How to choose a free ProPresenter alternative for your church

ProPresenter is a well-known name in church presentation software. Renewed Vision lists macros, Stage Screens, MIDI and DMX control, up to 8 unique outputs and Cloud sync, and a subscription includes access to their support team. Plenty of churches run it every week and are happy.

Other churches go looking for an alternative, usually for one of a few practical reasons. ProPresenter is sold as a subscription for new users, and an ongoing subscription, monthly or yearly, is real money for a small church. The booth computer may be old or shared. Or the volunteer team changes so often that whatever you use has to be learnable in one rehearsal.

If that sounds like your church, here's how I'd think about choosing a free option.

Start with an ordinary Sunday

Before comparing tools, write down what actually happens on screen in a normal service. For most churches it's a short list: lyrics for the worship set, a scripture reading or two, announcement slides, maybe a video. Some churches add a countdown, lower thirds for the livestream, or lighting cues.

Be honest about which of these you use every week and which you used once. A tool that covers your real list well is better than one that covers everything and confuses the volunteer.

Look at how lyrics become slides

Typing songs into slides is where most of a media team's time goes. Check how each option handles it. Can you paste a song and get usable slides straight away? Does it keep section names like Verse, Chorus and Bridge so the operator can jump when the worship leader repeats something?

In Kastr, every blank line in the pasted lyrics starts a new slide, and section names become labels you can jump to during the song. If a stanza is too long, Auto slice splits it to the number of lines you choose.

Think about who sits at the desk

If the same experienced person runs slides every week, almost any tool works. If it's a rotation of volunteers, look for fewer screens and clear controls. Keyboard shortcuts for next, previous and blackout matter more than a long feature list.

It also helps if someone else can take over. Kastr has a phone clicker: a teammate scans a QR code and advances slides from their phone. The operator can pause every clicker with one switch.

Check the computer you actually have

Desktop software has system requirements, and some churches find their booth computer doesn't meet them. ProPresenter lists its supported versions of macOS and Windows on Renewed Vision's help site, along with hardware recommendations for more outputs.

A browser-based tool avoids most of that. Kastr runs in a modern browser, so the worship leader can build the program at home and the volunteer can open it on whatever computer is in the booth.

Scripture in your congregation's language

If your church reads scripture in more than one language, check which translations each tool includes. Kastr's Bible mode has English, Tagalog and Ilocano. You type a reference like John 3:16, pick a translation, and send it to the screen with your theme.

Decide how much you depend on the internet

This is where browser tools have a real limit. Web Kastr needs a connection to load your workspace. If your booth has no reliable internet, that matters.

ProPresenter needs the internet to install, register and verify the subscription, but not to run during the service. Kastr for Windows runs fully offline with no account. Download it from the download page when the booth has no reliable connection.

Count the real cost

Free should mean free. Some tools are free until you need a second screen, a phone remote or more songs. Kastr has no paid plans, and every feature is open to the whole workspace. It's kept going by voluntary donations from teams who find it useful.

When ProPresenter is still the right choice

If you run a larger production with many outputs, stage displays, timecode and lighting control, ProPresenter is built for that and Kastr isn't trying to be. The same goes for teams with years of content in ProPresenter and operators who know it well. Switching has a cost too.

Try it on a real service

The best test is a real program. Build next Sunday's set in the tool you're considering, run it in rehearsal, and let your newest volunteer drive. You'll learn more in that hour than from any comparison chart.

You can open Kastr in your browser at kastr.site and try it with this week's songs.