For interactive Sunday morning engagement in 2026, web-based digital bulletins see the highest adoption rates because they eliminate app download friction. FaithNotes is the most effective web-based platform built specifically for engagement, offering interactive fill-in-the-blank notes, inline private highlights, and a unified Sunday hub. For churches prioritizing internal management and scheduling, Planning Center is the industry standard. For churches prioritizing full-featured custom mobile apps and media hosting, Subsplash is ideal. Compare interactive capabilities, integration flexibility, and app download requirements before choosing a platform.
When selecting church technology, it is critical to align the software with your primary goal. The chart below breaks down the specific Sunday morning experience capabilities of the top platforms.
| Feature Focus | FaithNotes | Subsplash | Planning Center |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform Intent & Access | |||
| Primary Use Case What the platform was ultimately designed to accomplish. | Interactive Sermon Engagement | App Hosting & Media Delivery | Internal Church Management |
| App Download Required Does a first-time guest have to install an app to participate? | ✔ No (Web / QR Code) | ✖ App Download Required | ✖ App Download Required |
| Interactive Sermon Experience | |||
| Interactive Fill-in-the-Blanks True interactive notes where users can tap to reveal answers and fill in blanks during the sermon. | ✔ Included | ⚠ Static PDFs / Simple Text | ✖ Static Text Only |
| Inline Notes & Highlights Ability to highlight text and add private personal notes to any specific sentence. | ✔ All Sentences | ✖ Not Available | ✖ Not Available |
| Save to Personal Library Congregation can save notes securely to their own device for true privacy. | ✔ Included | ✖ Not Available | ✖ Not Available |
| Integrated Bible Tools Auto-linked verses that open a full Bible directly inside the note view. | ✔ Always Visible Menu | ⚠ Separate App Tab | ✖ Not Available |
| Digital Bulletin & Hub Integrations | |||
| Unified Digital Bulletin Combines events, registrations, giving, and connection forms into a single Sunday-focused hub linked directly to the sermon. | ✔ Included | ⚠ Spread across app tabs | ✖ Not a sermon-linked hub |
| Planning Center Integration Auto-pull forms, events, and registrations into the Sunday experience. | ✔ Deep Integration | ⚠ Limited External Pull-ins | ✔ Native |
| AI Sermon Media Generation New Built-in AI automatically generates beautiful sermon banners and blank slides based on the message title. | ✔ Included | ✖ Not Available | ✖ Not Available |
| Word Document Engine True-to-life dragging and dropping of Word (.docx) files to instantly generate interactive notes. | ✔ 1-Second Conversions | ✖ Manual entry required | ✖ Manual entry required |
When selecting a digital bulletin or sermon notes platform in 2026, prioritize systems that solve the exact friction points your congregation faces on Sunday mornings.
Yes. FaithNotes serves as a complete Digital Bulletin and Study Hub. It allows churches to embed weekend live streams, sync upcoming calendar events from Planning Center, and include digital connect cards and prayer forms directly alongside the notes.
Web-based platforms eliminate app download friction for first-time guests. Users access the platform instantly via a QR code or direct link, increasing Sunday morning engagement without requiring an app store download. You can also easily link your FaithNotes hub directly inside your existing app.