COMPARISON
GrowCongregations vs.
Planning Center Online
Planning Center is built around modules you pay for separately. GrowCongregations bundles everything — website, giving, streaming, CRM, email, and discipleship — into one flat price.
Pricing comparison
Planning Center charges per module, per congregation size. Costs add up fast.
GrowCongregations
Core$99/mo
Standard$199/mo
Pro$349/mo
- All features included at each tier
- No per-member fees
- Website, giving, streaming, CRM, email — all included
- One login. One dashboard.
Planning Center Online
People (25 members)$14/mo
Services$14/mo
Groups$14/mo
Registrations$14/mo
Giving2.9% + $0.30/txn
- Each module priced separately
- Price scales with congregation size
- No website builder included
- No live streaming included
- No email marketing included
A 200-member church using People + Services + Groups + Giving on Planning Center can easily reach $80–$150/mo — without a website or live streaming. GrowCongregations Standard covers all of that and more for $199/mo flat.
Feature-by-feature
| Feature | GrowCongregations | Planning Center |
|---|---|---|
| Church Website | ✓ Included | ✗ Not included |
| Live Streaming | ✓ Included (Standard+) | ✗ Not included |
| Online Giving | ✓ Stripe direct deposit | ~ 2.9% + $0.30/txn fee |
| People / CRM | ✓ Included | ~ Separate module |
| Groups | ✓ Included (Standard+) | ~ Separate module |
| Email Newsletter | ✓ Included | ✗ Not included |
| Events / RSVP | ✓ Included | ~ Registrations module |
| Sermon Library | ✓ Included (Standard+) | ✗ Not included |
| Discipleship / Courses | ✓ Included (Standard+) | ✗ Not included |
| Member Portal App | ✓ PWA included (Pro) | ~ Church Center app |
| Bilingual support | ✓ Built-in (EN/ES) | ✗ English only |
| Per-member pricing | ✓ None — flat rate | ✗ Yes — scales with size |
| Campaign / Announcement zones | ✓ Included | ✗ Not included |
| SMS Messaging | ✓ Twilio integration | ~ Via third-party |
| Setup & onboarding | ✓ Done-for-you | ~ Self-service |
The honest difference
Planning Center is great if…
- You already have a website you love and don't need a new one
- Your church has a full-time admin who can manage multiple platforms
- You only need one or two modules and don't mind paying per feature
- You have a large congregation and budget to match
GrowCongregations is better if…
- You want one login that runs your entire digital ministry
- Your staff isn't technical and needs a simple dashboard
- You serve a bilingual or Spanish-speaking congregation
- You're tired of paying separately for website, giving, email, and streaming
- You want live streaming and a website included from day one
See what it looks like for your church
20-minute call. No sales script. We'll walk through your ministry's setup and give you a straight answer on whether this is the right fit.