Compare / Ekkleios vs Planning Center
Ekkleios vs Planning Center
Planning Center is a respected set of separate products: People, Services, Check-Ins, Groups, Giving and more, each with its own subscription. Ekkleios is one subscription built around a single question: who in your church needs follow-up this week?
The short version
Planning Center may suit you better if…
- You want a free people database and only need one or two paid products.
- Worship and service planning (Services, Music Stand) is the center of your week.
- You process a lot of card gifts: Planning Center's published card rate (2.15% + $0.30) is lower than ours.
Ekkleios may suit you better if…
- You want one predictable monthly price instead of adding up a tier for each product.
- You want people who are drifting flagged automatically, with a named leader assigned to follow up.
- You want discipleship stages, from first visit to leading others, tracked for every person.
- You already text your church through Twilio, Clearstream, Text In Church or similar and want to keep that account.
Pricing, side by side
| Item | Ekkleios | Planning Center |
|---|---|---|
| How the bill is built | One subscription, priced by church size | A separate subscription for each product you use |
| What sets the price | Number of people only (up to 20, 100 or 500); every plan has every feature | Each product scales on its own measure: team members (Services), daily check-ins (Check-Ins), people in groups (Groups), donations per month (Giving), attendees (Registrations), rooms (Calendar) |
| Monthly price | Free up to 20 people · $29 Starter · $79 Growth · over 500 people: contact us | People is free. Other products have free entry tiers, then paid tiers. Use Planning Center's pricing calculator for your church's total. |
| Free tier / trial | Free plan for up to 20 people, with every feature; 14-day trial of Growth, no credit card | Free tiers: Services to 5 team members, Check-Ins to 10 daily check-ins, Groups to 15 group members, Giving to 10 donations a month, Registrations to 5 attendees, Calendar to 1 room |
| Giving fees (US cards) | $0.99 per gift + Stripe processing (about 2.9% + $0.30) | 2.15% + $0.30 per card gift; $0.30 per ACH gift |
| Texting | Built in. Texts go through your church's own SMS account (Twilio, Clearstream, Text In Church and others), billed by that provider | $0.02 per text, bought as credits |
Fees on a single $100 card gift
Church receives $95.81. $0.99 Ekkleios platform fee + Stripe card processing (about 2.9% + $0.30). Donors can choose to cover the fees.
2.15% + $0.30, from Planning Center's pricing page.
Features
| Item | Ekkleios | Planning Center |
|---|---|---|
| People database | Included on every plan | People (free) |
| Online giving | Included (Stripe) | Giving |
| Check-in | Included on every plan | Check-Ins |
| Groups | Included on every plan | Groups |
| Event registration | Included on every plan, with RSVPs and paid tickets | Registrations |
| Service planning | Included on every plan | Services |
| Member app | Member portal (installable web app) | Church Center app |
| Needs-attention flags from engagement signals | Included on every plan | Check with Planning Center |
| Discipleship stage tracking | Included on every plan | Check with Planning Center |
“Check with Planning Center” means we could not confirm it from Planning Center's own pricing page; it may exist under a different name.
Switching from Planning Center
- Export your people. In Planning Center People, export your people list to CSV.
- Import them into Ekkleios. Go to Member Care, then Import Members. Columns are matched for you, you see a preview before anything is saved, and likely duplicates are flagged to merge.
- Connect giving. Connect your church's Stripe account and publish your giving page. On Growth, and for churches over 500 people, our team imports your donation history and funds on a free migration call.
- Invite your team and assign follow-up. Add staff and leaders, then choose who owns follow-up for guests, groups and care.
- Run both side by side. Use the 14-day trial to check everything before you cancel Planning Center.
Questions about switching
Is Ekkleios cheaper than Planning Center?
It depends on how many Planning Center products you use. If you only need the free People database, Planning Center is cheaper. If you pay for several products, compare that total with one Ekkleios plan: free up to 20 people, then $29 or $79 a month by church size. On giving, Planning Center's published card rate is lower than ours.
Can I move my people from Planning Center to Ekkleios?
Yes. Export your people from Planning Center People as a CSV and upload it in Ekkleios under Member Care, then Import Members. Ekkleios matches the columns for you, shows a preview before anything is saved, and flags likely duplicates to merge.
What about our giving history?
Growth plans, and plans for churches over 500 people, include a free migration call. Our team imports donation records and giving funds for you so year-end statements stay complete.
How long does switching take?
Most churches have their people imported and a giving page live within an hour. Run both systems side by side during the 14-day trial before you cancel anything.
Planning Center details checked on October 22, 2026 from: Planning Center pricing. Prices change; check Planning Center's site for current figures. Planning Center is a trademark of its owner, and this page is not affiliated with or endorsed by it. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.
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