Pushpay® vs.
While PCO does provide a technology solution, their platform simply cannot match Pushpay’s complete suite of straight-forward features, customization and branding capabilities, or the supporting tools and functionality that can help take your church to the next level.
Pushpay technology was built on the belief that mission-based organizations need great software specifically designed to advance their ministries. That vision has driven our team to develop the industry-leading technology churches depend on to manage their teams, facilitate secure giving, engage their congregations—and ensure the success of their mission.
Let us show you what Pushpay’s church management software has to offer compared to Planning Center services.
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- Product Features
- Church AppsChurch Apps
- Custom branded Church AppCustom branded Church App
- Container AppContainer App
- Dynamic HomescreenDynamic Homescreen
- Rich Push NotificationsRich Push Notifications
- Suggested ContentSuggested Content
- Pre-CheckPre-Check
- Resi Streaming IntegrationResi Streaming Integration
- Multi-Campus Targeted Push NotificationsMulti-Campus Targeted Push Notifications
- App Content AnalyticsApp Content Analytics
- QR Code for App DownloadQR Code for App Download
- Fill in the blank Sermon NotesFill in the blank Sermon Notes
- Push Notification Quick PollsPush Notification Quick Polls
- LEAD App (including the below)LEAD App (including the below)
- Mobile Access to Member Profiles, Serving History and Church DirectoryMobile Access to Member Profiles, Serving History and Church Directory
- Volunteer Schedule AccessVolunteer Schedule Access
- Worship Plan AccessWorship Plan Access
- Workflows AccessWorkflows Access
- GivingGiving
- Simplified GivingSimplified Giving
- Patented Recurring Gift SuggestionsPatented Recurring Gift Suggestions
- Customizable Thank You Message By FundCustomizable Thank You Message By Fund
- Giving Thank You AnimationGiving Thank You Animation
- Donor InsightsDonor Insights
- Spanish LanguageSpanish Language
- In-House Payment Processing ServicesIn-House Payment Processing Services
- Custom QR Code GeneratorCustom QR Code Generator
- Email Thank You for Check and Cash GiftsEmail Thank You for Check and Cash Gifts
- Offline ConversionOffline Conversion
- Automated Weekly Giving SummariesAutomated Weekly Giving Summaries
- Recurring Gift Migration ToolRecurring Gift Migration Tool
- Check Scanning and Image StorageCheck Scanning and Image Storage
- Church Management SoftwareChurch Management Software
- Group ManagementGroup Management
- Service PlanningService Planning
- Event Check-InEvent Check-In
- Child Check-InChild Check-In
- Check-In AnnouncementsCheck-In Announcements
- Lyric and Chord Chart EditorLyric and Chord Chart Editor
- Twext CapabilitiesTwext Capabilities
- Serving RotationsServing Rotations
- Automatic Scheduled ReportsAutomatic Scheduled Reports
- Create and Share Custom ReportsCreate and Share Custom Reports
- Pushpay
- Church Apps
- Custom branded Church App
- Container App
- Dynamic Homescreen
- Rich Push Notifications
- Suggested Content
- Pre-Check
- Resi Streaming Integration
- Multi-Campus Targeted Push Notifications
- App Content Analytics
- QR Code for App Download
- Fill in the blank Sermon Notes
- Push Notification Quick Polls
- LEAD App (including the below)
- Mobile Access to Member Profiles, Serving History and Church Directory
- Volunteer Schedule Access
- Worship Plan Access
- Workflows Access
- Giving
- Simplified Giving
- Patented Recurring Gift Suggestions
- Customizable Thank You Message By Fund
- Giving Thank You Animation
- Donor Insights
- Spanish Language
- In-House Payment Processing Services
- Custom QR Code Generator
- Email Thank You for Check and Cash Gifts
- Offline Conversion
- Automated Weekly Giving Summaries
- Recurring Gift Migration Tool
- Check Scanning and Image Storage
- Church Management Software
- Group Management
- Service Planning
- Event Check-In
- Child Check-In
- Check-In Announcements
- Lyric and Chord Chart Editor
- Twext Capabilities
- Serving Rotations
- Automatic Scheduled Reports
- Create and Share Custom Reports
- PCO
- Church Apps
- Custom branded Church App
- Container App
- Dynamic Homescreen
- Rich Push Notifications
- Suggested Content
- Pre-Check
- Resi Streaming Integration
- Multi-Campus Targeted Push Notifications
- App Content Analytics
- QR Code for App Download
- Fill in the blank Sermon Notes
- Push Notification Quick Polls
- LEAD App (including the below)
- Mobile Access to Member Profiles, Serving History and Church Directory
- Volunteer Schedule Access
- Worship Plan Access
- Workflows Access
- Giving
- Simplified Giving
- Patented Recurring Gift Suggestions
- Customizable Thank You Message By Fund
- Giving Thank You Animation
- Donor Insights
- Spanish Language
- In-House Payment Processing Services
- Custom QR Code Generator
- Email Thank You for Check and Cash Gifts
- Offline Conversion
- Automated Weekly Giving Summaries
- Recurring Gift Migration Tool
- Check Scanning and Image Storage
- Church Management Software
- Group Management
- Service Planning
- Event Check-In
- Child Check-In
- Check-In Announcements
- Lyric and Chord Chart Editor
- Twext Capabilities
- Serving Rotations
- Automatic Scheduled Reports
- Create and Share Custom Reports
Robust and Customizable Giving Solutions Proven to Increase Generosity
Pushpay and PCO both provide online giving platforms, but the differences between the two are significant:
- Pushpay was designed to make giving simple—our platform has inspired many other companies to change their giving functionality, but none of them can match the original experience.
