resolution-responsive and looks great integrated into any website. The kiosk option in their events module makes dynamic calendar-based digital signage really simple. Everyone who has ever resisted adopting planning center at our church has eventually come around to really like it. Cons If you have a need for a feature the development team is going to tell you that they may add it one day and never commit to a release. Also they don't offer any training other than videos online - for savvy people this isn't much of a problem because their interface is so user friendly, but if you have staff who refuse to learn things on their own this will deter them from wanting to adopt planning center - though it shouldn't because it is really easy to learn. The pricing model can be somewhat confusing at times and I wish there was more of a discount for people using multiple modules; a large church can get close to spending a thousand dollars a month without much trouble, though I know this is comparable to some other platforms and honestly you get what you pay for. Review Source DS Daniel S. Worship Minister Religious Institutions Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Comparison to WorshipTeam software" September 11, 2019 4.0 Overall, I do like Planning Center, but I am really torn, because the "Cons" chew up a ton of my time. In my previous church (5 years ago), I DID use Planning Center and thought it was great. I realize that Planning Center is the "BIG PLAYER", but there are definitely things they could improve to make the experience easier. Pros 1\. Parts Storage - I can store my keyboard parts, lead sheets, chord sheets all in one place 2. Templates for services is very handy - saves a couple minutes each week allowing me to just add in my songs and any special things happening in the service. 3. Matrix view of plans and people - I do my people planning every 2 months, so it's nice to see 2 months worth of services all on one screen and fill in the blanks. 4. Black out dates - each team member can block out dates that they are not available, so I don't even need to bother asking them 5. Music Stand app - allows all of my musicians to be totally paperless (using an ipad), even my piano player (since I can import her music right into planning center along with my lead sheets from SongSelect). In WorshipTeam, I first have to create a PDF, and I can only create the PDF with Chord charts. I can actually turn pages for all of my musicians simultaneously using a session. 6. Notifications - I love the automatic notifications of members for upcoming services they are assigned to 7. Church Management - great tool for planning nursery workers, sunday school workers, ushers, greeters, etc. And they all get email/text reminders too! 8. Auto import of chord charts from SongSelect is great (too bad it won't also import my lead sheets) 9. I have heard of the ability to automatically create my projection slides from my weekly plan including proper sequence for each song - no mismatch of words between slides and chord charts. Cons 1\. Transposing songs is PAINFUL! In WorshipTeam, I can transpose with one click. I don't have to manually transpose the MP3 for the song and the chord chart is automatically transposed too. In our church, we have a lot of altos and basses. Rarely do we ever do a song in the original key. 2. Library is self populated. In WorshipTeam, I have the songs I have added to the library, but also all the songs that everyone else has added. So, for contemporary songs, they are usually already in the library for my use all ready to go. When I have a substitute worship leader, they are extremely daunted by the task of adding a song to the library in Planning Center. I don't know if they will ever do it even though I wrote out a procedure for them. 3. Not sure, but I think the storage area is limited in Planning Center. So, if I have created to many alternate keys of songs, I will eventually run out of space? 4. CCLI reporting is more complicated. With WorshipTeam, a report is easily created with one click and I don't have to keep track of anything on a weekly basis. Reason for choosing Planning Center I have used it before, and it seems to be the software of choice for most of the worship industry Review Source Response from Planning Center September 12, 2019 Thanks for your honest review, Daniel! Many of the items in your CONS list are things we can help you with. Would you reach out to our support team at support@planning.center and we'll help get some of these pain points resolved! Darien C. Associate Pastor Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Impressive Church Management Software that is constantly improving" October 9, 2020 5.0 Planning Center is a life-saver for our organization, freeing up our time to focus on the people that truly matter. Planning Center has allowed us to implement robust systems to manage a lot of our administrative work; simplifying our lives and helping keep our teams on the same page. Pros Planning Center offers a robust set of applications that help create a comprehensive church management platform. Combining the useful features of PC People (such as workflows, forms, database management, etc) with their Service management system (Services), Group management system (Groups), Calendar application (Calendar), Attendance tracking systems (Check-ins), Giving platform (Giving) and event registration platform (Registrations) creates a very robust set of tools that help make church management easy. Paired with the Church Center app (provided with PC People), you also gain access to a consumer facing application where church members can join groups, register for events, give, and even check-in their kids - all from one central hub. All of these separate platforms have their individual strengths, but overall combined they form an integrated church management solution that offers useful features and well-designed software that is constantly improving based on the feedback of their customers. Cons Planning Center is a platform that is constantly growing, which of course means that there are always areas of improvement. The beauty of PC is that they are constantly monitoring what is missing, and working on improving in those areas - so anything I list here really are minor issues that will likely be addressed in the near future. Two crucial things that they are missing are a few back-end admin tools, such as a robust security options (such as 2FA) and a