# BackPR vs Planning Center Registrations

Source: https://backpr.com/compare/planning-center. Last updated: 2026-10-19.

URL: https://backpr.com/compare/planning-center

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.

| | 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. |

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.

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.

Sources (checked October 19, 2026): Planning Center Registrations (https://www.planningcenter.com/registrations); Planning Center pricing (https://www.planningcenter.com/pricing); Planning Center help: processing fees (https://help.planningcenter.com/en/144871-processing-fees.html); Planning Center help: collecting payments in Registrations (https://help.planningcenter.com/en/139362-collect-payments-in-registrations.html); Planning Center help: partial payments (https://help.planningcenter.com/en/139366-partial-payments.html); Planning Center help: attendee forms (https://help.planningcenter.com/en/139333-add-attendee-forms.html); Planning Center help: FAQ (languages) (https://help.planningcenter.com/en/136588-planning-center-faq.html); Planning Center terms of service (https://www.planningcenter.com/terms)

**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.