Rating
4.7
1,138 reviews
Categories
2
Founded
2006
Employees
230
Planning Center’s the all-in-one church management software that helps churches help people. It gives leaders, teams, and congregants a single place to organize, connect, and get involved. No matter your size, Planning Center’s the easy-to-use platform for: - Scheduling volunteers - Accepting online donations - Creating event signups - Establishing safe and secure family check-ins And so much more! Find out all you can do from the freedom of a 30-day trial. No credit card needed! And, when you’re ready to upgrade, you only pay for what you need, when you need it, and cancel whenever you want.
Ad spend / mo
$2K
99 paid keywords
Paid visits / mo
783
Organic keywords
13,270
Organic visits / mo
203,284
Authority
50
3,308 ref domains
Creatives run
34
as Ministry Centered Technologies, Inc.
Active now
19
last 14 days
Advertising since
Aug 2023
2.5+ yrs running
Last seen
today
still active
Running 15 ads on LinkedIn as Planning Center - a paid B2B channel, on top of any Google/Capterra spend. Includes video creative.
The shared messaging across Church & Congregation Management Software advertisers - the validated angles to copy. See the niche →
(1,138 reviews)
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: $8c
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.
Paula G. · Admin · Religious Institutions · May 14, 2026
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!
| Category | Page | Rank | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Church Management | 1 | 3 | AdShortlist |
Domain confidence 99%
| Keyword they bid on | CPC | Pos | % budget | Landing page |
|---|
Service planning
Conduct Church Services — Service planning, songs, and volunteer scheduling in one app. Start free, no CC needed. Smooth services from start to finish. Coordinate church events with easy-to-use software. Intuitive features.
https://www.planningcenter.com › worship › services
Planning Center Online Registration
Church Event Planning — Planning Center, the all-in-one church event software. Get your free account, no CC needed
https://www.planningcenter.com › church_event › registration
Planning Center Registration
Church Event Planning — Planning Center, the all-in-one church event software. Get your free account, no CC needed. Make event signyup easy, accept payments fast, and run events like a pro. iOS & Android Apps.
https://www.planningcenter.com › church_event › registration
Planning Center Church App
Church Management Made Easy — Moving to a brand new system is hard! We can help you do it smoothly. Connect your entire...
https://www.planningcenter.com
Church Event Planning Software | Run Church Events
Centralize church event management and avoid unnecessary hiccups. Start free today.Centralize Every Church Event. Share a Central View of Events. Share Comprehensive Event Info
https://www.planningcenter.com
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.
Amber M. · Owner · Design · March 6, 2026
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.
Andy H. · Associate Pastor of Worship · Religious Institutions · February 25, 2026
On the whole, this is still a good product that allows for a lot of leadership and administrative tasks. We've found usage for lots of tasks.
Pros: Since my original review, we've rolled out Planning Center church-wide (previously, we'd only used it for leadership tasks). Overall, this has been good and helpful for our congregation; we can communicate easily with the whole church, online giving, event planning, and other activities are beneficial. The program is intuitive - to a point. Some of the back-end work takes some effort to figure out, but there are good resources available to help learn the product.
Cons: The biggest drawback we've found is the directory. Every person must opt-in to have their information public, and there is no option to change that. This has proven to be difficult - we've gotten a lot of people to adopt this, but it's not always been easy. And, for some users it's proven too technically difficult. There are a few glitches that we've noticed among users, depending on which OS they use. So church-wide rollout wasn't quite as smooth as I would have liked.
Robert T. · Pastor · Religious Institutions · February 9, 2026
There's a reason Planning Center Services is so ubiquitous in the church world. It's extremely effective in helping to organize your teams and help them prepare each week. They've continued to add more features over the years, and it's only gotten better with each new release.
Pros: It's extremely effective in scheduling volunteers for Sunday mornings and for equipping them with the resources they need to prepare the week before.
Cons: While it's a very capable and powerful platform, this can also be a little overwhelming for a first time user in regards to choice fatigue.
Matt B. · Interim Worship Leader · Religious Institutions · January 2, 2026
It's occasionally confusing to set up certain steps/flows, but once the initial startup process is done, it's fairly hands-off to allow the forms and flows to run themselves week in and week out. Reliable software for managing members.
Pros: Helps us track our attendees, schedule volunteers and service positions, and allows us to safely and effectively sign-in children and students in-lieu of a headcount.
Cons: Price is significantly higher than it ought to be, simply because they can get away with it. There isn't a ton of high-quality competition in this space, so P.C. can get away with charging what it does.
Isaac S. · Communications Director · Religious Institutions · October 2, 2025
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.
Duane D. · Pastor · Religious Institutions · September 18, 2025
Excellent overall experience in tracking attendance, visitors, and check-ins. The workflows help keep me on track with activities that need to be done.
Pros: Planning Center is a All In One Church Management System - it does so many things but it can do it all in one spot
Cons: It does so much that you almost do not know where to begin - the training videos are useful to help navigate
Jennifer A. · Connections Pastor · Religious Institutions · August 7, 2025
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.
