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Planning Center vs. The City (Discontinued)

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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

    The City (Discontinued)

    Score5.6 out of 10
    N/AThe City from ACS Technologies in Florence, South Carolina was a church management software, central to it is its online community feature, but also event registration and management, donations management, and other features. The City was discontinued February 2019. Users are being migrated to Realm, ACS Technologies' flagship church management system.N/A
    Pricing
    Planning CenterThe City (Discontinued)
    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 CenterThe City (Discontinued)
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsPrices increase based on the number of members and attendees.
    More Pricing Information
    User Ratings
    Planning CenterThe City (Discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Planning CenterThe City (Discontinued)
    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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    ACS Technologies
    The City would work well for a church who struggles to provide an easy way for members to connect and join groups. While the app has some drawbacks, as noted above, it beats allowing visitors and members to remain disconnected and in the dark about ways to involve themselves in church activities. Better to have this kind of ability to connect than none at all.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Planning Center
    • Volunteer Management
    • Scheduling
    • File Hosting
    • Communication tools
    • Automated reminders
    Incentivized
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    ACS Technologies
    • View volunteering opportunities
    • Find and join groups
    • Submit prayer requests and join others in prayer
    • Connect with other members
    Incentivized
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    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
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    ACS Technologies
    • Seems the developer no longer supports the app
    • User interface is difficult to navigate
    • Often forces a sign out, thereby requiring you to sign in again
    • Cumbersome search features
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    Planning Center
    Planning Center is very user friendly on both the front and back ends.
    Incentivized
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    ACS Technologies
    No answers on this topic
    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
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    ACS Technologies
    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
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    ACS Technologies
    While I haven't used another social networking app built for churches, I have used an app built by another local church. The City makes connecting with members easier. The user experience is severely lacking in The City app. It does, however, facilitate connections between members.
    Incentivized
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    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
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    ACS Technologies
    • The City has made it easier to connect with people I met at church.
    • It makes it simple to submit a prayer request and join others in prayer.
    • It shows opportunities to get involved.
    Incentivized
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