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ProPresenter vs FreeShow

By ChurchTechStack · Prices and facts from each vendor's own pages, with sources. Anything we couldn't confirm is left out.

ProPresenter

$29/mo per seat (Standard)
VS

FreeShow

Free

The question behind this comparison is simple: can a free, open-source app run your Sunday well enough to skip a yearly per-seat license?

For a lot of smaller churches, the honest answer is yes, as long as someone's willing to test it.

At a glance

ProPresenterFreeShow
Starting price$29/mo per seat (Standard)Free
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen source
Who it's forChurches with multiple screens, stage displays or livestream graphics.Small churches that want capable presentation software for free.
Pricing sourceofficial pricing pageofficial pricing page

Pricing, in plain terms

ProPresenter

  • Standard: $289/year per seat ($24.08/month billed annually). Monthly billing is available. Yearly saves 17% or more.
  • Enterprise pricing for 11+ seats.
  • 14-day free trial.

From ProPresenter, checked 2026-10-29.

FreeShow

  • Free and open source.

From FreeShow, checked 2026-10-29.

Key features

ProPresenter

  • Lyrics, scripture and media: Everything you need for Sunday presentation.
  • Stage display: Show the next slide and notes to the band and speaker.
  • Multi-screen output: Run complex screen setups.
  • Livestream integration: Graphics for your stream.
  • Team account management: Manage users. You can edit shows without activating a seat.

FreeShow

  • Powerful editor: Fonts, colors, outlines and shadows.
  • On-the-fly text editing: Make changes live.
  • Multiple outputs and remote control: At no cost.
  • Chords, themes and cloud sync: Per FreeShow's comparison table.
  • Imports: Bring in PowerPoint, ProPresenter, EasyWorship and OpenSong content.
  • NDI and timers: Send output over NDI and run countdown timers.

👍 What each does well

ProPresenter

  • Rated 4.6/5 from 2,000+ reviews, and the de facto standard source
  • Stage display preview of the next slide source
  • Grows with complex multi-screen and livestream setups source

FreeShow

  • A volunteer-friendly middle ground between EasyWorship and ProPresenter source
  • Free, with multiple outputs and remote control source
  • Imports from PowerPoint, ProPresenter, EasyWorship and OpenSong make switching easier source

⚠️ Where each falls short

ProPresenter

  • A learning curve, and terminology that confuses volunteers source
  • Annual renewal (about $480/year for one church) feels steep for small churches source
  • Overkill and resource-hungry for many small churches source
  • Per-seat pricing adds up across multiple computers source

FreeShow

  • 'Lovingly clunky' next to ProPresenter source
  • A newer project with some bugs, so test it before Sunday source
  • No built-in CCLI integration source
  • Lag on low-end PCs, and NDI or multiple outputs raise CPU load source
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Our verdict

FreeShow costs nothing, handles multiple outputs and remote control, and imports from ProPresenter, EasyWorship and PowerPoint, so switching is easier than you'd think. It's a newer project, though: expect some bugs, no built-in CCLI integration, and no vendor to call on a Sunday morning.

ProPresenter, at $289 per seat per year, is worth it when you're running complex multi-screen and livestream setups and want the industry standard your volunteers may already know. A one-screen church should try FreeShow first.

Read the full reviews: ProPresenter review · FreeShow review

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