Planning Center Is Built for Churches. Is It Right for Your Nonprofit?

Compare 0% fees vs 2.15% + $0.30 per donation, plus see which fundraising tools Planning Center is missing.

Zeffy is trusted by 100,000+ nonprofits

Planning Center

Zeffy VS Planning Center

Zeffy VS Planning Center: What nonprofits should know before choosing.

Pricing

Completely free. Always. But how? →

Varies.

2.15% + card fees + monthly plans

Processing fees

$0 in credit card and transaction fees. Zeffy covers these. How? →

2.15% + $0.30.

per donation for credit and debit cards; 0% + $0.30 per ACH bank transfer donation

Platform fees

Zeffy never takes a cut. Unlike platforms that skim 3–5%, you keep 100% of every donation.

$0.

0% platform fees with no additional platform charges.

Monthly fees

0/month.

No subscriptions, no paywalls. Every org, big or small, gets full access for free.

$0.

Free tier available for up to 10 donations per month; paid tiers start at approximately $15/month with pricing varying based on usage.

Other fees

We've never charged a single cent to nonprofits and we never will.

$0.

No setup fees, no contracts, no cancellation fees, no monthly minimums.

Pricing transparency

10/10.

No platform fees, no credit card fees, no hidden fees, no fees period!

7/10.

Clear pricing page with fees listed, but requires navigating multiple product pages for full picture.

Value for money

5/5.

450+ reviews on Capterra. All-in-one fundraising, zero fees, unbeatable value.

4.5/5.

Features

5/5.

No training needed. Built for busy nonprofit teams, not tech pros. Launch a campaign in under 30 minutes.

4.8/5.

Church management software, not a fundraising platform - no donation forms, ticketing, or nonprofit tools

Donations

Donations without the cut. Custom forms, tax receipts, donor tracking — all fee-free.

Planning Center focuses on church management and volunteer scheduling - no donation forms or fundraising tools

Ticketing

Sell tickets, check in guests, track sales — and keep 100%. No fees. No fine print.

No ticketing or event registration - built for internal church operations, not public-facing fundraising events

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Teams or individuals launch fundraising pages in minutes. Track progress, keep 100%. No fees.

No peer-to-peer fundraising - designed for church administration, not individual fundraiser campaigns

Auctions

Run auctions without giving up a percentage. List items, track bids, collect payments — all fee-free.

No auction tools - Planning Center is church management software, not a fundraising platform

Raffles

Host online raffles and 50/50s. Track sales, set ticket limits, stay compliant — all without paying a cent.

No raffle or lottery tools - not designed for fundraising campaigns or compliance tracking

Online Store

Skip the tool sprawl. Sell merch and manage your store in one place — no fees, no add-ons.

No online store or product sales - focuses on service planning and member management only

Memberships

Automate memberships with no per-member fees. Dues go straight to your org — perfect for clubs, alumni, and supporters.

Church member directory and check-in tools - not designed for membership programs or recurring billing

Donor management/CRM

Ditch the expensive CRM. Track donations, send thank-yous, and build donor loyalty — all fee-free.

Donor giving history and fund tracking - limited compared to nonprofit CRMs, designed for church operations

Emails & Newsletter

Manage contacts and send newsletters from the same place you fundraise. Unlimited sends, no fees.

No email marketing tools - requires separate platform for donor communications and campaigns

Payment Processing

Accept donations, ticket sales, and payments — all 100% fee-free. No cuts, no hidden fees, ever.

Planning Center Giving processes donations via Stripe with automated receipts and fund tracking

Payment Methods

All-in-one fundraising: donations, events, memberships, email, and donor CRM — 100% free.

Credit cards and ACH only. No digital wallets or in-person payment tools.

Credit Card Payments

Accept all major credit cards with zero processing fees. Zeffy covers the cost — you keep 100% of every donation.

Card payments through Planning Center Giving - must use their processor with transaction fees

Apple Pay & Google Pay

One-tap donations and tickets with Apple Pay & Google Pay. No fees, just smooth mobile checkouts.

