Elexio vs Planning Center: Complete Comparison 2026
An in-depth comparison of features, pricing, and user experience to help you make the right choice.
Elexio
All-in-one church management platform with member management, giving, website builder, and branded church app.
Planning Center
8.8(4,200 reviews)
Modular church management platform with per-app pricing for worship, groups, giving, check-in, and people management.
Quick Comparison
| Aspect | Elexio | Planning Center |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Churches wanting one vendor for ChMS, website, app, and giving | Churches of any size wanting modular, pay-for-what-you-use software |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Freemium |
| Starting Price | $99/mo | Free |
| Deployment | cloud | cloud |
| Platforms | WEB, IOS, ANDROID | WEB, IOS, ANDROID |
| Rating | 7.0/10 | 8.8/10 |
Pros & Cons
Elexio
Pros
- Website builder included eliminates separate website hosting costs
- True all-in-one consolidation reduces vendor management headaches
- Church app and website share the same content — update once, publish everywhere
- Simpler for small church staff managing everything themselves
- One invoice and one login for all church technology
Cons
- No worship planning — still need Planning Center Services for that
- Website builder is limited compared to WordPress or Squarespace for complex sites
- Church app lacks the polish and feature depth of Church Center
- Jack of all trades — no single feature is best-in-class
- Smaller customer base means fewer community resources and third-party integrations
Planning Center
Pros
- Modular pricing means you only pay for the apps you actually use
- Church Center member app is the best-designed church app on any platform
- Worship planning in Services is unmatched — scheduling, music, rehearsal management
- Free tier supports small churches with up to 75 profiles at zero cost
- Over 70,000 churches use it — massive community for support and best practices
Cons
- Per-app pricing adds up for churches using all modules — $140+/month for full suite
- Giving transaction fees (2.6% + $0.30) are standard but not the lowest available
- Limited customization for reports — can be frustrating for data-driven church admins
- No built-in accounting or finance management beyond giving tracking
- Less suitable for non-English-speaking churches — limited language support
Pricing Comparison
| Product | Pricing Model | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|
| Elexio | subscription | $99/mo |
| Planning Center | freemium | Free0 |
Our Verdict
Choose Elexio if...
Churches wanting one vendor for ChMS, website, app, and giving
Choose Planning Center if...
Churches of any size wanting modular, pay-for-what-you-use software
Still Not Sure?
Explore more alternatives or read in-depth reviews to make your decision.