Pewbeam vs Praisenter

Pewbeam

AI presentation app that listens to the sermon and puts detected Bible verses on screen.

Freemium
Subscription

Praisenter

Free, open-source desktop app for showing Bible verses, song lyrics and slides.

Open Source
Free

Summary

Pewbeam is paid (From $12/month billed annually ($14 monthly)), while Praisenter is free.
Praisenter is open source (BSD-3-Clause); Pewbeam is proprietary.
Both run on Windows and macOS.
Both support: Inputs & other sources: On-screen messages & alerts · Screens & outputs: Multiple audience screens · Broadcast video: NDI.

Only in Pewbeam

Bible: Free translations included (partial in Praisenter)

Only in Praisenter

Runs on Linux
Songs & lyrics: Motion backgrounds behind lyrics (paid add-on in Pewbeam)
Multilingual: Bibles in other languages (paid add-on in Pewbeam)
Connectivity & collaboration: Works fully offline (partial in Pewbeam)

Based on confirmed data only. Unknown values are not counted.

Side by side

Supported Supported
Partial Partial
Paid add-on or tier Paid add-on / tier
Not supported Not supported
Unknown Unknown
* Hover or tap for note

Product	Pewbeam	Praisenter
Overview
Price	From $12/month billed annually ($14 monthly)	Free
Open source	No	Yes (BSD-3-Clause)
Deployment	Desktop app	Desktop app
Status	active	active
Platforms
Windows	Supported	Supported
macOS	Supported	Supported
Linux	Not supported	Supported
Web browser	Not supported	Not supported
iOS / iPadOS	Not supported	Not supported
Android	Not supported	Not supported
ChromeOS	Not supported	Not supported
Content
Songs & lyrics	Paid add-on or tier	Supported
Song library	Unknown	Supported
Import from other presentation software	Unknown	Supported: Imports OpenLyrics, ChordPro, SongSelect and ChurchView song files plus older Praisenter formats.
Paste or import plain-text lyrics	Unknown	Supported: Lyrics can be pasted into the bulk editor, and text can be extracted from a PDF into it.
Automatic lyrics import (e.g. SongSelect, online sources)	Unknown	Partial: Imports SongSelect files downloaded by the user (since 3.1.7); there is no online SongSelect connection.
Chord charts for musicians	Unknown	Unknown
Motion backgrounds behind lyrics	Paid add-on or tier: Video and GIF motion backgrounds for themes and slides need the Plus or Core plan.	Supported: Slides and slide templates can use a video as their background.
CCLI usage reporting	Unknown	Unknown
Bible	Supported	Partial
Free translations included	Supported: Verses are detected automatically from live speech; 4 Bible translations on the free tier, 20 on paid plans.	Partial: Only a sample Bible is included; free Bibles are downloaded separately (Unbound, Zefania or OpenSong formats) and imported.
Licensed translations (NIV, ESV, etc.)	Supported: KJV, NKJV, NIV, NLT, ESV and NASB are bundled.	Unknown
Slides & presentations	Partial	Unknown
PowerPoint	Partial: Text from PowerPoint and Word files can be imported into the built-in slide editor, and decks can be exported as PPTX or PDF.	Unknown
Keynote	Unknown	Unknown
Google Slides	Unknown	Unknown
Canva	Unknown	Unknown
PDF	Unknown	Unknown
Plays slide animations & transitions	Unknown	Unknown
Media	Unknown	Supported
Video playback	Unknown	Supported
Audio playback	Unknown	Supported
Images	Unknown	Supported
YouTube / online video	Unknown	Unknown
Inputs & other sources	Supported	Supported
Live camera / capture card	Unknown	Unknown
Screen sharing	Unknown	Unknown
Web pages	Unknown	Unknown
Countdown timers & clocks	Unknown	Supported: Slides can include the current date/time and countdowns.
On-screen messages & alerts	Supported: Alert banners, including scrolling and looping alerts, can be sent to every screen.	Supported: Notifications overlay a message on top of whatever is currently displayed.
Audience interaction (polls, Q&A, Slido, follow along)	Unknown	Unknown
Languages
Multilingual	Paid add-on or tier	Supported
Interface in multiple languages	Unknown	Partial: The interface ships in English only; users can add their own translation of the messages file.
Songs in other languages	Unknown	Supported
Bibles in other languages	Paid add-on or tier: Paid plans can install downloadable translations such as Spanish, French, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, plus language packs for non-English sermon detection.	Supported
Bilingual lyrics on screen	Unknown	Supported: A primary and secondary set of song lyrics can be shown side by side with a suitable template.
Bible translations side by side	Unknown	Supported: A primary and secondary Bible can be shown on the same slide.
Non-Latin & right-to-left scripts	Unknown	Unknown
Integrations
Software integrations	Unknown	Unknown
Planning Center	Unknown	Unknown
ChurchSuite	Unknown	Unknown
WorshipTools Planning	Unknown	Unknown
Hardware control	Unknown	Unknown
MIDI	Unknown	Unknown
DMX lighting	Unknown	Unknown
Stream Deck / Companion	Unknown	Unknown
Automation & extensibility	Supported	Unknown
Network API (HTTP / WebSocket)	Partial: Local OSC and HTTP endpoints for broadcast integration; the docs say slide navigation commands are still being wired through.	Unknown
Plugins / extensions	Unknown	Unknown
Built-in scripting / macros	Unknown	Unknown
Webhooks / triggers to other systems	Unknown	Unknown
MCP server for AI assistants	Unknown	Unknown
AI features (e.g. verse detection, lyric formatting)	Supported: Listens to the sermon and detects Bible references, including paraphrases; also generates slides, sermon excerpts and sermon notes.	Unknown
Presenting & control
Screens & outputs	Supported	Supported
Multiple audience screens	Supported: Up to 2, 4 or 6 display outputs depending on plan, each with its own theme.	Supported: Each connected display can receive content independently.
Stage display / confidence monitor	Unknown	Unknown
Lower thirds / alpha key for streaming	Supported: Lower-third themes and NDI output with alpha transparency; creating new transparent themes needs the Core plan.	Unknown
Output as a web page (TVs, OBS / vMix browser source)	Unknown	Unknown
Broadcast video	Supported	Supported
NDI	Supported: NDI output at 720p, 1080p or 4K with alpha transparency.	Supported: Outputs can be sent as NDI displays.
SDI	Unknown	Unknown
Built-in streaming & recording	Unknown	Unknown
Stream to any RTMP destination	Unknown	Unknown
YouTube Live	Unknown	Unknown
Facebook Live	Unknown	Unknown
Record the output to a file	Unknown	Unknown
TV output	Unknown	Unknown
Apple TV app	Unknown	Unknown
Android / Google TV app	Unknown	Unknown
Fire TV app	Unknown	Unknown
Roku app	Unknown	Unknown
Chromecast / AirPlay	Unknown	Unknown
Connectivity & collaboration	Partial	Supported
Cloud sync of library	Unknown	Unknown
Works fully offline	Partial: Bible search and display work offline; offline transcription is available on Apple Silicon Macs on paid plans, otherwise transcription needs a connection.	Supported
Remote control from phone or tablet	Unknown	Unknown
Multiple operators at once	Unknown	Unknown
Web native (runs in a browser)	Unknown	Unknown

Pewbeam vs Praisenter

Summary

Only in Pewbeam

Only in Praisenter

Side by side

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