Planning Center Alternatives (2026): An Honest Comparison
Quick summary: The main Planning Center alternatives in 2026 are ChurchPlanner (churchplanner.ca, flat ~$7 to $14 USD/mo all-inclusive, billed in CAD, built in Canada), Breeze/Tithely Church Management (flat $72 USD/mo with giving included), ChurchTrac ($9 to $90 USD/mo tiered by people tracked), and Tithe.ly All Access ($119 USD/mo bundle with app and website). Planning Center itself runs a typical 150-person church $160 to $180 USD/mo across modules. ChurchPlanner is the lowest-priced unlimited flat plan; ChurchTrac has the lowest entry price; Tithe.ly is the most complete bundle. Pricing verified July 2, 2026.
First, the honest part: Planning Center is good software. Over 80,000 churches use it, the products are polished, and the free People database is a real gift to small churches. If it fits your church and your budget, you do not need this page.
Churches usually start searching for a Planning Center alternative for one of three reasons. The per-module pricing adds up (a typical 150-person church lands around $160 to $180 USD per month, and we show the math in what Planning Center actually costs). The system is more than they need, ten products deep when they wanted attendance and a volunteer schedule. Or they are outside the US and tired of paying USD prices with exchange on top.
Full disclosure: ChurchPlanner, the first option below, is our product. We built this comparison anyway because the honest version is more useful to you than a rigged one, and every claim here is verifiable. All pricing was checked against official public pricing pages on July 2, 2026.
Planning Center alternatives at a glance
| Pricing model | Monthly cost (USD unless noted) | Best fit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChurchPlanner | Flat, all features | ~$7 or ~$14 (billed in CAD) | Small to mid-size churches that want planning, scheduling, and attendance without module math |
| Breeze (now Tithely Church Management) | Flat | $72 | Churches that want one simple all-rounder with giving built in |
| ChurchTrac | Tiered by people tracked | $9 to $90 | Budget-focused churches comfortable with a leaner interface |
| Tithe.ly All Access | Flat bundle | $119 | Churches that want ChMS, app, website, and giving from one vendor |
| Planning Center | Per module, tiered | ~$45 to $240+ | Larger churches using many modules deeply |
ChurchPlanner
One subscription, every feature. Premium runs about $7 USD/mo (100 contacts) and Pro about $14 to $15 USD/mo with unlimited contacts, SMS notifications, and all future features included. Prices are billed in Canadian dollars ($9.99 and $19.99 CAD), which is why the US price is lower than the sticker number; the exchange rate is a discount, not a markup.
For Canadian churches: ChurchPlanner is the one option on this page that bills in CAD. You pay exactly $9.99 or $19.99 with no exchange added, while every other tool here charges USD plus conversion. The core is ministry planning, volunteer scheduling, events, fast multi-device attendance, contacts, reports, and locations. It is built and supported in New Brunswick, Canada by people who plan real services in a real congregation every week.
What it does not do today: donation processing, event registrations, or a congregation-facing app. If those are hard requirements right now, keep reading.
It also includes a free ChordPro converter and transposer for worship teams.
Breeze / Tithely Church Management
Breeze built its reputation on being the simple one, and the flat $72/mo price with unlimited people is easy to reason about. It now belongs to Tithe.ly and is sold as Tithely Church Management; same product, new name. Giving is included with standard processing fees, and text messaging beyond 250 messages a month costs extra ($10 per 500). Worship planning tools are a $29/mo add-on, which stings if scheduling bands is your main job.
ChurchTrac
The budget option, priced by how many people you track: $9/mo for 75 names up to $90/mo unlimited, with accounting (+$15) and messaging (+$7) as add-ons. It covers a surprising amount, including giving, check-in, and worship planning, in the base price. The trade-off is a dated interface and the "names" meter, which effectively charges you for keeping good records. The old free plan is gone; 75 names now costs $9/mo.
Tithe.ly All Access
If you want everything from one vendor, the $119/mo All Access bundle includes the Breeze-based ChMS, giving, text-to-give, worship tools, a church website, and a church app (the app alone is $89/mo bought separately). It is the most complete bundle on this list, and also the most expensive flat price. Worth it if you would genuinely use the app and website; poor value if you only need the ChMS core.
Staying with Planning Center
Also a legitimate answer. If you are multi-campus, run heavy event registrations, or live inside Services with a large team, Planning Center's depth is hard to match, and its no-contract policy means you can trim modules instead of leaving. Our advice: audit which modules you actually use each month against the tier you pay for. Churches often find one or two subscriptions running a tier higher than their real usage.
How to choose
Pick by your actual weekly workflow, not the feature list. If Sunday runs on volunteer schedules and attendance sheets, a flat-price planner (ChurchPlanner, about $14 USD) does the job for a tenth of a full stack. If online giving is the center of gravity, Breeze at $72 or Tithe.ly's bundle makes more sense. If the budget is the constraint, ChurchTrac's $9 entry point is unmatched. And if you are big enough to use five Planning Center modules deeply, Planning Center probably stays.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Planning Center alternative? It depends on what drives your Sunday. For planning, scheduling, and attendance at a flat price, ChurchPlanner. For an all-rounder with giving built in, Breeze. For the tightest budget, ChurchTrac. For a full bundle with app and website, Tithe.ly All Access. There is no single best; there is a best fit for how your church actually works.
What is the cheapest Planning Center alternative? ChurchTrac starts at $9 USD/mo for 75 people. ChurchPlanner Premium is about $7 USD/mo with a 100-contact limit, and Pro is about $14 USD/mo unlimited, which makes it the lowest-priced unlimited plan on this page.
Is there a Canadian alternative to Planning Center? ChurchPlanner is built, hosted, and supported in Canada and bills in CAD, so Canadian churches pay sticker price with no exchange added. Planning Center, Breeze, ChurchTrac, and Tithe.ly all price in USD. ChurchPlanner serves churches on both sides of the border; US churches simply pay the converted (lower) amount.
Does Planning Center have contracts? No. Planning Center, Breeze, ChurchTrac, and ChurchPlanner all offer month-to-month billing with no cancellation fees, so switching is a data question, not a legal one.
Can I try these before switching? All five offer free trials: 30 days for Planning Center, Breeze, ChurchTrac, and Tithe.ly. ChurchPlanner offers a free trial plus two months free on yearly billing.
Pricing verified July 2, 2026 from each vendor's official pricing page. Planning Center, Breeze, Tithe.ly, and ChurchTrac are trademarks of their respective owners. ChurchPlanner is not affiliated with any of them. Found something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.