- While Planning Center allows you to upload your church’s logo, our Giving page can also incorporate your church’s colors, a custom header and more; we want you to showcase your branding, not ours.
- Don’t leave your Spanish-speaking congregants behind—only Pushpay Giving allows for easy toggling between English and Spanish text.
- Our tools were specifically designed to increase generosity. On average, churches that make full use of Pushpay’s Giving solution see a 12% increase in donations and a 24% boost in recurring givers. What’s more, churches using both our ChMS and Giving Solutions see an average increase twenty-one times larger than their subscription cost.
An App Branded For Your Church
Let your Church family engage with a digital experience that embraces everything unique about your church:
- Unlike Planning Center, Pushpay's church app makes it simple to incorporate your colors, logos, and background imagery through our Content Management System and Mobile App Studio.
- Planning Center doesn’t offer sermon notes, podcasts, media, push notifications, or dynamic home screens; Pushpay delivers all that and more.
- To take advantage of PCO’s suite of software, a user must download 7 different apps, causing confusion and messy clutter for leaders and congregants alike. But Pushpay’s suite streamlines all that functionality and more into just two apps.
Free Ebook: Church Technology Buyer’s Guide
Next Steps & Personalized Thanks
Pushpay’s giving solution isn’t just simple and intuitive—it was specifically developed to encourage donations and help your givers along their faith journey:
- Only Pushpay offers Recurring Suggestions, a feature that uses patent-pending A.I. and Machine Learning technology to gently encourage your congregation toward establishing good giving practices.
- Pushpay is the only Church giving platform that offers custom Thank You notes, allowing you to tailor your message to fit your church. Specify what ministry an individual gave to and add a personal note of thanks.
- Our platform allows you to choose between several animations to acknowledge each gift from your congregants, as yet another (adorable!) way to say thank you that you can’t get from PCO.
The Support You Need
Planning Center’s’s platform is completely self-service. Pushpay offers the onboarding and implementation assistance you need to make the most of your tech:
- Our all-in-one Customer Portal delivers a unified Help Center where you can search and find articles for all our products, as well as submit and track any support tickets you need assistance with.
- Pushpay University is our on-demand learning platform that equips leaders to overcome the current and future challenges facing their organizations, bolstered by insights from experts around the world.
Clear Pricing, No Surprises
Pushpay’s platform includes all the functionality you’ll need from day one, as compared to the modular approach of Planning Center:
- With PCO, a single module of their platform may start at $14/month, but that figure can increase significantly simply by adding more users.
- With Pushpay, you’ll only need to budget once. Our multi-year agreements ensure you can continue to build your ministry without needing to worry that your costs will grow as your church does.
In-House ACH Giving
Planning Center outsources their Automated Clearing House (ACH) processes to a third party called Stripe, a platform that can see your banking history, account balances and more. With Pushpay, you can rest assured that all your congregants’ payment info is processed in-house:
- All your users’ account information is saved automatically and securely.
- Because Pushpay manages all your donations directly, you receive funds faster than other providers.
- Only Pushpay takes 5 comprehensive security steps to ensure we safeguard the trust you’ve built with your congregation.
- We’re also the only provider to have Assured® Payments, which ensures that none of your donations are lost or mischarged in the rare event of a service outage.
Comprehensive App Analytics
Pushpay’s Dashboards provide best-in-market insights into your congregations’ engagement:
- Find out what content is resonating most with your app users through metrics tracking notifications, downloads, usage, and overall engagement score.
- Only Pushpay delivers a deeper look into which pieces of your content are receiving the most engagement, and at which times of the day or days of the week your members are most tuned in.
- Donor Development tools keep you up-to-date with where your members are on their giving journey. By identifying new donors, second-time givers, new recurring givers and other identifiable groups, you’ll have the insights to engage and nurture your people in their giving journey.
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