Planning Center alternatives: how Breeze, ChurchTrac, Tithely and Subsplash compare
Short answer: The main Planning Center alternatives are Breeze, ChurchTrac, Tithely and Subsplash. Planning Center sells each product on its own, with free tiers and paid tiers that grow with your church, and charges 2.15% plus 30 cents on card gifts as of October 2026. Breeze charges one flat $72 a month with unlimited contacts. ChurchTrac starts at $29 a month for up to 75 people. Subsplash suits churches that want an app, media and giving in one package.
You're weighing Planning Center against the alternatives for your church or ministry, and want a fair comparison.
I'm Ranjit, and I run Blur Studio: 15+ years building software, 120 apps taken live, and clients who have gone on to raise $10M+. I build AI systems and processes that help businesses do a lot more with a lot less time. I also work differently from most of what else is out there, more on that further down this page. Say hello.
How does Planning Center pricing work?
Planning Center sells each product on its own. You only pay for the products you use. Each one has a free tier, and the paid tiers are based on how much your church uses that product.
| Planning Center product | Free tier | What the paid price is based on |
|---|---|---|
| People | Free, unlimited database | Always free |
| Services | Up to 5 team members | Team members with access, and file storage |
| Giving | Up to 10 donations a month | Donations processed each month |
| Groups | Up to 15 group members | Members in active groups |
| Check-Ins | Up to 10 check-ins a day | Check-ins on your busiest day |
| Calendar | 1 room, unlimited events | Rooms you manage |
| Registrations | Up to 5 attendees | Attendees at your largest signup |
The calculator on Planning Center's pricing page shows the monthly total for your church. Planning Center has no contracts or setup fees, and new sign-ups get a 30-day free trial. Its help page says you can pay monthly or yearly.
Giving fees in the US are 2.15% plus 30 cents for cards and a flat 30 cents for bank transfers. International cards add 1.5%. Planning Center also says churches can apply to have Giving free for 12 months.
Why do churches look for a Planning Center alternative?
These reasons come from how Planning Center prices its products. They affect some churches more than others.
- The bill grows with you: Each paid product moves up a tier as your church grows. When you pass a limit, Planning Center emails your admin to review the plan. Its help page says a short spike, such as Easter, is fine.
- Many products add up: A church that uses Services, Giving, Groups and Check-Ins pays for each one.
- Some want one flat price: A fixed monthly cost is easier to put in a church budget.
- Some want an app and website in one place: The Church Center app is free, but custom branding is a paid add-on.
What are the best Planning Center alternatives?
Blur Studio (best value)
A ready-built, well-tested core with a different pricing model: no per-seat fees, and it covers almost all the features you'd actually need, usually working out to the best value for money. On top of that, Blur Studio builds owned customizations, meaning you can ask for it to be modified to your exact specifications, and you own those modifications outright. Learn more over a quick call with me, Ranjit.
- Best for: Businesses that need software that works without barriers, no unnecessary fees and options to customize it to their needs.
Breeze ChMS
Breeze charges one flat rate of $72 a month for church management with free giving. Its page says there are no pricing tiers or limits based on your church's growth. That price includes unlimited contacts, admin users and emails, plus events, groups, check-in, volunteer scheduling and service planning.
Text messages include 250 free a month, then $10 per 500. Worship Tools costs $29 a month. Breeze also sells a $119 a month bundle with its worship tools plus Tithely's church apps and sites. There are no setup fees and no contract, and Breeze offers a 30-day free trial.
Best for: Small and mid-size churches that want one fixed price and simple tools.
ChurchTrac
ChurchTrac prices by the number of people in your database. Every adult, child, member or donor counts as one name, and archived names don't count.
| People limit | Monthly price |
|---|---|
| 75 | $29 |
| 125 | $39 |
| 250 | $59 |
| 500 | $79 |
| 1,000 | $99 |
| Unlimited | $119 |
Yearly billing saves 10%. Enhanced messaging costs $7 a month for 250 credits. ChurchTrac offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card, and its team imports your data from a spreadsheet or your old provider for free.
Best for: Small churches and church plants on a tight budget.
Tithely
Tithely started with giving and now sells a full set of church tools. Free Giving has no monthly fee, with standard card fees. Church Management costs $72 a month, the Mobile Church App costs $89 a month and Sites costs $19 a month. The All-Access bundle costs $119 a month and includes giving, apps, sites and church management.
US processing fees are 2.9% plus 30 cents for cards, 1% plus 30 cents for bank transfers and 3.5% plus 30 cents for Amex. Every plan includes a 30-day free trial.
Best for: Churches that want giving, an app and a website from one company.
