Head-to-head comparison
Planning Center vs Ministrium: 2026 Comparison
An honest side-by-side between Planning Center Online (PCO) and Ministrium for churches evaluating a migration or choosing their first church management software.
TL;DR
Planning Center charges per active module and adds up fast once you enable People + Giving + Check-Ins + Groups. Ministrium bundles everything into a single $79/mo plan with pastoral AI and bilingual support.
| Feature | Ministrium | Planning Center |
|---|---|---|
| Base monthly price | $79 all-inclusive | $0 + $14 per active module |
| Member CRM | People ($14/mo) | |
| Online giving | Giving (% per transaction) | |
| Small groups | Groups ($14/mo) | |
| Kids check-in (COPPA) | Check-Ins ($14/mo) | |
| Events & registrations | Registrations ($14/mo) | |
| Services & worship planning | Services ($14/mo) | |
| Pastoral AI / Health Score | ||
| Native multi-campus | ||
| LATAM tax receipts | ||
| Official Spanish support | ||
| Assisted onboarding | Self-serve |
When Planning Center is the better choice
English-only US churches with a dedicated tech team that only need 1–2 modules (typically Services for worship or People for directory) and prefer a modular ecosystem with separate add-ons.
When Ministrium wins
Bilingual or LATAM churches that need CRM, giving, kids check-in and reporting in one predictable bundle, with AI that flags at-risk members and country-specific tax receipts out of the box.
Estimated real 12-month cost
A 250-person church enabling People + Giving + Check-Ins + Groups + Services + Registrations on Planning Center pays ~$84/mo in base modules alone. Ministrium ships all of that for $79/mo — plus AI, multi-campus and Spanish support at no extra cost.
Decide with data, not marketing
Book a guided 30-minute demo or calculate your real cost on /pricing.
Data verified on planningcenter.com as of publication date.