It can be tough to decide which presentation software is right for your church, so I’ve put together a list of all the best options on the market today.
- The learning curve from MediaShout 5 to MediaShout 6 was pretty steep. We had some frustrations making the switch. MediaShout 6 has had a few glitches, most of which have been fixed with upgrades. Customer Support has been awesome throughout it all. Being able to open multiple presentations is a useful new feature.
- Click “Export” and select “.sscx (MediaShout 6)” as your file format. Download the file to your preferred destination. Open the file using MediaShout 6. Setting Presentation Dimensions. A best practice for using a presentation during worship is to ensure that the presentation’s dimensions match the resolution of the computer that will.
You’ll see what each option costs, what it does best, and what platforms it’s designed to run on. There are even two completely free church presentation software options on the list.
This guide should help you pick the presentation software that’s best-suited to meet your church’s needs.
MediaShout 6
3.6 / 5 'The user interface is a bit awkward. I can get it to work for me, but it is really hard to explain it to someone else.' 'OpenLP has a simple, effective interface for projecting song lyrics, scripture and images during a meeting.' Value for Money: 4.3 / 5. If you plan to reinstall on this computer, then simply choose not to deactivate. Setting up MediaShout 7 correctly the first time you run it is very important to having a great experience with it. Once MediaShout opens, you will be presented with the Tip of the Day. You can close that and then click the Settings Menu to open the Settings Window.
Platforms: Mac and PC
Pricing model: purchase outright (as opposed to a subscription)
Cost: $399
What sets MediaShout 6 apart?
There’s a reason MediaShout 6 is at the top of my list; not only is it affordable, but there are a lot of positive factors that make it a good choice.
Customer support. One of things that sets MediaShout apart most is its 7-day-a-week customer service. No other church presentation software offers such a high degree of support for its users.
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Free content included. A MediaShout license comes with more than 2,500 songs with ready-to-go lyrics, and 67 free Bibles. That’s a lot more starter content than other available options.
Multi-screen functionality. While most other options either don’t support multi-screen functionality or require you to spend extra to get it, MediaShout 6 comes with it built in.
Hardware options. The MediaShout team has collaborated with Dell to build a variety of hardware bundles designed with churches in mind.
Built with PowerPoint in mind. Since a lot of churches “graduate” to church presentation software from PowerPoint, it’s great to have an interface that helps PowerPoint users along. MediaShout does just that: the interface is built to be especially easy to understand if you’re used to PowerPoint.
ProPresenter 6
Platforms: Mac and PC
Pricing model: purchase outright, add modules for additional cost
Cost: $399+
What sets ProPresenter 6 apart?
ProPresenter is one of the most widely-used softwares for church presentations. In addition to being popular, there are a few things that make it unique:
Modules. You can purchase additional hardware modules that give the software additional functionality. For example, you can buy a module that lets you present on multiple screens.
Bibles. It doesn’t include quite as many as MediaShout 6, but with 46 free Bibles, you’re still getting a great number of options.
Mobile apps. ProPresenter 6 has several mobile apps different team members can download. These come in handy for controlling the presentation on Sunday morning.
Proclaim
Platforms: Mac and PC
Pricing model: subscription
Cost: $19.95 monthly at the low end, $79.89 monthly at the high end
What sets Proclaim apart?
One of the most unique factors of Proclaim is that it’s made by Faithlife, the creators of Logos Bible Software. The two products are integrated, so that’s a nice benefit for Logos users. In addition to that …
Cloud-enabled. Proclaim allows teams to collaborate on presentations with their cloud feature.
Mobile apps. Like ProPresenter, Proclaim also features mobile apps that can be used to control presentations like a remote control. It also allows presenters to send updates to congregation members who use other Logos apps on their phones.
Pastoral focus. Proclaim was built to give pastors more control over building their presentations from their sermons.
EasyWorship 6
Platforms: PC only
Pricing model: purchase outright
Cost: $499
What sets EasyWorship 6 apart?
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Though EasyWorship is only available for Windows, that’s actually part of what makes it special. It’s specifically made for people who have been using PowerPoint.
So if you’re a PowerPoint user, consider this:
Similar layout. If you know how to use PowerPoint, you’ve got a leg up already in figuring out EasyWorship 6.
Works with PowerPoint files. You can import your previously-created PowerPoint presentations into EasyWorship instead of starting from scratch.
In addition to the PowerPoint integration, EasyWorship also integrates with QuickTime so you can play video content in your presentations.
MediaShout Bridge
Platforms: PC (you also need PowerPoint 2007, 2010, or 2013)
Pricing model: purchase outright
Cost: $99
What sets MediaShout Bridge apart?
MediaShout Bridge is a simpler presentation software option for churches who are using PowerPoint and might not be ready to transition to a new software solution.
Upgrades PowerPoint. This plugin works within an existing installation of PowerPoint, and turns it into a tool specifically for churches.
Includes a Lyric library. Bridge gives PowerPoint users a huge arsenal of public domain songs and hymns to use in their presentations.
Includes Bibles. A lot of Bibles—67 versions, to be precise.
ShareFaith Presenter
Platforms: Only for Windows 10 (must also have Office 365)
Pricing model: part of a subscription to ShareFaith Complete
Cost: $71/month (includes more than presentation software)
What sets ShareFaith Presenter apart?
In some ways, ShareFaith Presenter is similar to MediaShout Bridge. It’s a plugin that works with PowerPoint to connect it with other ShareFaith tools.
It’s quite limited on operating system, so make sure you have Windows 10 and Office 365 before pursuing this option.
If your church uses ShareFaith, and you use the newest version PowerPoint, this is a good solution.
Free church presentation software
Among the top options for church presentation software are two that are entirely free: OpenLP and OpenSong. Learn more about the differences between the two free options below.
OpenLP
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Platforms: Linux, PC, and Mac
Pricing model: freeware
Cost: none
What sets OpenLP apart?
Aside from the obvious (that it’s totally free), OpenLP does some cool stuff:
Gives you basic presentation functionality. You can create slides with text formatting, images, and various effects.
Remote control. OpenLP even has a remote control feature, so you can navigate through the presentation from any networked device.
Video. You can display and play video files in your presentations—which is pretty cool for an open source program!
Friendly with PowerPoint. You can import PowerPoint presentations into OpenLP.
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If you’re not ready to spend money on a presentation tool designed for churches, you can at least start playing around with OpenLP.
OpenSong
Platforms: Linux, PC, and Mac
Pricing model: freeware
Cost: none
What sets OpenSong apart
OpenSong and OpenLP share some commonalities, but OpenSong seems to have been created more with musicians in mind rather than pastors and tech teams. It allows for basic presentation functionality, plus a few other cool things:
Chord chart manipulation. OpenSong lets you play around with chord charts. For example, you can automatically transpose chords to any key—a helpful tool for music teams.
Timed slide loops. Teams can create sets of slides that loop at a predetermined pace.
Since it’s free, there’s no harm in downloading a version to see if it can work for you.
What’s your recommended presentation software?
Has your church found a presentation software your team loves? Let me know in the comments! By the way, if you liked this post, you might also appreciate this directory of free motion backgrounds.
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