Breeze Chms VS Planning Center

Breeze ChMS and Planning Center help you manage church operations, but monthly fees add up quickly for growing congregations. Zeffy gives you donor management, online giving, event registration, and member communication tools — all with zero fees so every dollar from your community stays with your ministry.

Zeffy is trusted by 100,000+ nonprofits

Planning Center

Breeze Chms VS Planning Center

Breeze Chms VS Planning Center: What nonprofits should know before choosing.

Donor Management CRM Features

Easy Donor Database

Information not available

Donation History & Notes per Donor

Information not available

Donor Tags / Segments

Information not available

Built-in Donation Tracking (No Integrations Needed)

Information not available

Emailing to Donors (Receipts, Thank yous, Newsletters)

Information not available

Smart Filters (Search by Donation, Campaign, Date...)

Information not available

Export Donor Data Anytime

Information not available

Offline Donations Tracking

Information not available

Pre-filled donation forms

Information not available

Pricing

$72/mo.

card fees per gift

N/A.

No pricing information available

Processing fees

2.9% + $0.30.

ACH/Bank: 1% + $0.30 per transaction; AMEX: 3.5% + $0.30 per transaction

2.15% + $0.30.

per donation for credit/debit cards; 0% + $0.30 per ACH bank transfer. Canada: 2.2% + $0.30 for registered charities (domestic Visa/MC). Australia: 1.4% + $0.30 AUD (domestic Visa/MC), 1.75% + $0.30 AUD (AMEX domestic), 2.9% + $0.30 AUD (international), 0% + $0.50 AUD (BECS Direct Debit). New Zealand: 2.5% + $0.30 NZD (domestic Visa/MC), 2.7% + $0.30 NZD (AMEX), 2.9% + $0.30 NZD (international)

Platform fees

N/A.

No platform fees mentioned

$0.

No platform fees beyond subscription – no setup fees, monthly minimums, or cancellation fees

Monthly fees

$72/mo.

Starting price for Church Management (Breeze ChMS) plan; higher tiers and add-ons available

$0.

Free tier for up to 10 donations per month; higher tiers available

Value for money

4.9.

4.5.

Features

5.0/5.

Intuitive church management with minimal setup. No training needed to get started.

4.5/5.

Powerful operations tool with a steeper learning curve. Requires time to master all features.

Donations

Basic donation tracking and reporting, but no online donation processing or donor portal features

Basic donation tracking and reporting. Limited online giving options compared to dedicated fundraising platforms.

Ticketing

No event ticketing system - may track attendance but doesn't sell tickets online

Basic event management through Planning Center Services. Limited ticketing features compared to dedicated event platforms.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

No peer-to-peer fundraising tools - designed for internal church management rather than external campaigns

No peer-to-peer fundraising features. Supporters can't create their own fundraising pages or campaigns.

Auctions

Breeze ChMS doesn't offer auction functionality - it's built for church management, not fundraising events

Planning Center doesn't offer auction functionality. You'd need separate auction software and manual donor follow-up processes.

Raffles

No raffle or lottery management features - not designed for fundraising activities

No raffle or lottery functionality. You'd need separate tools and manual processes for running raffles.

Online store

No e-commerce or online store capabilities - focuses on church administration instead of sales

No built-in online store capabilities. You'd need third-party e-commerce tools for selling merchandise or products.

Memberships

Basic member directory with contact info and group assignments. Limited customization for membership tiers or automated renewals.

Planning Center People tracks member info and groups, but lacks automated membership renewal reminders and integrated payment processing for dues collection.

Donor Management/CRM

Strong donor tracking with giving history and pledge management. Good reporting features but requires monthly subscription fees.

Planning Center People excels at member management with detailed profiles, group organization, and check-in systems, but focuses more on church operations than fundraising.

Emails & Newsletter

Built-in email tools for basic communication. Limited design templates and segmentation options compared to dedicated email platforms.

Planning Center People includes basic email tools for member communication, but limited newsletter templates and no advanced segmentation for targeted campaigns.

Payment Processing

Integrates with third-party processors like Stripe. Charges processing fees on top of subscription costs for donation transactions.

Integrates with third-party processors like Stripe. Charges processing fees on top of subscription costs for donation transactions.

Payment methods

No payment processing - requires third-party tools

Credit Card Payments

Not supported - Breeze ChMS focuses on church management, not payment processing

Not supported - Planning Center is a church management system without built-in payment processing

Apple Pay & Google Pay

Not supported - Breeze ChMS focuses on church management, not payment processing

Not supported - Planning Center doesn't offer payment processing capabilities

ACH / Bank Transfers

Not supported - Breeze ChMS focuses on church management, not payment processing

Not supported - Planning Center focuses on church management, not payment processing

Tap to Pay App

Not supported - Breeze ChMS focuses on church management, not payment processing

Not supported - Planning Center is designed for church administration, not payment collection

Customer Support

5.0/5.

4.5/5.

