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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Planning Center

    Score9.1 out of 10
    N/APlanning Center in Carlsbad offers modular church management applications, providing CRM, tithe management, event registration and attendance, and volunteer resource scheduling.

    $14

    per month

    Rock RMS

    Score9.3 out of 10
    N/ARock RMS is an open-source Church Management System (ChMS) designed to help churches and parishes deepen relationships, streamline operations, and support spiritual growth. More than just a database, Rock offers integrated tools for people management, sacrament tracking, communications, online giving, event registration, volunteer scheduling, and discipleship engagement. Built by churches, for churches, Rock's open architecture and workflows allow it to adapt to any unique ministry…

    $410

    per year (for a church of 100 people)

    Pricing
    Planning CenterRock RMS
    Editions & Modules
    Calendar
    14+
    per month
    Check-ins
    14+
    per month
    Giving
    14+
    per month
    Groups
    14+
    per month
    Registration
    14+
    per month
    Services
    14+
    per month
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Planning CenterRock RMS
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
    Additional DetailsPrices increase based on the number of members and attendees.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Planning CenterRock RMS
    Considered Both Products
    Planning Center
    No answer on this topic
    Spark Development Network
    Chose Rock RMS
    In my experience, Rock RMS is much more customizable, robust, and community focused than PCO. Planning Center's sweet spot is music management and volunteer scheduling, but I think Rock RMS outshines PCO with its integration of web sites and mobile apps, automations and jobs, …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    User Ratings
    Planning CenterRock RMS
    Likelihood to Recommend
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Planning CenterRock RMS
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Planning Center
    Planning Center is incredibly helpful if you are in the business of putting on events, performances, or productions. In such situations, Planning Center will help you coordinate with a large group of people, clearly showing who is expected to do what during the order of a service. If you are planning a major event (a wedding service, a major birthday party, a work event, or any kind of production), Planning Center will foster both teamwork and clarity. The only scenario I can envision Planning Center not being helpful would be a more laissez-faire type of event, (like a "come and go" reception).
    Incentivized
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    Spark Development Network
    Rock RMS is a great CMS for churches passionate about technology and innovation. It requires advanced developing skills to operate, which can be a challenge - but there are several partners available for contracting work. Successful usage of Rock RMS opens up the door for endless possibilities - from dynamic and beautiful websites, automations that serve both internal (staff) and external (customer) needs, and unending possibilities for innovative solutions!
    Read full review
    Pros
    Planning Center
    • Volunteer Management
    • Scheduling
    • File Hosting
    • Communication tools
    • Automated reminders
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Spark Development Network
    • Very customizable
    • Content channels are powerful
    • Web and mobile app integration
    Read full review
    Cons
    Planning Center
    • Adding files to an item on a playlist can be hard to find outside of that set.
    • Previewing songs on import gives very limited info - can be hard to find the correct one.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Spark Development Network
    • Group Scheduler is missing some key features
    • Event registrations aren't the most user friendly
    • Security permissions are a challenge as we grow
    Read full review
    Usability
    Planning Center
    Planning Center is very user friendly on both the front and back ends.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Spark Development Network
    In my opinion, you will need to have developers on your team, or partner with contractors in order to get Rock RMS set up properly and keep in maintained. I think you will also need to have Rock RMS Super Users who can troubleshoot bugs and handle basic requests from internal staff. There are also several functions that every day staff use which are very user friendly (i.e. Group Viewer, content channels, Group Scheduler, communication templates.)
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Planning Center
    I've not needed to use Planning Center support. In the few instances that I would have thought would "require support," tips and notices popped up on screen letting me know what was happening. There are very VERY few issues that I've found with Planning Center. The interface has been intuitive and powerful, so I've not needed to use their support service.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Spark Development Network
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Planning Center
    At one point, I was presented with both Asana and Trello as helpful tools to facilitate teamwork and collaboration amongst a large group of people. However, when it comes to putting on productions/services/events, Planning Center just seemed to have everything we need. I have never really once given thought to moving on from Planning Center. I'm sure Asana and Trello have much to offer, and I did briefly consider the, but Planning Center (for what we needed) was a grand-slam, home run.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Spark Development Network
    In my experience, Rock RMS is much more customizable, robust, and community focused than PCO. Planning Center's sweet spot is music management and volunteer scheduling, but I think Rock RMS outshines PCO with its integration of web sites and mobile apps, automations and jobs, workflows, and its focus on community. There are tons of free and paid plugins for Rock RMS, as well as multiple Rock RMS partners to choose from.
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Planning Center
    • Planning Center Services has become an irreplaceable part of our Sunday gathering preparation
    • Planning Center Music Stand is an invaluable tool for rehearsal and performance of songs each week
    • Planning Center Giving helped us establish easy ways for folks to give online during COVID and beyond
    • Planning Center Registrations helped us navigate attendance issues during COVID, and has always been our go-to for gathering information for Events
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Spark Development Network
    • Fosters amazing data insights!
    • Fast and efficient!
    • New innovative solutions always being added!
    Read full review
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