Church Krew and Planning Center. Choose for your church.
The right church management software depends on your congregation, staff and weekly work. Planning Center offers connected products, including a free People database. Church Krew offers a free core with optional add-ons. Compare your actual needs and costs rather than assuming every church will save the same amount.
Product information reviewed October 19, 2026
| Feature | Planning Center | Church Krew |
|---|---|---|
| Member database | Free People database | Free core, no member cap |
| Worship planning | Services; usage-based plans | Included in core |
| Online and text giving | Giving; donation tiers and transaction fees | Included; transaction and usage fees apply |
| Church web pages | Publishing and Church Center | Core site included; custom domain is optional |
| Email and texting | People; texting credits are separate | Core tools; usage limits and credits apply |
| Subscription model | Free options and paid plans by product | Free core; optional monthly add-ons |
Sources: Planning Center pricing, Giving and Publishing. Plans, usage rules and payment fees can change. Check current provider terms and Church Krew’s pricing and fees before deciding.
What is different about the pricing?
Church Krew does not charge a monthly subscription for its core church tools or a per-member subscription. Payment processing and provider usage still have costs, and optional products such as fund accounting and a custom domain have separate prices. A voluntary contribution never unlocks a core feature.
Planning Center has free options and product-specific paid plans. Its Giving product handles online donations and offers text giving options; Publishing supports Church Center content. It would be inaccurate to say Planning Center has no giving, website content or connected church records.
Compare a real week of church work
Have your team evaluate the same tasks in both systems: update a household, follow up with a visitor, assign a volunteer, prepare a service, check in a child, review a gift and publish a website update. Include the staff who handle those jobs every week and the members who will use the result.
Record which roles can see private information, how mistakes are corrected and what happens when a device loses its connection. Ask about the features and integrations your church depends on; a broad feature label does not establish an identical workflow.
Plan the move before changing systems
Keep your original exports. Review a small import first and reconcile member counts, household relationships, donor identity and giving totals. Confirm your payment account, communications permissions and check-in equipment before moving a live congregation. Do not cancel the old service until the responsible staff have signed off.
Read the detailed Planning Center comparison and church data migration checklist. If a field or integration is essential, ask us to review it before committing to a switch.
Start with your church’s needs. Try the free core.
Review the workflows with a small team before a wider rollout.
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