Subsplash
Subsplash Giving has no monthly fee. Subsplash One adds websites, media hosting, custom mobile and TV apps, live streaming, people and group tools, child check-in and service planning. Subsplash prices Subsplash One based on church size and usage, so you get a quote. On Subsplash One, card gifts cost 2.3% plus 30 cents and bank transfers cost 1%.
Best for: Churches where media, streaming and a branded app matter most.
How do the alternatives compare?
| Tool | Starts at (October 2026) | How the price grows | US card giving fee | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planning Center | Free tiers on each product | Each product by usage | 2.15% + 30¢ | Churches that want deep tools per area |
| Breeze | $72 a month | Flat rate | Not listed | One fixed price |
| ChurchTrac | $29 a month | By people count | Not listed | Small churches |
| Tithely | $0 for giving | By product or bundle | 2.9% + 30¢ | Giving plus apps and sites |
| Subsplash | $0 for giving | Quote by size and usage | 2.3% + 30¢ on Subsplash One | Media and branded apps |
Before you switch, add up a full year. Include software, giving fees on your real giving totals, texting and any app or website costs. A small change in the card rate can matter more than the software price.
Planning Center vs Breeze: which is right for your church?
- Choose Planning Center if: You want deep tools for worship planning, check-in or groups, and you only need some of its products. Many small churches can run parts of it on free tiers.
- Choose Breeze if: You want every feature for one flat $72 a month, with unlimited contacts and admins, and you don't want the bill to move as you grow.
Ask each vendor how you export people, giving history and groups if you leave. Check giving records with care, since donors need correct year-end statements.
When does a custom tool make sense for a church or ministry?
Most churches should buy one of these tools. They cover the common needs well, at a monthly price most churches can budget for. A custom tool is worth the cost for churches in these situations.
- You run more than a church: For example, a church with a school, a food bank and a counseling center, where each runs on a different tool.
- You have unusual programs: You run a training course, a mission trip program or a camp with its own sign-up and payment rules.
- Your tools don't share data: Staff copy names between giving, events and volunteer lists by hand every week.
- You want AI help for staff: For example, a tool that drafts follow-up messages for new visitors, or answers common questions from members.
Often the best path is to keep your church software and build the missing piece next to it. My guide to nonprofit CRM covers donor and volunteer tools, and AI for nonprofits gives more examples of where AI saves staff time.
How would Blur Studio help?
I usually start by sitting with your church office for a normal week. Who enters visitor cards, who sends follow-ups, and who copies names from one list to another? Some of that can be fixed inside Planning Center or the tool you pick. For what is left, I build a small tool, such as a visitor follow-up flow, and connect it to your church software. Your church holds the code and every account, and I support it after launch.
Need something completely custom?
Everything above is a path to get it running quick and cheap. But sometimes the honest answer is that none of those quite fit, and what you actually need is something custom that you own, built uniquely for your business from the ground up, with AI thoughtfully designed into the parts of it that your processes actually benefit from. An asset that grows in value, not a generic, one-size-fits-all boilerplate that's an expense with a lock-in. This is a complete bespoke build, and it's something I do very well. Get in touch to know more.
Questions people ask
Is Planning Center free?
Every Planning Center product has a free tier, and People is free with an unlimited database, as of October 2026. Paid tiers apply once your church passes a product's free limit, such as 5 team members in Services or 10 donations a month in Giving.
What does Planning Center Giving charge?
As of October 2026, Planning Center Giving charges 2.15% plus 30 cents for US card gifts and a flat 30 cents for bank transfers. International cards add 1.5%.
Is Breeze cheaper than Planning Center?
Breeze charges one flat $72 a month with unlimited contacts, as of October 2026. Planning Center can cost less for a small church that uses only a few products on free tiers. A larger church using many products may find a flat price easier to budget.
What is a good Subsplash alternative?
Tithely offers giving, a church app, websites and church management, with an All-Access bundle at $119 a month as of October 2026. Breeze sells a $119 bundle with Tithely's apps and sites too.
What is the cheapest church management software?
ChurchTrac starts at $29 a month for up to 75 people, as of October 2026. Planning Center's free tiers can also work for a very small church.
Roughly what does this cost?
As a broad reference, fixes and finishes start at around $1,500, and new builds start higher, always a fixed price agreed in writing before I start, never an hourly rate. My AI app cost guide explains what actually drives a quote up or down.
Is my project too small for this?
No. Most of the owners I work with have no tech team at all, that is the whole point. If the smarter move is a cheap software subscription instead of custom software, I will tell you that on the first call, even though it means I do not get paid.