The Church Co

Overview

The Church Co is a church website builder and digital platform for churches and ministries. It suits congregations that want a website to support both communication and participation, especially those already using Planning Center. Its main appeal is the combination of site-building, church content and community tools.

Key features

The drag-and-drop builder, templates and custom pages give churches control over their web presence. Sermon publishing, an event calendar, staff pages and donation links cover common website needs; forms, prayer requests, small groups, sermon notes, livestreams and a member portal extend the site into day-to-day community use. This range is useful for congregations that want members to find multiple services and resources in one place, though churches seeking only a basic information site may not need the full platform.

The branded church app syncs content with the website and supports sermons, events, forms, prayer requests, giving, groups and livestreams. A custom app requires the On-demand team and is not available on the basic or premium plan, so churches that require one should confirm that route fits their budget and setup needs.

Planning Center can automatically update events, registrations, groups, forms, giving and sermons on the website. That makes the integration particularly useful for churches already managing those activities there. Other integrations include Tithely, Church Community Builder, Church Suite, Stripe, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Optimize, Facebook, Intercom and Drift. Online giving is powered by Stripe.

The company says its customer success team can help, with training videos, webinars, articles, blog posts and chat support. Its privacy policy says data is stored on secure servers, payment details travel over an encrypted connection, and submitted information may be stored in the United States or Australia.

Pricing

The platform is paid, with a 14-day trial and no free plan. The setup packages are one-time fees or included with a yearly subscription, depending on the option:

• Simple setup: free, included with a yearly subscription. It covers up to 9 pages, includes 0 revisions and has a 3-week average turnaround. It suits churches willing to work within a smaller page allowance and accept the initial setup without revisions.
• Essentials setup: $299, paid once. It covers up to 20 pages, 1 revision, a 1-week average turnaround and content imports (RSS required). This is a more guided starting point for churches with a modest site and existing RSS content.
• Tailored setup: $799, paid once. It covers up to 40 pages, 2 revisions, a 1.5-week average turnaround, initial SEO configuration, RSS-required content imports and a lightly customized design. The extra page capacity and design work suit churches with broader content needs.
• Custom setup: $999, paid once. It covers up to 50 pages, 3 revisions, a 2-week average turnaround, initial SEO configuration, RSS-required content imports and custom design. It is the strongest fit for a larger site that needs a more individualized look.

The packages differ in page caps, revisions, turnaround and design scope, so the lower-cost routes mean accepting more limits on how much can be refined or customized. The yearly subscription condition on Simple setup matters when comparing its zero-fee setup with the one-time packages.

Platforms

The Church Co is available on Android, iOS and the web. The branded app adds mobile access to church content, but the custom-app restriction makes plan fit a key consideration for congregations that need their own app.

Who it's for

The Church Co is aimed at churches and ministries of different sizes. It is most compelling for congregations that want a church-specific website with integrated content and participation features, particularly when Planning Center is already part of their workflow. A church that needs a custom app should verify that the On-demand team option suits its plans; one needing only a small web presence may find the setup page limits or broader feature set unnecessary.

Pros and cons

• Pros: The builder combines church pages with sermons, events, giving and member features, reducing the need to treat each as a separate part of the website.
• Pros: Planning Center can sync several kinds of church content automatically, which helps churches already using that system keep their website current.
• Pros: Setup packages offer a choice of page capacity, revisions and design help, including RSS content imports and SEO configuration on the higher tiers.
• Cons: There is no free plan, and the trial lasts 14 days, so ongoing use requires a paid subscription.
• Cons: Simple setup is included only with a yearly subscription and allows no revisions; the other setup packages add one-time fees.
• Cons: A custom app requires the On-demand team and is unavailable on the basic or premium plan, limiting the straightforward app route for some churches.

Alternatives

Church Website Builders is a useful place to compare church-focused website options. Choose Mainfolk if a free plan matters most: its free tier includes a yourname.mainfolk.com address, unlimited edits and about 10 AI assists per month, with a footer note. Subsplash Church App may suit churches focused on giving, since Subsplash Giving has no setup costs, though card and ACH processing fees apply. For donation processing without monthly fees, Tithely Giving offers unlimited donations on its Free Giving plan, with transaction fees. Planning Center is a natural alternative for churches that want a freemium suite for church operations, with free Calendar, People and Services plans subject to their stated limits. SimpleUpdates offers a free Starter plan with unlimited pages and storage and SSL, making it worth considering when a no-cost web presence is the priority. GrowMyWebsite is another freemium option available on Android, iOS and the web. ChurchDev is a paid alternative without a free plan or trial; its Membership Directory plan costs $10 a month plus a 99 USD setup fee. Congregate is another paid option with a free trial; its Economy plan costs $20 a month and includes a public website and mobile app.

Verdict

Choose The Church Co if your church wants a dedicated website platform that brings content, giving and community features together, particularly if Planning Center sync would save routine updates. Look elsewhere if a free ongoing plan is essential or if you need a custom app without relying on the On-demand team. For congregations that value its connected church features and can match a setup package to their site size, it is a focused option worth considering.