Overview

ChurchPlan is a church operations platform for congregations that want giving, events, member records and education tools under one roof. It is a stronger fit for churches seeking a broad administrative system than for those looking only for a standalone app or a single-purpose tool.

Its scope is a clear advantage, but the practical dividing line is the free Essentials plan: it covers giving and a personalized mobile app, while events and education require annual-billed subscriptions.

Key features

Giving and payments

Online and recurring donations, a searchable ledger, automated tax receipts, and donation links and QR codes make Essentials useful for basic digital giving. Stripe processes card payments; ChurchPlan says it does not retain card numbers or full payment credentials. It also says it charges no per-member, donor-tipping, service or per-ticket fees, although standard Stripe processing fees still apply.

Events and member management

Engagement adds event publication, registrations and payments, QR tickets and QR attendee check-in. This is a meaningful step up for churches that manage sign-ups and admission, but those capabilities are not part of the free plan. Member profiles can hold family relationships, engagement information, and emergency or health details, giving churches a place to maintain more than basic contact records.

Education and communications

Education adds ministries, Sunday school, curriculum and lesson plans, attendance tracking, liturgies and worship services, plus church website publishing. Engagement also includes announcements, push notifications, mobile admin search and outreach. Together these tools make the higher plans more compelling for churches coordinating programs and communications, though a congregation that needs only donation collection may not need that breadth.

Security and service

ChurchPlan says data in transit is protected with 256-bit TLS, stored data with AES-256, and passwords are bcrypt-hashed; it also says church records are separated at the database level. The company describes its privacy practices as aligned with PIPEDA, GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, Australian privacy principles and New Zealand's Privacy Act 2020. It says member records are not pooled across churches or sold, and only event details selected for publication are shared publicly.

The stated 99.5% uptime SLA, breach notification within 72 hours and 90-day export window after termination give administrators concrete service and exit terms to consider. These are useful assurances for churches holding sensitive records, but they do not remove the need to assess whether the product's data practices fit local requirements.

Pricing

Essentials is free forever and includes unlimited members, online giving, automated tax receipts, a personalized church mobile app, and donation links and QR codes. It is the natural starting point for a church that needs digital giving and a member app without a subscription; it gives up events, ticketing and education features.

Engagement costs $99.00 USD per month, billed at $1,188 yearly. It includes everything in Essentials plus events and ticketing, QR admission and check-in, announcements, push notifications, and mobile admin search and outreach. It suits churches that need to organize events and communicate through the platform. The annual commitment is a material step up from free, and card processing fees still apply.

Education costs $199.00 USD per month, billed at $2,388 yearly. It adds ministries and Sunday school, curriculum, attendance tracking, liturgies and worship services, and church website publishing to Engagement. Churches running education programs and worship planning are the clearest fit; those needing only events would pay for a wider feature set than Engagement provides.

Enterprise has custom pricing with annual volume pricing. It includes everything in Education, plus multi-church and diocese administration, API access and webhooks, custom integrations, and dedicated success and support. It is aimed at dioceses and networks rather than an individual congregation, and its annual custom arrangement calls for a tailored quote.

ChurchPlan says there are no per-member or per-ticket charges, but standard Stripe processing applies. That distinction matters when estimating costs: the listed subscription does not eliminate payment-processing expenses.

Platforms

ChurchPlan supports web, iOS and Android, and offers API access on Enterprise. The web and mobile reach fits churches serving administrators and members across devices; API and webhook access is reserved for organizations on the highest tier.

Who it's for

ChurchPlan is best suited to churches and parishes that want to bring donations, events, member information and education administration together. Essentials is relevant to congregations starting with digital giving, while Engagement and Education target churches willing to pay annually for event operations or program tools. Enterprise is the option for dioceses and multi-church networks that need centralized administration and integrations.

It is less suitable for a church that needs only a narrow function and does not want an annual subscription to unlock events or education. Congregations should also account for Stripe processing fees and consider whether storing emergency or health details in member profiles matches their privacy responsibilities.

Pros and cons

Free plan has real administrative utility: unlimited members, online giving, tax receipts and a personalized mobile app provide a substantial base for churches not yet ready to subscribe.
Broad church-specific coverage: paid plans extend from event registration and QR check-in to Sunday school, curriculum and worship services, reducing the need to assemble those functions separately.
Clear payment and privacy boundaries: Stripe handles cards, ChurchPlan says it does not store full credentials, and member records are not pooled across churches or sold.
Key capabilities are tier-gated: events start at Engagement, education at Education, and API access and multi-church administration at Enterprise.
Paid plans are annual-billed: the monthly-equivalent prices correspond to yearly totals of $1,188 and $2,388, so they require a meaningful commitment.
Processing costs remain: no extra ChurchPlan per-member or per-ticket fees does not mean card donations are fee-free, since standard Stripe charges apply.

Alternatives

For a narrower church-app focus, compare Church App Builders. For directory-specific needs, see Church Directory Software; for event operations, Church Event Management Software; and for donation-focused products, Church Giving Software.

Appy Pie Church App Maker is worth considering when a church wants to build an app: its free plan allows unlimited edits and preview and member-only rollout, while store publishing requires a paid plan. Subsplash Church App may suit churches looking specifically at giving, with a $0-per-month Subsplash Giving plan and card and ACH processing fees; it also offers an Enterprise plan with tailored pricing.

Choicely Church App offers a free tier with public mobile apps, unlimited collaborators and push notifications, alongside a credit allowance. SermonAudio Church App may fit existing SermonAudio broadcasters, who can get ChurchOne at no additional cost; its broadcaster account is $59.95 USD per month, plus a one-time signup fee.

Ekko uses quote-based pricing that depends on audience size, selected features and branding. Church Compass is a paid option with a free trial and a $19.00 USD-per-month Basic plan; its $14.99 USD-per-month soft white-label add-on is available with any plan. Churchory is another paid option with a free trial and an $89.00 USD-per-month plan for up to 250 people. ChurchSoftware.com Mobile App offers a free app with access to events, sermons, giving and groups, while its branded mobile app costs $149.00 USD per month.

Verdict

Choose ChurchPlan if your church wants one system for giving, member records, events and education, and the free Essentials plan covers your immediate needs or annual billing fits your budget. Its breadth and free starting tier are the main reasons to consider it. Look elsewhere if you need only one narrow function, want events without moving to a paid annual plan, or need to avoid card-processing fees.

	ChiRho Events	ChurchPlan
Free plan	No	Yes
Paid from	$39/mo	$99/mo
Platforms	Web	Android, api, iOS, Web
Free plan	No	Yes
Paid from	39 /mo	99 /mo
Payment collection	Yes	Yes
Attendee check-in	Yes	Yes
Attendee limit	500 attendees
Mobile platforms	web_and_mobile	web_and_mobile

ChiRho Events vs ChurchPlan

ChiRho Events

ChurchPlan