Planning Center vs Rock RMS

Planning Center9.4Visit Rock RMS9.2Visit

Higher score Planning Center #1 in Church Management Software 9.4/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 5 of 5 features Try Planning Center

vs

Rock RMS #3 in Church Management Software 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Rock RMS

• Planning Center fits best

  Churches wanting broad value and mobile access

• Rock RMS fits best

  Churches wanting open-source breadth and extensibility

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Side by side

Feature	Planning Center 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Rock RMS 9.2/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	9.2
Ranking	#1 in Church Management Software	#3 in Church Management Software
Best for	Churches wanting broad value and mobile access	Churches wanting open-source breadth and extensibility
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	$15/unit/mo	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	30 days	—
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile, Browser extension	Cloud, Self-hosted, Mobile
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Support	Email, Phone, Live chat, Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Planning Center 5/5 · Rock RMS 5/5
Group management	✓	✓
Event registration	✓	✓
Child check-in	✓	✓
SMS messaging	✓	✓
Volunteer scheduling	✓	✓
Specs
Member limit	75 members	Not checked yet
Mobile app	Vendor	Vendor
Our review
Pros	Free plan includes people records, reporting, and Church Center access Covers groups, events, check-in, scheduling, messaging, giving, and facilities Supports web, iOS, Android, and congregation-facing Church Center experiences	Covers records, groups, check-in, events, giving, workflows and reporting Supports self-hosting, plugins, integrations and developer tools Includes iOS and Android mobile app experiences
Cons	À la carte pricing requires choosing and paying for individual products Paid product plans have different usage limits by module May be more than needed for churches seeking one narrow-purpose tool	Hosting fees vary by hosting partner Self-hosting may require technical administration Its breadth may exceed the needs of smaller churches
Our verdict	Planning Center is an à la carte church management suite for churches and ministry organizations. Its connected products support membership records, group engagement, event registration, attendance, child and family check-in, giving,… Read the review →	Rock RMS is an open-source church management and relationship platform for churches and faith-based organizations. It brings together individual and family profiles, groups, attendance, check-in, event registration, communications, giving,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Planning Center — where it wins

  • Free plan includes people records, reporting, and Church Center access
  • Covers groups, events, check-in, scheduling, messaging, giving, and facilities
  • Supports web, iOS, Android, and congregation-facing Church Center experiences

  Where it doesn't

  • À la carte pricing requires choosing and paying for individual products
  • Paid product plans have different usage limits by module
  • May be more than needed for churches seeking one narrow-purpose tool

• Rock RMS — where it wins

  • Covers records, groups, check-in, events, giving, workflows and reporting
  • Supports self-hosting, plugins, integrations and developer tools
  • Includes iOS and Android mobile app experiences

  Where it doesn't

  • Hosting fees vary by hosting partner
  • Self-hosting may require technical administration
  • Its breadth may exceed the needs of smaller churches

• Planning Center9.4/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

  A modular church suite covering people, groups, events, giving, services, and check-in.

  Try Planning CenterFull verdict →
• Rock RMS9.2/10 · Free plan

  A broad, extensible church platform for organizations prepared to manage hosting.

  Visit Rock RMSFull verdict →