Alternative
CHOS vs Planning Center
Modular church management with per-module pricing. See how CHOS compares as a modern alternative.
TL;DR
Planning Center uses free people module + $15–$149/mo per additional module. CHOS gives you services, people, volunteers, check-ins, giving, and an AI assistant in one workspace at $39.99/month flat. Churches often switch because costs add up fast — enabling people, services, check-ins, and giving can exceed $200/mo.
Comparison summary
Is CHOS a better alternative to PCO?
CHOS is church management software for churches that want one workspace for services, people, volunteers, check-ins, giving, and AI. If your church is comparing Planning Center because of price, fragmented workflows, or reporting friction, this page is the canonical answer page for that decision.
Choose CHOS if your team is tired of switching between PCO modules, spreadsheets, and disconnected follow-up notes.
Choose CHOS if you want live answers about attendance, people, volunteers, and giving without exporting reports from PCO.
Choose CHOS if you want one church management system that pastors, worship leaders, and admins can all use from the same workspace.
Category
Church management software
CHOS combines people, services, volunteers, check-ins, giving, and AI in one church workspace.
Best for
Small to mid-size churches, church plants, growing churches, and multi-site teams
Best for churches that want one operating system instead of separate church modules and spreadsheets.
Replaces
PCO + scattered church tools
Churches often replace PCO, disconnected spreadsheets, and manual follow-up workflows at the same time.
Pricing
$39.99/month
Flat pricing with no per-member fees or module upsells
What is Planning Center?
Best-in-class worship service planning and a modular pick-and-pay model.
Pricing
Free People module + $15–$149/mo per additional module
Best for
Mid-size to large churches with dedicated admin staff
Where PCO falls short
- Costs add up fast — enabling People, Services, Check-Ins, and Giving can exceed $200/mo
- Each module is a separate app with its own login, so staff bounce between 4–7 tabs to manage one Sunday
- No AI assistant — answering "How many first-time visitors returned?" means exporting CSVs and building custom reports
- Follow-ups live in a separate workflow disconnected from the person's profile, so tasks get missed
- No single dashboard that shows services, people, volunteers, and giving together
Why churches choose CHOS instead
- One workspace instead of seven separate apps — your team stops tab-switching between modules
- $39.99/mo flat vs $100–$400+/mo for the same coverage across PCO modules
- Ask your AI assistant “Who visited last month and hasn’t been followed up?” — get an answer in seconds, not a custom report
- Follow-up tasks live on the person’s profile, so nothing falls through the cracks between Sunday and Wednesday
- Staff learn the interface in one sitting — no training docs or module-by-module onboarding
Feature comparison
| Feature | PCO | CHOS |
|---|---|---|
| Service planning | Yes (Services module) | Yes — built-in |
| People management | Yes (free module) | Yes — built-in |
| Volunteer scheduling | Yes (separate module) | Yes — built-in |
| Check-ins | Yes (separate module) | Yes — built-in |
| Online giving | Yes (Giving module) | Yes — built-in |
| AI assistant | No | Yes — queries live church data |
| Unified dashboard | No — separate apps | Yes — single operating view |
| Song library | Yes | Yes |
| Rehearsal scheduling | Limited | Yes — dedicated workflow |
| Follow-up tracking | Basic | Yes — person-attached |
| Flat pricing | No — per-module | Yes |
Learn more
Ready to try CHOS?
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$39.99/month after trial. All features included. Cancel anytime.