No digital wallet support - card and ACH only through their payment system

ACH / Bank Transfers

Accept bank transfers with zero fees. Full donation amounts go straight to your mission.

ACH bank transfers available through Planning Center Giving only

Tap to Pay App

Anyone on your team can take payments from their phone. No card reader, no fees, no friction.

No in-person payment tools - church management focus, requires separate payment hardware

Support

5/5.

Real humans, real fast. Free email and phone support — no bots, no paywalls, no runaround.

4.7+/5.

Support built for church management, not nonprofit fundraising. Email-only help with no dedicated fundraising specialists.

Help Center

Searchable help docs, video tutorials, and step-by-step guides — all free, all the time.

Comprehensive help center with guides, tutorials, and resources at no charge

Email Support

Email us anytime. Most questions answered within hours — not days.

Email support available but built for church management - limited nonprofit fundraising expertise

Phone Support

Need to talk? Call us. Real support from real people who understand nonprofits.

Phone support available during business hours - no dedicated nonprofit or fundraising specialists

Onboarding

Get set up in under 30 minutes. No training required — but we're here if you need us.

No dedicated onboarding — self-service setup with paid support available; no fundraising-specific onboarding

Community

Join thousands of nonprofits sharing tips, templates, and best practices.

No community forum or user groups available

Zeffy is 100% free, always.

Calculate savings

How is Zeffy free?

Why Zeffy over Planning Center?

Run your nonprofit on one platform, not a church tool

🧰

Run your nonprofit on one platform, not a church tool

Planning Center was built for church operations, not nonprofit fundraising. Zeffy gives you donation forms, ticketing, CRM, and email in one place, with zero fees.

💰

Built for fundraising, not just church operations

Planning Center manages church workflows well, but lacks the fundraising tools nonprofits need — like donation forms, ticketing, auctions, and email campaigns.

🆓

No processing fees means more for your mission

Planning Center charges 2.15% + $0.30 per donation. Zeffy is 100% free — donors keep every dollar, and you get the tools to grow without worrying about fees.

⚡

Get started in minutes, not months

Planning Center is built for church operations with a learning curve to match. Zeffy is designed for small teams — set up your first donation form, event, or campaign in minutes.

Questions nonprofits ask when choosing between Zeffy and Planning Center

Does Zeffy work for nonprofits outside of churches?

Yes. Planning Center was built for church operations, while Zeffy is designed for all types of nonprofits. You get donation forms, ticketing, auctions, CRM, and email tools in one place.

How does Zeffy keep 100% of donations without charging fees?

Zeffy is 100% free for nonprofits. Donors have the option to leave a voluntary contribution to keep the platform running. Planning Center charges 2.15% + $0.30 per donation plus monthly fees.

Can I manage donors and send emails in Zeffy?

Yes. Zeffy includes donor management and email marketing tools so you can track giving history, segment supporters, and send campaigns without paying for separate platforms.

What payment methods does Zeffy support compared to Planning Center?

Zeffy accepts credit cards, ACH bank transfers, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Planning Center only supports card and ACH payments through their system, with no digital wallet options.

How does Zeffy's support compare to Planning Center's?

Yes. Zeffy's support team specializes in nonprofit fundraising and donor management. Planning Center's support focuses on church operations, not the fundraising challenges nonprofits face.

Does Planning Center have a free tier for nonprofits?

Planning Center offers limited free options, but their giving tools require monthly fees ($19-$99/month) plus processing fees on every transaction. Zeffy is completely free with no monthly fees or processing fees.

Is Planning Center a CRM for donor management?

Planning Center includes people management features designed for church membership, not donor tracking. Zeffy's built-in CRM is specifically designed for nonprofits to track giving history, segment donors, and manage fundraising relationships.

How much does Planning Center Giving cost per transaction?

Planning Center charges 2.15% + $0.30 or 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction depending on your plan, plus monthly subscription fees. On $10,000 in donations, that's roughly $309 lost to fees.

Still undecided?

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CauseVox

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.

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“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!