simple user management interface. Currently, there is no way to enforce password security for PC users with access to people's personal information, nor is there a way to require (or even implement) 2FA. On top of this, managing people's access levels to different planning center applications cannot be managed from a simple back end admin location - rather to add (or remove) permissions you need to manually visit each separate application, access the users profile, and add/remove the permissions on an application-by-application basis. All this are mere annoyances regarding security, and are things that I believe will be addressed in PC's feature roadmap Review Source JR Justin R. Church Administrator Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Planning Center - Great Value, Product and Service!" May 24, 2022 5.0 Planning Center makes life in a busy church manageable! It gives me the confidence that things aren't getting overlooked and that our members can have an enjoyable experience every time the doors are open! If I were asked to cut the budget, this would be one product I'd fight for. Pros Planning Center is your one-stop shop for all things related to managing a growing and thriving church! I don't even want to begin thinking about how we would manage membership, service planning, small groups, communications, and everything else that goes into running a church without this software. It is definitely worth every penny! Cons There isn't really anything I don't like about Planning Center. If I had to choose one pain point it would be that there are so many features within each module that its difficult to understand all the ways they interacts. I'm constantly learning new things and how this product can make our job easier in many ways! Review Source Response from Planning Center July 13, 2022 Hi Justin, Thanks for your kind words! You mentioned having a bit of trouble understanding all of the features we offer and how it's a lot to learn. Our Support Team is a great resource for help in that area. Hit the '?' icon in the upper-right of the screen when you are looking at your List. Send us a message and our team will jump in to help! Thanks! TM Tania M. Finance Administrator Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Customizable packages - value for money" January 23, 2023 5.0 Overall this is a great program, a great way to keep everything in one place and keep all databases accurate. It helps keep our small groups organized, our calendar organized, and is great for registrations.We track giving and use it for receipts and it has worked nicely for that as well, and takes into account CDN giving rules/laws. Pros I love that you can customize which modules you need. You can try a module for 30 days, you don't pay for large usage unless you need it. They give a grace period, where you can get the small package but if you use it more for one month, you don't have to upgrade. It keeps donor management and people database in the same place, so if someone changes their address, it is changed across all modules. Cons Reports seem to be difficult to generate accurate results. For example, if you want to generate a report that includes everyone who gave any amount in the past year and attended an event or volunteered. We have tried this report and didn't get back proper results when run by someone other than the giving users. They don't need to know specifics on giving but should be able to add that as a criteria. Also, if someone accidentally deletes a user then there is no way to get them back even if they had giving. There should be a safeguard in place so that only giving users can delete a profile that has giving.I don't like that you cannot use VISA/MC debit for paying, Review Source Response from Planning Center January 25, 2023 Thanks for your kind words, Tania! You mentioned having a bit of trouble with List rules in People. A People Admin that is not a Giving Admin cannot access Giving list conditions. This is a guardrail and privacy structure we created intentionally. Only a Giving Admin can run a list to return that info. Also, if you delete a user, we still keep the records of these donations that can be reassigned to the donor's correct profile or if you need to recreate the profile. Lastly, there are different regulations in Canada that are above our control as far as what cards are allowed but we will submit this as a Feature request. Our Support Team is an excellent resource for help in that area. Hit the '?' icon in the upper-right of the screen when you are looking at your List. Thanks again! LF Lauren F. President and Director Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Planning Center: A Must do for Any Ministry" May 11, 2024 5.0 My experience with Planning Center has always been good. The Services platform is amazing and I love using it to plan worship and create service orders. Their customer service reps are always so nice. There was even a time of financial struggle in one of the churches. I reduced our system down to the free level and the reps were so nice and even credited back money we had prepaid. Planning Center is customizable, affordable, and a great resource for any ministry, church or nonprofit. Pros I love Planning Center. I have worked in several churches and have started planning center from the ground up on several occasions. Every feature is very intuitive. It was so easy to learn and set-up. I have been an administrator as well and love the ability to view what others in the system do. It is great at sending email reminders. There are so many features you can customize for your own ministry situation. It transposes chord charts for you. What I am describing is just Planning Center's Services platform because I am the most familiar with that part. There other applications are useful and helpful as well. Cons It is truly had to think of a con. The smallest complaint I have is minor. I download the chord charts I make in Planning Center chord chart maker as pdfs. When I have gone to a new system, I can only upload the pdf...I cannot change the song's key or arrangement in the chord chart maker as I could before in the prior system. But again, that's minor. Reason for choosing Planning Center I don't know what other products would even compare honestly and I have never thought of using anything else. Review Source ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox. Talk to a Capterra advisor for free and get results within 15 minutes.