Church Presenter

Overview

Church Presenter is a free, open-source presentation system built around church services and similar events. It is best suited to organizations that want a local-first desktop workflow, broad production integrations, and no subscription. Its breadth comes with a trade-off: the project is community-maintained by a small team.

Most content and project data stay on the device, and the desktop app needs no account and collects no data. The mobile apps use Firebase Analytics, Crashlytics, and Sentry for anonymous crash and usage reporting. That distinction matters to privacy-conscious teams choosing between desktop and mobile use.

The public code is licensed under GNU GPL v3. Bug reports and feature requests go through GitHub Issues, so organizations should be comfortable relying on a small team and community contributions rather than assuming a commercial support operation.

Key features

Service schedules can combine scripture, songs, videos, presentations, announcements, and web pages. This makes Church Presenter useful when a service moves between different content types rather than relying on a lyric-only workflow. It can display up to six Bible translations simultaneously, and its catalog draws on more than 1,500 translations in over 1,000 languages from eBible.org and the Zefania Archive.

PowerPoint, Keynote, and PDF files open directly without Microsoft Office or Apple Keynote. That reduces the need to convert existing presentation files, though it does not replace every tool used to create them.

Android and iOS apps can control the desktop presentation remotely or present independently to a TV, projector, or browser. For production teams, Church Presenter can switch OBS Studio scenes as content changes, control the upstream key on Blackmagic ATEM switchers when lower thirds go live or clear, and send actions through Bitfocus Companion to Stream Deck buttons and other supported hardware. These connections make it a stronger fit for services with a production setup than for teams seeking only basic slides.

Attendees can submit questions through a QR code. Administrators can moderate and approve questions before display, and can optionally enable voting. The software also tracks displayed songs and Bible verses and exports usage as CSV or Excel for CCLI licence compliance.

Pricing

Free Forever: free, billed Free Forever. It is released under GNU GPL v3, has no subscription, and imposes no seat limits. That makes it a practical option for organizations that want the full open-source product without recurring fees or a seat-count calculation. Its cost is not the only consideration: teams should weigh the small-team maintenance model and GitHub-based support alongside the price.

Platforms

Church Presenter supports Windows, macOS, and Linux on desktop, plus Android and iOS. The mobile apps can serve as remote controls or as standalone presentation tools, giving teams more than one way to use phones and tablets during an event.

Who it's for

Churches, ministries, missionaries, nonprofits, and educational institutions are the intended audience. It is particularly well suited to organizations combining scripture and lyrics with mixed service content, multiple displays, or live video production. Teams that require a larger formal support structure, or want mobile apps without anonymous usage and crash reporting, may prefer another option.

Pros and cons

• Broad service scheduling: One schedule can mix scripture, songs, videos, presentations, announcements, and web pages, which suits varied services.
• Useful production links: OBS, ATEM, and Bitfocus Companion integrations connect presentation changes with other production controls.
• No subscription or seat cap: The Free Forever plan removes recurring charges and seat-count limits.
• Local-first desktop privacy: Desktop data stays local, and the desktop app collects no data or account details.
• Small-team maintenance: Support routes through GitHub Issues and community contributions, which may not fit organizations expecting a commercial support channel.
• Mobile reporting differs: The Android and iOS apps use third-party services for anonymous crash and usage reporting, unlike the desktop app.

Alternatives

For a wider comparison, see Church Presentation Software.

• Holyrics is another cross-platform option with a free plan and paid tiers at $5 a month and $10 a month, with the listed tiers capped by computers and apps.
• SongShow Plus is a paid option with a free trial, and includes a free workstation license for preparing presentations, programs, and other media on non-projection machines.
• VerseVIEW is a free, cross-platform alternative whose plan is described as free forever with no ads.
• WorshipTools Presenter offers a free plan with 500 MB cloud storage, 10 users, and 15 items per service, while allowing unlimited services and songs.
• FreeShow is a free alternative for Linux, macOS, web, and Windows.
• Praisenter is a free Linux, macOS, and Windows option with no registration, sign-up, trial period, or limited feature set.
• Crown Cast is a free Linux, macOS, and Windows alternative.
• DisplayWord is a freemium option for macOS, web, and Windows, with a free church plan covering hall screen and Bible, song library and editor, PDF chord sheets, offline use, media, and backgrounds.

Verdict

Choose Church Presenter if your organization wants a subscription-free, locally oriented presentation system that can handle varied service content and connect with production hardware and software. Its strongest case is the combination of broad scheduling, scripture tools, and live-production integrations without seat limits. Look elsewhere if your priority is a larger support operation or a desktop-and-mobile privacy profile that is consistent across apps.