# LEAD. vs Planning Center

The clearest difference is rating: Planning Center at 4.7 against LEAD.'s 3.1. Planning Center also leads on update cadence (every 11 days vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (47% vs 26%). LEAD.'s advantage is ratings volume (160 vs 35). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Planning Center holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 160 and 35 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 26% of LEAD.'s written reviews are positive against 47% of Planning Center's.

LEAD. ships an update every 4 months, Planning Center every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | LEAD. | Planning Center |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.1 (160 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lead/id1090541631/reviews) | **[4.7 (35 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planning-center/id6751657545/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **160** | 35 |
| Positive reviews | 26.0% of reviews | **47.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 11 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 67 MB | 59 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 16.4 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Church Community Builder, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/970173560) | [Ministry Centered Technologies](https://appshunter.io/developer/327370811) |

## What reviewers say

### LEAD.

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lead/id1090541631)

This app helps ministry and lay leaders connect with their people by tracking attendance, managing schedules, and facilitating communication. It provides tools to understand individual involvement, organize events, and ensure timely follow-up for discipleship.

**Highlights:** Group member communication and connection, Attendance tracking and special days reminders, Needs assignment and event calendars, Detailed people profiles and involvement history, Schedule management and volunteer communication, Service plan creation and event oversight, Process queue management for discipleship

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Access to events and resources
- 👍 Feature-rich platform
- 👍 Useful features in Lead app
- 👍 Landscape mode support (iPad)
- 👍 Great tool for volunteers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Can't log attendance from event screen
- 🐛 Limited individual profile editing
- 🐛 Missing customized fields in app
- 🐛 Homebound ministry option absent
- 🐛 Sacraments not editable

**Reported bugs**

- Logged out every time app is closed
- Have to sign in every time
- New version logs out and doesn't save settings
- App forgets church association
- Face ID no longer enabled

**Requested features**

- Access notes on resources
- Update database on the fly
- Ability to upload new songs to song library
- Ability to attach documents in group email messages
- Add push notifications


### Planning Center

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planning-center/id6751657545)

Manage ministry activities from check-ins to follow-ups with a unified dashboard. Receive notifications, create tasks, and collaborate with your team seamlessly. Access all ministry products from one central hub.

**Highlights:** Ministry-wide notifications, Access all ministry products, Home dashboard with action items, Task creation and assignment, Team collaboration, Mobile gestures for quick actions

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is LEAD. free?

LEAD. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Planning Center free?

Planning Center is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, LEAD. or Planning Center?

Planning Center is rated higher. LEAD. averages 3.1 out of 5 from 160 ratings, while Planning Center averages 4.7 from 35 ratings.

### Do LEAD. or Planning Center have ads?

Neither LEAD. nor Planning Center shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, LEAD. or Planning Center?

LEAD. ships an update every 4 months, and Planning Center every 11 days. Most recently, LEAD. was updated on September 22, 2026 and Planning Center on September 21, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*