Alicia N. · Teacher · Education Management · August 3, 2025
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.
Kylee A. · Communications Director · Religious Institutions · August 3, 2025
I love Planning Center so much that I have incorporated into two different churches that I am part of.
Pros: Planning Center was made for churches and by people who work in churches. It is super easy, user friendly, and works well with a variety of different things that are essential in church software. The value of money is great. It is affordable and customer service is awesome!
Cons: For me personally, there’s not a lot of cons when it comes to Planning Center. I think one of the cons is that you have to be specific when looking something up in the Help form for any of the apps within Planning Center. I sometimes wish there was more videos about each app within but it does a good job.
Kelsan W. · Minister of Youth and Education · Non-Profit Organization Management · July 31, 2025
Pros: Planning Center is a great church management software tool that is very user friendly, great for varying size congregations, and offers wonderful customer support.
Cons: Planning Center can at times be limited in its functionality but on the good side has ways of working around to accomplish what you need (or at least think you need).
Billy A. · Associate Pastor · Religious Institutions · July 24, 2025
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.
Jami B. · Guest Experience · Religious Institutions · July 22, 2025
It's been a great experience. We never experience error issues; there's always support to help us navigate any questions we have. There's also integration of vital functions like background checks. Planning Center helps keep all our teams communicating and unified.
Pros: Planning Center is the most vital tool we use for our non-profit. Through it we manage our teams, income, contacts, registrations, calendar, and service order development. It keeps us moving and on track to accomplish our ministry goals.
Cons: So far, I don't have any issues with Planning Center. I've been using it for over five years, and it's become a daily used tool on my phone and computer.
Aaron B. · Senior Pastor · Non-Profit Organization Management · June 27, 2025
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.
Steven G. · Pastor · Religious Institutions · June 19, 2025
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.
Travis S. · Communications Director · Non-Profit Organization Management · June 9, 2025
Pros: It's user friendly, all volunteers are able to learn and use. Easy to schedule. I love the app, super mobile friendly.
Cons: It does seem to glitch a lot, I have to refresh. Some limitations when scheduling - would like some more customization when scheduling.
Natalie J. · Business Relations Executive · Food & Beverages · May 24, 2025
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
Hannah M. · Creative arts coordinator · Religious Institutions · May 15, 2025
Overall, I whole-heartedly recommend PCO. Once you learn the software, it is easy to use. Their support is quick to respond to any bugs I've encountered.
Pros: Planning Center offers a great one-stop shop Church Management Software with great features for Members Database, Events Management, and Calendaring.
Cons: Planning Center has a lot of features, so it can come with a steep learning curve for those who haven't used it before.
Taylor S. · Students Director · Non-Profit Organization Management · April 24, 2025
Very good. Customer support is good. Product it the best. The value for what you get with Planning Center is very good!
Pros: Planning Center offers so much and it all works together. They are the best out there. Service planning, giving, small groups, registrations, church calendar, church app, people, child check in... all working together, amazing!
Cons: Not much, amazing product. We did move to Worship Tools for service planning because it automatically makes our slides in Presenter. But other than that Planning Center is the best!
Robert B. · Pastor · Non-Profit Organization Management · April 21, 2025
Planning Center has been a wonderful tool for our ministry.
Pros: Planning Center helps us keep our teams and services organized
Cons: It can be difficult to jump back and forth between the different modules.
Marcy C. · Executive Communications Assistant · Religious Institutions · April 10, 2025
Has been extremely helpful in streamlining our systems and helped us become more efficient.
Pros: Ability to integrate several modules together.
Cons: The services module is not very kids ministry friendly.
Crystal N. · Children’s Director · Religious Institutions · March 11, 2025
Overall it has been pretty good. Wish the cost was a little lower.
Pros: The name tags that we use for church each week when people check in makes it easier to greet and get to know others.
Cons: The cost is a little high. And the worship planning platform is really confusing and cumbersome. Integration with constant contact would be great!
Nathaniel O. · Senior Pastor · Religious Institutions · March 7, 2025
We love planning center as it engages everyone involved and gives a variety of people the platform to speak into a series or specific service or event. Many small potentially overlooked details get caught
Pros: Anyone from anywhere can be a part of the service planning and others on the team can view it in real time!
Cons: Sometimes the navigation gets a littel cumbersome and it's hard to find exactly what you are looking for
AL M. · Senior Pastor · Religious Institutions · March 1, 2025
Overall, very pleased with the functions of Planning Center. This product allows our church to successful run ministries, track member engagement, steward relationships and connection with people, among many other capabilities.
Pros: The organized convenience of having almost every form of information about church members using features like groups, checkin, registrations, services, etc. is highly valuable. I do enjoy the customization opportunities to use specific church language, as well as the ability to use other supported platforms in combination.
Cons: I don't enjoy the updated group chat feature as much as I did the functionality of it before.
Stephanie W. · Kids Director · Religious Institutions · February 27, 2025
| Donation Management | 1 | 19 | - |
