Planning Center Registrations alternative
BackPR vs Planning Center Registrations
Planning Center Registrations takes sign-ups and payments for church events like VBS, camps and retreats in Planning Center's church management system. It's priced by your biggest event, from free for 5 attendees to $239 a month, and its buttons and emails are English only. BackPR is free for nonprofits and lets families register in English or Spanish.
At a glance
BackPR and Planning Center Registrations, side by side
| Term | BackPR | Planning Center Registrations |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Youth and community programs: camps, after-school, childcare, classes, sports, schools and churches. | Churches. Registrations takes sign-ups and payments for church events such as VBS, camps, retreats, conferences and potlucks, as part of Planning Center's church management system. |
| Cost for nonprofits | $0 to BackPR: no subscription and no BackPR fees. Stripe's processing fees still apply. | No separate nonprofit pricing published. The free plan covers events of up to 5 attendees, and church plants can get Planning Center free for one year. |
| Pricing | Nonprofits: $0. Other organizations: custom quote. | By attendees at your biggest event, per month: free for 5, $15 for 20, $32 for 50, $69 for 150, $115 for 400, $179 for 1,000 and $239 for 5,000. You can change plans by season, and the first 30 days are free. |
| Fees added to what families pay | None from BackPR. | No Planning Center fee for families is published. Planning Center's cover-the-fee option is for Giving donations; its Registrations help doesn't describe one for event payments. |
| Payment fees | Stripe's standard processing rates. For nonprofits, BackPR adds nothing on top. | US: 2.15% + $0.30 per card payment (3.65% + $0.30 for international cards) and $0.30 per ACH payment, through Planning Center Payments, powered by Stripe. In most cases, fees aren't returned on refunds. Card disputes cost $15; failed ACH payments cost $4. |
| Contract | No long-term contract. Cancel anytime with no exit fees. | No contracts. Monthly or annual subscription that renews automatically; upgrade, downgrade or cancel anytime. Subscription fees aren't refunded. |
| Onboarding and data import | Free, including data import. | Self-serve, with no setup fees: import people from a CSV file, learn from free training videos and get support replies in about one business hour. Planning Center can point you to third-party partners for data migration. |
| Spanish for families | Yes. | No. Planning Center says it has no immediate plans to support other languages. Churches can name their own events and fields in Spanish, but buttons and emails stay in English. |
Planning Center Registrations details are from Planning Center Registrations's public website and terms, checked October 19, 2026. Products and prices change, so check Planning Center Registrations, Planning Center pricing, Planning Center help: processing fees, Planning Center help: collecting payments in Registrations, Planning Center help: partial payments, Planning Center help: attendee forms, Planning Center help: FAQ (languages) and Planning Center terms of service for current details.
The difference
Where BackPR is different
Free for nonprofits, whatever the event size
Nonprofits pay nothing to BackPR. Planning Center publishes no nonprofit pricing; Registrations is priced by your biggest event, from $15 a month for 20 attendees to $239 a month for 5,000.
Registration in English and Spanish
Families can register in English or Spanish. Planning Center says it has no immediate plans to support other languages; churches can write their own event text in Spanish, but buttons and emails stay in English.
Installment plans on autopay
Set a deposit and an installment schedule, and BackPR charges the family's saved card or bank account on each date. In Planning Center Registrations, families pay a deposit and come back later to pay the balance, online or in person.
E-signed waivers at checkout
Parents sign waivers and forms online, and registration can't finish without the required ones. In Planning Center, People forms can't collect electronic signatures; signed waivers go through PDF forms that families return and staff mark complete.
In fairness
What Planning Center Registrations does well
Planning Center Registrations publishes its prices, has a free plan for small events and lets churches change plans by season, for example upgrading for VBS. Its US card rate is 2.15% + $0.30. It handles household sign-ups, attendee categories, add-ons, waitlists, multiple event times, discounts and scholarships, automatic sorting into cabins, buses or VBS crews, and check-in with name tags. It connects to Planning Center's other church products and the Church Center app, and support replies in about one business hour.
Switching
Moving from Planning Center Registrations is free
Send us an export of your families, participants and programs and we'll set up your BackPR account with them. There's no setup fee and no long-term contract.
How switching worksFAQ
Questions, answered
Can BackPR import our data from Planning Center?
Yes, for free. Send us an export from Planning Center or any spreadsheet, and we'll set up your families, participants and programs in BackPR.
Does BackPR charge by event size?
Not for nonprofits. Registered nonprofits pay no subscription and no BackPR fees, however many families register for VBS, camp or any other program.
Other comparisons
Planning Center Registrations is a trademark of its owner. BackPR is not affiliated with or endorsed by Planning Center Registrations.
Open registration
with BackPR
Free for nonprofits. No long-term contract. We set you up and import your data at no cost.