Best Planning Alternatives in 2026
The top Planning alternatives are OnStage, Assemblea and Planning by WorshipTools: 15 worship planning software our editors would look at instead of Planning, in our ranking order.
Planning: A broad worship planning workspace with strong music and media integrations. Where it falls short: no general free plan.
Switching from Planning? For most worship planning software buyers the best Planning alternative is OnStage, built for teams needing full-featured mobile planning. On a budget, Worshipful starts at $5/mo, against $15/mo for Planning.
Why People Look for a Planning Alternative
- No general free plan
- Planner limits apply on Solo, Deluxe, and Premium tiers
- No AI features
- No free plan — 8 of the alternatives below have it
- Paid from $15/mo — Worshipful is $5/mo
Quick Picks by What You Need
- Best overallOnStage9.4
Teams needing full-featured mobile planning
Visit OnStage - Lowest priceWorshipful8.4
Paid plans from $5/mo
Visit Worshipful - Best free optionOnStage9.4
Has a free plan (Planning has none)
Visit OnStage
All 15 Planning Alternatives, Ranked
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
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Best forTeams needing full-featured mobile planning
- Better than Planning:
- Free plan
- Paid from: $10/mo vs $15/mo
- Editor score 9.4 vs 8.7
A full-featured worship planning workspace with free access and mobile support.
- Service calendar
- Service templates
- Team notifications
9.4/10★★★★★Visit OnStage -
Best forChurches needing detailed service and rota planning
- Better than Planning:
- Free plan
- Editor score 9.2 vs 8.7
A detailed worship planner with rotas, run sheets, attendance and church-system integrations.
- Service calendar
- Participant assignments
- Volunteer scheduling
9.2/10★★★★★Visit Assemblea -
Best forTeams using connected worship tools
- Better than Planning:
- Free plan
- Editor score 9.1 vs 8.7
A connected planning hub for worship teams, with a useful free tier and mobile access.
- Service calendar
- Team notifications
- Participant assignments
9.1/10★★★★★Visit WorshipTools -
Best forTeams needing live service control
- Better than Planning:
- Editor score 8.9 vs 8.7
A focused planning hub for churches that need live service coordination.
- Service templates
- Team notifications
- Participant assignments
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit Ministry Order -
Best forGrowing churches with advanced team scheduling
- Better than Planning:
- Editor score 8.8 vs 8.7
A feature-rich worship planner for growing churches that can justify paid pricing.
- Service calendar
- Service templates
- Team notifications
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit SundayHQ -
Best forWorship teams centered on song resources
- Better than Planning:
- Paid from: $14/mo vs $15/mo
A song-focused workspace for planning services, assigning teams, and viewing chord charts.
- Service calendar
- Team notifications
- Participant assignments
8.6/10★★★★☆Try WorshipTeam.com -
Best forTeams wanting collaborative scheduling and media files
A collaborative worship planner with scheduling, service flows, media files, and mobile access.
- Team notifications
- Participant assignments
- Volunteer scheduling
8.5/10★★★★☆View WorshipSchedule -
Best forBudget-conscious teams needing presentation tools
- Better than Planning:
- Paid from: $5/mo vs $15/mo
A low-cost worship planning tool with templates, scheduling, libraries, and presentation views.
- Service templates
- Team notifications
- Participant assignments
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit Worshipful -
Best forChurches combining planning and projection
- Better than Planning:
- Free plan
A broad worship planning and projection suite with a capable free plan.
- Service templates
- Team notifications
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit AssemblyFlow -
Best forSmall teams wanting free web planning
- Better than Planning:
- Free plan
A focused free web planner for organizing services, volunteers, songs, and bulletins.
- Service templates
- Team notifications
- Participant assignments
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit EcclesiaFlow -
Best forChurches wanting a mature broader church platform
- Better than Planning:
- Free plan
A broad church platform that combines worship planning with connected ministry tools.
- Volunteer scheduling
8.1/10★★★★☆Try Planning Center -
Best forMulti-campus churches with complex planning
- Better than Planning:
- Free plan
A broad planning workspace for churches coordinating services, volunteers, and campuses.
- Service calendar
- Team notifications
- Participant assignments
8.0/10★★★★☆Try Ministry Planner -
Best forLiturgical churches needing rich service resources
A resource-rich planner for liturgical churches, with attendance-based annual pricing.
- Service calendar
- Service templates
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best forChurches needing liturgical publishing workflows
A focused worship workflow for lectionary planning, resources, bulletins, and slides.
- Service calendar
- Service templates
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best foriPhone-based worship teams on a free budget
- Better than Planning:
- Free plan
A free iOS planner for worship orders, volunteers, songs, and service communications.
- Service calendar
- Service templates
- Team notifications
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit ServeFlow
Planning Alternatives: Common Questions
What is the best alternative to Planning?
OnStage: #1 in our Worship Planning Software ranking, with an editor score of 9.4 out of 10. A full-featured worship planning workspace with free access and mobile support.
Is there a free alternative to Planning?
Yes. OnStage, Assemblea, Planning by WorshipTools, AssemblyFlow and EcclesiaFlow have a free plan or a free tier (8 of the 15 alternatives on this page).
What is the cheapest paid alternative to Planning?
Of the alternatives here that publish a price, Worshipful starts lowest, at $5/mo.
Why do people look for Planning alternatives?
No general free plan; Planner limits apply on Solo, Deluxe, and Premium tiers; No AI features.
How do I switch from Planning?
Export your data from Planning (most tools have an export in their settings). Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one. Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on. Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Planning.
How to Switch from Planning
- Export your data from Planning (most tools have an export in their settings).
- Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one.
- Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on.
- Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Planning.
Planning vs Each Alternative
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Service templates | Participant assignments | Volunteer scheduling | Service calendar | Mobile access | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Planning | No | $15/mo | Yes | Yes | Both | 8.7 | ||
| 1 | OnStage | Yes | $10/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Both | 9.4 |
| 2 | Assemblea | Yes | $19/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.2 | ||
| 3 | Planning by WorshipTools | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Both | 9.1 | ||
| 4 | Ministry Order | No | $20/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Both | 8.9 | |
| 5 | SundayHQ | No | $29/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Ios | 8.8 |
| 6 | WorshipTeam.com | No | $14/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Both | 8.6 | |
| 7 | WorshipSchedule | No | $19.99/mo | Yes | Yes | Both | 8.5 | ||
| 8 | Worshipful | No | $5/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Both | 8.4 | |
| 9 | AssemblyFlow | Yes | $200/yr | Yes | Both | 8.3 | |||
| 10 | EcclesiaFlow | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.2 | |||
| 11 | Planning Center | Yes | $15/unit/mo | Yes | 8.1 | ||||
| 12 | Ministry Planner | Yes | $39/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | None | 8.0 | |
| 13 | Lutheran Service Builder | No | $250/yr | Yes | Yes | 7.9 | |||
| 14 | Christian Worship: Service Builder | No | Yes | Yes | 7.8 | ||||
| 15 | ServeFlow: Worship Planner | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Ios | 7.7 |
Head-to-Head
- Planning vs OnStage
- Planning vs Assemblea
- Planning vs Planning by WorshipTools
- Planning vs Ministry Order
- Planning vs SundayHQ
- Planning vs WorshipTeam.com
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update