Planning Center built its reputation on service planning and volunteer scheduling, and it earns it. If your worship team's primary need is service order management, song libraries, and volunteer communication, Planning Center Services is genuinely excellent.
Tithely vs Planning Center: full feature comparison
See how both platforms stack up across giving, church management, communication, and more.
| Feature |
Tithely All Access |
Planning Center |
| Pricing |
| Monthly cost |
$119/mo flat rate |
$200–$1,000+/mo |
| Price scales with congregation size |
Never increases |
Yes — grows as you grow |
| Per-module billing |
No — everything included |
Yes — each module billed separately |
| Free trial |
30 days, no card required |
Limited free tier available |
| Giving |
| Online giving |
Included free |
Add-on product, extra cost |
| Recurring giving |
Included |
Available via Giving add-on |
| Donor fee coverage |
Yes — 60% of donors opt in |
US only |
| Text giving |
Included |
Available via Giving add-on |
| NFC tap giving (physical tap point) |
Tithely Tap — included |
Not available |
| Giving data synced to ChMS |
Native, automatic sync |
Requires separate integration |
| People & church management |
| People / member database |
Included |
Included |
| Attendance tracking |
Included |
Included |
| Groups management |
Included |
Separate module — extra cost |
| Events & check-in |
Included, unlimited |
Separate module — extra cost |
| Background checks |
Included |
Not available |
| Service planning & volunteers |
| Service & worship planning |
Included |
Included |
| Volunteer scheduling |
Included |
Included |
| Volunteers need their own account |
No account required |
Yes — required for scheduling |
| Communication |
| Email messaging |
Included |
Limited — full messaging is add-on |
| Text messaging |
Included (up to 250 msg/mo) |
Limited — full messaging is add-on |
|
| Push notifications via church app |
Included |
Not available |
| Digital presence |
| Custom church mobile app |
Included — iOS & Android |
Not available |
| Church website builder |
Included |
Not available |
| Support |
| Phone, chat & email support |
Included, no contracts |
Varies by plan |
| Onboarding & training resources |
Tithely University — free |
Included |
| GDPR compliance |
Compliant |
Compliant |
Ready to make the switch?
Everything your church needs.
One flat price. No surprises.
Tithely All Access includes giving, church management, a custom app, a website, and service planning—all for $119/month, no matter how much your church grows.
5 more reasons churches are switching from Planning Center
Your app. Your name. Your brand.
Tithely includes both a church website and a fully branded mobile app. Your app can feature your church’s name, logo, colors, content, sermons, events, groups, messaging, and giving, and it can be published in the Apple App Store and Google Play under your church’s own name. Instead of sending members to a third-party platform, you give them a digital experience that feels like a true extension of your church.
With PCO, no church website or custom-branded mobile app is included. Planning Center gives congregants access through Church Center, a shared Planning Center app that can display your church’s logo, colors, content, and navigation. However, members still download the generic Church Center app and search for or select your church within it. Your church does not have its own standalone app in the app stores.
With Tithely, a custom-branded church app is included in All Access at $119/month. No extra cost.
The fee you see is the fee you pay, and nothing else.
Every giving platform, Tithely and Planning Center included, pays real processing fees to banks and card networks. That part doesn't change. What's different is who gets the chance to cover it, and what it costs your church to offer that choice.
With Tithely's Cover the Fees™, donors can choose to cover the processing fee themselves, so more of every gift reaches the church, and it's included in Tithely's flat rate at no extra cost. Planning Center offers a similar option to donors, but only through its separate Giving add-on, billed on top of whatever modules you're already paying for.
With Tithely Giving, it just comes with the platform.
AI-powered sermon prep, built for the way pastors actually work.
Tithely includes Sermonly, an AI sermon-writing tool designed specifically for ministry. Spend less time staring at a blank page and more time focused on your people. Planning Center has no sermon-writing tool of its own.
Give with a tap. No app required.
Tithely Tap Discs are custom-artwork NFC giving hardware that work instantly on any iPhone or Android. Mount them to pews, chairs, or bulletins. Donors tap, and they're giving in seconds.
Planning Center has no hardware giving solution. Tithely has Tap Discs, included with your subscription.
Built for the global church.
Tithely operates servers in the US, Europe, and Australia and is fully GDPR compliant, so whether your members are in Nashville or Nairobi, their data is protected and your church is covered. Planning Center is primarily US-based infrastructure.
Who should use Planning Center
Planning Center is a good fit for larger churches that have a dedicated tech-savvy staff, primarily need service planning and volunteer management, and are already invested in the Planning Center ecosystem. If your worship team lives in Planning Center Services and your church has the budget for the module stack, it works well.
Who should use Tithely
Tithely is the better fit for churches that want a single platform for giving, communication, people management, a church app, and a website without stitching together multiple tools or watching costs scale with every new member. Tithely All Access is especially strong for small to mid-sized churches that need everything to work together from day one.
With 53,000+ churches already on Tithely, it's proven at scale, and the flat $119/month price means there are no surprises as your church grows.
What Churches Are Saying About Tithely
“I can see both a high-level view of the church and drill down to individual members. As a pastor, that’s invaluable.” — Doug
“Scheduling teams became effortless, and making last-minute changes was easy. Tithely saved me so much time.” — Alyson
Final Thoughts
Planning Center is a respected tool, but it’s not right for every church, especially as costs rise with growth. Tithely offers a powerful, affordable alternative designed to help churches thrive without financial strain.
Make sure you explore all your options and choose the ChMS that best supports your mission.
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