Music Planner vs Planning Center Services
Both plan a running order, schedule who's playing and keep charts in one place. The difference is who they're for: one is part of a full church management suite, the other is a band tool with stem splitting built in.
Planning Center Services, in short
A worship planning and volunteer scheduling app, part of a church management suite with People, Giving and Check-Ins. Deep scheduling, CCLI SongSelect built in, and a paid Music Stand add-on for charts on stage. Priced by how many people log in.
Music Planner, in short
A band app for setlists, chord charts, AI stem splitting and a stage view, priced per band. Works for worship teams, cover bands, wedding bands and anyone else who plays together. Free for your first band.
Free for your first band. No credit card.
| Feature | Music Planner | Planning Center Services |
|---|---|---|
| Price and fit | ||
Free plan | Up to 10 members | Up to 5 people |
Paid plans Planning Center tiers count the people who can log in. Music Stand, its stage app, is extra. | $25/mo for 30, $50/mo for 100 | $15/mo for 20, up to $239/mo |
Who it's for Planning Center's terms tie use to non-profit or spiritual missions. | Any band | Churches, non-profits |
| Planning | ||
Running order with item lengths and times | ✓ | ✓ |
Drag to reorder | ✓ | ✓ |
A key per song for this date | ✓ | ✓ |
Notes on non-song items | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scheduling | ||
Positions, invites, accept or decline | ✓ | ✓ |
Reminders | Manual + automatic | Automatic |
Blockout dates | ✕ | ✓ |
Auto-fill a schedule | ✕ | ✓ |
| Songs and charts | ||
Chord chart editor (ChordPro) | ✓ | ✓ |
Transpose charts | ✓ | ✓ |
Upload PDF charts | ✓ | ✓ |
CCLI SongSelect import and reporting | ✕ | ✓ |
| Practice and stage | ||
Split any song into stems Planning Center links to MultiTracks' paid per-instrument mixes of songs in its catalog. Music Planner splits any audio you upload. | Built in | Via MultiTracks |
Practice player with loop | ✓ | ✓ |
Charts full screen on stage | Gig plan and up | Paid add-on |
Leader turns pages for everyone | ✕ | ✓ |
Bluetooth pedal page turns Pedals that send arrow or Page Up / Page Down keys turn pages in LIVE in the browser, including Safari on iPad. Not yet in the iPhone and Android apps. | In the browser | ✓ |
MIDI page turns | ✕ | ✓ |
Draw notes on charts | ✓ | ✓ |
| Platforms | ||
Web, iPhone, iPad, Android | ✓ | ✓ |
Church tools (People, Giving, Check-Ins) | ✕ | ✓ |
Planning Center speaks church: service types, orders of service, ministries, volunteers. Its terms tie use to non-profit or spiritual missions. Music Planner talks about gigs, sets and bands, and works the same for a worship team, a wedding band or a covers act playing paid shows.
Planning Center charges by how many people can log in, from free for 5 to $239 a month for unlimited, and Music Stand for charts on stage costs extra. Music Planner is one price per band: free for up to 10 members, $25 a month for 30, $50 for 100, with the stage view included from the Gig plan.
Music Planner splits any recording you upload into vocals, drums, bass and more, so everyone can practice their own part. Planning Center has no stem splitting of its own; it links to MultiTracks, where per-instrument mixes exist only for songs MultiTracks has recorded and cost extra.
This is where Planning Center is ahead. Blockout dates, auto-fill and a matrix view across dates make it strong for rotating dozens of volunteers. Music Planner covers positions, invites, answers and reminders, which suits a band, not a volunteer roster of hundreds.
Planning Center Services is a good tool. It's the better pick for some bands, and we'd rather you knew which.
You're a church that already uses People, Giving or Check-Ins
You rotate a large volunteer roster and need blockout dates and auto-fill
You rely on CCLI SongSelect and automatic CCLI reporting
Your worship leader wants to turn pages for the whole team on stage
Your players turn pages with MIDI, or with pedals in a native app
You're a cover, wedding or function band, or any band that plays paid gigs
You want to split any song into stems for practice, not only songs in a catalog
You want one price per band with the stage view included
You want setlists, chord charts, practice and stage in one app
You're a small worship team that doesn't need a full church suite
Free for your first band, with no credit card. Keep Planning Center while you try it.
Start for free →Compare plans →Sources
Planning Center Services details were checked on October 25, 2026 against Planning Center Services's own website, help pages and app store listings. Prices and features change, so check their site before you decide. Planning Center Services is a trademark of its owner, used here only to compare.
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Music Planner
Band collaboration made effortless. Upload songs, plan setlists, run the stage.
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