Three-way comparison
Planning Center vs Breeze ChMS vs Subsplash
All three compared side by side — ratings, pricing, platforms, real-world strengths, and a clear pick for each kind of user.
Church management software has consolidated around three products that handle 95% of the US church market, each targeting a different church size and operational maturity. Planning Center is the modular backbone—the tool your worship director and your operations admin live in Monday-Saturday to make Sunday happen. It started as a worship-scheduling tool in 2006 and has expanded into nine separate products (Services, People, Groups, Check-Ins, Giving, Calendar, Publishing, Registrations, Music Stand) that share one database. Breeze ChMS is the small-church favorite—one flat-rate subscription (~$72/mo), genuinely simple UX, the whole product in seven menu items, Tithe.ly giving baked in. Subsplash is the high-end platform—fully custom-branded apps, TV apps for Roku and Apple TV, white-glove onboarding, and an opaque price tag that usually lands between $300-$2,000+/mo depending on church size and module mix.
All three work. The honest question is scale and admin complexity. A 60-person church plant does not need nine modules and should probably not pay $2,000/mo. A 1,500-person church with multiple staff trying to coordinate a worship schedule, check-ins, giving, and a member app benefits from Planning Center's depth. A 800-person church that just needs a simple, flat-rate ChMS wins on Breeze's simplicity and price. This guide maps the three to church size and use case.
The bottom line
For most churches between 100 and 800 in attendance that need a reliable operational backbone without massive complexity, Planning Center is the category leader—best-in-class Services module, modular pricing scales with growth, documentation is unusually good. For small churches (50-300) without a dedicated tech person and a need for simplicity above all else, Breeze is the path of least resistance—flat rate, volunteer-ready UX, giving included. For growing churches (500+) that want a single branded mobile app, full-featured streaming, and white-glove onboarding, Subsplash is the premium answer, but expect to pay like one. The wrong pick wastes staff time (Planning Center's learning curve) or money (Subsplash for a 75-person church).
The core difference: Planning Center is built for the church with multiple staff who each own a piece of the operation. Breeze is built for the church with one part-time admin who does not want nine different settings panels. Subsplash is built for the church that views its digital presence as a professional product that needs design, not a spreadsheet migration.
Planning Center vs Breeze ChMS vs Subsplash: at a glance
| Planning Center | Breeze ChMS | Subsplash | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 3.7 / 5 | 2.7 / 5 | 5.0 / 5 |
| Starting price | Free, then ~$14/mo per module | Around $72/mo flat-rate | Custom - typically $300-$2,000+/mo |
| Free tier | Yes | No | No |
| Platforms | Web · iOS · Android | Web · iOS · Android | iOS · Android · Web · Roku · Apple TV · Fire TV |
| Developer | Planning Center | Breeze ChMS (a Tithe.ly company) | Subsplash, Inc. |
| Best for | Churches of 100-2,000 attendance who need real worship scheduling | Small-to-mid churches (50-300 members) with one part-time admin | Multisite and megachurches (1,000+ attendees) |
See them in action
Planning Center
Breeze ChMS
Subsplash
How they compare, point by point
Best for church size
Planning Center
100-2,000 attendance; scales from 'just Services' to 'full nine-module stack'
Breeze ChMS
50-300 attendance; flat-rate covers everything regardless of size
Subsplash
500+ attendance; priced for multisite and digital-investment maturity
Pricing model
Planning Center
Modular; pay per feature (~$14-$20/mo per module); scales with attendance; typical mid-size church is $200-$500/mo
Breeze ChMS
Flat-rate; one price (~$72/mo) for everything; no surprise line-item growth
Subsplash
Custom; no public pricing; typically $300-$2,000+/mo on annual contract depending on modules
Admin complexity
Planning Center
Real learning curve (2-3 weeks for fluency); nine separate products with slightly different UX conventions; powerful once learned
Breeze ChMS
Low curve; seven menu items; volunteer-ready; non-technical admin can run it on day one
Subsplash
Moderate-to-high; powerful dashboard; white-glove onboarding helps, but ongoing requires someone's job
Worship scheduling
Planning Center
Planning Center Services is unmatched; volunteer rotations, song planning, chord charts routed by key, Music Stand app for the band
Breeze ChMS
No native service planning; checks-in and attendance tracking, but no set lists or band scheduling
Subsplash
No native service planning; focus is app, media, website, giving, not operations
Member-facing app
Planning Center
Church Center included free with any paid module; branded with church logo; directory, giving, groups, event signups
Breeze ChMS
Mobile app bundled; simpler, fewer features than Planning Center's, but integrated giving and email
Subsplash
Fully custom-branded native iOS and Android apps; white-labeled, full design control; TV apps on Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV
Typical next step
Planning Center
Most churches run Planning Center + Subsplash or a streaming platform for the parts PC doesn't cover
Breeze ChMS
Most churches pair Breeze with Planning Center Services if they need advanced worship scheduling
Subsplash
All-in-one by design; might layer Planning Center Services if worship complexity demands it
Which should you choose?
Planning Center
Choose Planning Center if you have multiple staff members (worship director, operations admin, groups pastor), you need industry-leading worship scheduling and volunteer management, you are over 200 in attendance, and you have someone who can spend the first month learning the tool.
Breeze ChMS
Choose Breeze ChMS if you have one part-time admin (or a volunteer), you are under 300 in attendance, you value simplicity and flat-rate pricing above advanced features, and you want giving, check-in, and comms all working together out of the box.
Subsplash
Choose Subsplash if you are a multisite or megachurch (500+ attendance), you want one vendor for apps, web, giving, and TV, you are willing to invest in digital presence as a core part of your ministry, and you have budget and staff to support it.
Frequently asked questions
Which is best for a 150-person church?
Breeze for simplicity and cost (~$72/mo flat). Planning Center if you have a worship director with 10+ volunteers who need serious scheduling—you might run just Services + People for ~$100-$150/mo and live with the learning curve. Subsplash is overscoped and overpriced at this size.
Do all three have giving integrated?
Planning Center: Giving module is ~$14-$30/mo, no platform fee, only 2.15% + $0.30 processing. Breeze: Tithe.ly giving is integrated, same processor fees. Subsplash: Giving is usually a module, competitive processing fees, no separate platform charge.
Which has the best child check-in?
Planning Center Check-Ins is the most powerful; label printers, parent pagers, security codes, allergy tracking. Breeze check-in is simpler but fully volunteer-capable on any iPad. Subsplash check-in exists but is not the focus of the platform.
If I start with Breeze, can I move to Planning Center later?
Yes. Breeze and Planning Center both have data export, and there are migration services. It is not a one-click process, but it is doable. Many growing churches start Breeze, add Planning Center Services when the worship workflow demands it, then eventually consolidate onto Planning Center fully.