Unlimited Support

Breeze ChMS offers limited support based on plan tier

Planning Center offers tiered support based on subscription level

Phone Support / Office Hours

Breeze ChMS provides phone support during standard business hours

Planning Center provides phone support during standard business hours

Webinars

Breeze ChMS offers regular training webinars and educational sessions for users

Planning Center offers regular training webinars and educational sessions for users

Help Center

Breeze ChMS maintains a comprehensive help center with articles and guides

Planning Center maintains a comprehensive help center with articles and guides

Breeze ChMS provides live chat support during business hours

Planning Center provides live chat support during business hours

Nonprofit-Focused Support Team

Support access depends on plan tier with phone help during business hours only

Tiered support based on subscription level with standard business hour availability

Zeffy is 100% free, always.

Calculate savings

How is Zeffy free?

Why Zeffy over Breeze chms and Planning Center?

Why choose Zeffy over Breeze chms and Planning Center if you're a nonprofit

💯

Keep 100% of donations while managing donors better than church software

Breeze ChMS and Planning Center charge $72+ monthly plus card fees. Zeffy gives you donor management, online giving, and event tools with zero platform fees.

🧰

Get complete fundraising tools, not just basic tracking

Breeze ChMS and Planning Center lack auctions, raffles, and peer-to-peer campaigns. Zeffy provides complete fundraising capabilities in one platform.

💸

Save thousands on monthly fees and transaction costs

Breeze ChMS and Planning Center require separate payment processors and monthly subscriptions. Zeffy includes everything with donor-supported funding.

Frequently asked questions

How does Zeffy's donor management compare to church software like Breeze ChMS?

Zeffy gives you complete donor management without the $72/month fees that Breeze ChMS charges. Track donor history, send automated receipts, and build relationships through our CRM - all at zero cost to your organization.

Why choose Zeffy over Planning Center for managing donors and fundraising?

Unlike Planning Center's monthly subscription plus card fees, Zeffy offers full donor management and fundraising tools for free. Create donation forms, track giving patterns, and engage supporters without any platform costs.

Why choose Zeffy over Breeze ChMS for donor management?

Zeffy offers complete donor management with zero fees, while Breeze ChMS charges $72/month plus card fees. You get online donation forms, donor tracking, and automated receipts without any subscription costs or transaction fees.

How does Zeffy compare to Planning Center for fundraising?

Unlike Planning Center's monthly fees plus card fees, Zeffy provides full fundraising tools at zero cost. Create donation campaigns, sell event tickets, and manage donors without paying subscription or processing fees.

Can Zeffy handle what church management systems can't?

Yes. While Breeze ChMS and Planning Center focus on internal church operations, Zeffy specializes in fundraising. You get online stores, peer-to-peer campaigns, and event ticketing that these platforms don't offer.

Looking for a better option?

Zeffy was built for nonprofits like yours

focus on what matters

Built for small teams with big missions.

Zeffy is the fundraising platform that cuts out the fees, clears up your tech mess, and puts your cause first — so your team, even if you're a small team wearing many hats or a one-person show, can focus on what really matters.

Start your nonprofit

ZERO-FEE

Keep 100% of every dollar.

No platform fees. No processing fees. No catch. We know it sounds too good to be true, but it's not. Every penny goes straight to your mission, while competitors take 2-3% off every donation.

Start your nonprofit

ALL-IN-ONE PLatform

Ditch the tech mess.

Stop bouncing between MailChimp, Eventbrite, and all those spreadsheets. Now you can handle donations, ticket sales, memberships, raffles, and all your donor info in one spot.

Start your nonprofit

plug-and-play

Get going, fast.

Built for teams like yours — whether you're volunteer-led or have limited staff. Set up donation forms, sell tickets, and launch campaigns without needing a tech wizard. It's super easy, and you'll be up and running in minutes.

Start your nonprofit

mobile-first

Fundraise from every device, anywhere.

From QR codes on flyers to Tap-to-Pay on a phone, Zeffy makes it easy to accept donations on the go. Mobile-optimized and offline-ready, so no donor slips through the cracks.

Start your nonprofit

No turnover

Never lose a donor to volunteer transition.

Centralize supporter relationships, automate thank-you messages, and preserve institutional knowledge when board members rotate out.

Start your nonprofit

100% free forever.

100,000+ nonprofits trust Zeffy — and keep their fees at $0.

For 7+ years, Zeffy has supported nonprofits with free, user-friendly fundraising tools.

As a startup nonprofit with only two members, and no funding (yet) we’d need something with low (or no) fees. Zeffy was a dream come true.

Masey, Loose Ends.

Read the full story

“We were incurring a ton of fees for our past fundraising platform and Zeffy has helped us receive so much more of our donations.”

Zeffy has been invaluable in helping me track our donors, sales, events, and revenue in one spot. The coolest thing about Zeffy is it really is free!

Everything about Zeffy suits us starting with (of course, NO fees) but also the ease of use and customer experience as well as their client support!!

Zeffy is very easy to use and ensures that every dollar quickly gets into our account.. A huge help to our work!

Zeffy is very simple, allows for a lot of customization and seamlessly integrates into our website. The fact that all of this is free is still wild to me.

We couldn't believe there was a free payment platform for our Girl Scout group. Zeffy took ZERO fees from us, which is huge when you run on very small amounts of money.

We were ready to sell tickets in less than 30 minutes. The reporting capabilities were better than some other paid-for sites.

Since using Zeffy, our conversion rate of donations has skyrocketed. It's an easy platform to use. Plus customer support has always been responsive and helpful!