Comparison

Planning by WorshipTools vs Epistle

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Planning by WorshipTools

Streamline worship service planning with this app. Build your service flow, schedule volunteers, and share details. Musicians gain access to rehearsal media and chord charts for easy preparation.

Highlights
  • Service flow builder
  • Volunteer scheduling and notification
  • Sharable and printable service details
  • Rehearsal media player with Apple Music/Spotify integration
  • Chord chart import and transposition
  • Syncs with Presenter and Music Stand
Read full description

Worship service planning and scheduling by WorshipTools. Build your service flow, add items, songs, notes and details. Your service flow instantly syncs with Presenter and Music Stand, build once and done! Your service is sharable and printable, so everyone is on the same page. Schedule and notify volunteers all in one place. When a volunteer is added to a service, they are notified and can accept or decline a service request. With Planning, your musicians have the tools they need to prepare. The rehearsal media player connects with Apple Music® and Spotify® for instant access to full length recordings. Chord charts import easily from CCLI SongSelect® and transpose on the fly to the correct key.

About

Epistle

This app facilitates communication and financial support for missionaries. It allows for easy sharing of ministry updates with photos and videos, automatically sending them to ministry partners who can respond with engagement. It simplifies the process of connecting with supporters and managing ministry outreach.

Highlights
  • Share ministry updates with photos and video
  • Automatic update distribution to partners
  • Ministry partner engagement (likes, prayers, comments)
  • Manage ministry sites
  • Connect with ministry partners
  • Automated email platform
Features
Read full description

Epistle is used by thousands of missionaries to stay connected and funded. It has never been easier to share ministry updates with photos and video. No more hassle with email templates, scheduling, etc. Epistle sends your updates to ministry partners, automatically, using our world-class email platform and gives them the opportunity to respond with likes, prayers and comments. Both missionaries and ministry partners love Epistle: "The greatest thing I could do for my ministry partners." "HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Do the two week trial." Supporter: "I feel confident I'm investing well." With paid Epistle subscription you can manage your Epistle site, send updates, and connect with ministry partners. Ministry partners can access Epistle sites to read and respond to your updates without payment. Terms of Use: https://www.epistle.org/terms-of-use/

Screenshots

Planning by WorshipTools4 screens
Epistle4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Epistle at 4.8 against Planning by WorshipTools's 4.3. Epistle also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 64%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 9 months). Planning by WorshipTools's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Epistle sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month. Planning by WorshipTools asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Epistle holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24 and 12 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Planning by WorshipTools's written reviews are positive against 100% of Epistle's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Planning by WorshipTools ships an update every 9 months, Epistle every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Planning by WorshipTools versus Epistle: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlanning by WorshipToolsEpistle
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (24 ratings)4.8 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings24 — better12
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.112.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBLUE CIRCLE LAB LLCEpistle LLC

Customer experience

Planning by WorshipTools

All ratings23 ratings
Positive82.6%
Neutral4.3%
Negative13.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive63.6%
Neutral9.1%
Negative27.3%

Epistle

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Planning by WorshipTools

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Epistle

Subscriptions5
  • One Epistle Site$17.991 Month
  • Two Epistle Sites$39.991 Month
  • Three Epistle Sites$59.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Four Epistle Sites$79.991 Month
  • Five Epistle Sites$89.991 Month

Questions

Is Planning by WorshipTools free?
Planning by WorshipTools is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Epistle free?
Epistle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Planning by WorshipTools or Epistle?
Epistle is rated higher. Planning by WorshipTools averages 4.3 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while Epistle averages 4.8 from 12 ratings.
Do Planning by WorshipTools or Epistle have ads?
Neither Planning by WorshipTools nor Epistle shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Planning by WorshipTools or Epistle?
Planning by WorshipTools ships an update every 9 months, and Epistle every 3 weeks. Most recently, Planning by WorshipTools was updated on October 24, 2026 and Epistle on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons