Planning Center and CHOS are separate church-software products. This article does not include a dated primary-source review of Planning Center's current pricing, packaging, support, update cadence, security, or roadmap, so verify those details directly before comparing them with the current CHOS first pilot.
The fundamental difference
Verify Planning Center's current product and pricing structure directly with Planning Center. CHOS currently provides Available People and Services plus Beta Volunteers, Check-ins, Rehearsals, Notifications, and AI Assistant at one published first-pilot price. Giving, Groups, dedicated event management, and a global Documents library are unavailable.
Compare the exact weekly workflow your staff operates, including which system owns each record and every capability CHOS has not released.
Pricing comparison
This article does not assert Planning Center's current prices, plan limits, fees, or contract terms because no dated primary-source evidence is attached. Verify the exact current offer directly with Planning Center.
CHOS charges $39.99/month for Core with Available People and Services plus Beta Volunteers, Check-ins, Rehearsals, Notifications, and AI Assistant. There are no per-module or per-member fees for these current first-pilot workflows.
What to verify with Planning Center
Ask Planning Center for current, dated details on the modules, integrations, API, support, security, data handling, update cadence, migration path, and contract your church would use.
If your church already uses Planning Center, keep it active for every workflow that CHOS has not verified with your data — especially Groups, Giving, Registrations, integrations, and production child-safety operations.
Where CHOS is stronger
CHOS offers Available People and Services alongside explicitly labeled Beta operations. AI Assistant Beta answers permission-scoped active-module questions in plain language.
CHOS publishes a flat first-pilot Core price and a precise maturity boundary. Test usability and total cost with your own staff rather than relying on a speed, learning-time, or competitor-savings claim.
Which should you choose?
Consider Planning Center only after verifying its current modules, integrations, pricing, support, security, and contract directly against the workflows your church needs.
Choose CHOS if its Available and Beta first-pilot workflows fit your church, you prefer flat pricing, and staff can supervise the Beta boundaries.
The best approach is to evaluate both against your real workflow. CHOS offers a 14-day trial of its current Available and Beta features; keep existing systems active for Preview and Unavailable needs.
Frequently asked questions
- Is CHOS better than Planning Center?
- It depends on your needs. CHOS offers Available People and Services plus AI Assistant Beta at flat first-pilot pricing. Verify Planning Center's current product and offer directly, then test both against the same weekly workflow.
- Can I switch from Planning Center to CHOS?
- Only for workflows you verify during the pilot. Run both systems side by side, and keep Planning Center or another incumbent active for Giving, Groups, Registrations, production child-safety operations, and every other workflow CHOS has not released and proven with your data.