Cantara

Name: Cantara
Author: Jan Martin Reckel

Lightweight open-source song presentation tool for churches and small groups.

Open Source
Free

Overview

Cantara is a free, open-source song presentation program written in Free Pascal/Lazarus for quickly presenting song lyrics to a group. It supports multiple screens, background images, two-language presentations, and export of presentations to PPTX, images, text and other formats. It is packaged for Windows (winget), macOS and Linux (Flatpak, Snap, AUR). A rewrite in Rust (Cantara 3) is in progress while version 2 continues to be maintained.

Supported platforms

Features

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

Content

Songs & lyrics Supported
- Song library Supported: Songs are kept as files in a song repository folder, in Cantara's own .song format or CCLI SongSelect text format.
- Import from other presentation software Unknown
- Paste or import plain-text lyrics Supported: Plain .txt lyric files are recognised as songs.
- Automatic lyrics import (e.g. SongSelect, online sources) Partial: Can read song files in the CCLI SongSelect lyrics file format; there is no direct SongSelect account integration.
- Chord charts for musicians Unknown
- Motion backgrounds behind lyrics Unknown
- CCLI usage reporting Unknown
Bible Unknown
- Free translations included Unknown
- Licensed translations (NIV, ESV, etc.) Unknown
Slides & presentations Unknown
- PowerPoint Unknown
- Keynote Unknown
- Google Slides Unknown
- Canva Unknown
- PDF Unknown
- Plays slide animations & transitions Unknown
Media Partial
- Video playback Unknown
- Audio playback Unknown
- Images Partial: Images are used only as presentation backgrounds (with per-song overrides since 2.7); there is no separate media playback.
- YouTube / online video Unknown
Inputs & other sources Unknown
- Live camera / capture card Unknown
- Screen sharing Unknown
- Web pages Unknown
- Countdown timers & clocks Unknown
- On-screen messages & alerts Unknown
- Audience interaction (polls, Q&A, Slido, follow along) Unknown

Languages

Multilingual Supported
- Interface in multiple languages Supported: The interface has been translated into a few languages by the community.
- Songs in other languages Unknown
- Bibles in other languages Unknown
- Bilingual lyrics on screen Supported: Songs can be presented and exported in two languages at the same time.
- Bible translations side by side Unknown
- Non-Latin & right-to-left scripts Unknown

Integrations

Software integrations Unknown
- Planning Center Unknown
- ChurchSuite Unknown
- WorshipTools Planning Unknown
Hardware control Unknown
- MIDI Unknown
- DMX lighting Unknown
- Stream Deck / Companion Unknown
Automation & extensibility Unknown
- Network API (HTTP / WebSocket) Unknown
- Plugins / extensions Unknown
- Built-in scripting / macros Unknown
- Webhooks / triggers to other systems Unknown
- MCP server for AI assistants Unknown
- AI features (e.g. verse detection, lyric formatting) Unknown

Presenting & control

Screens & outputs Supported
- Multiple audience screens Supported: Multi-screen presentation is supported out of the box.
- Stage display / confidence monitor Unknown
- Lower thirds / alpha key for streaming Unknown
- Output as a web page (TVs, OBS / vMix browser source) Unknown
Broadcast video Unknown
- NDI Unknown
- SDI Unknown
Built-in streaming & recording Unknown
- Stream to any RTMP destination Unknown
- YouTube Live Unknown
- Facebook Live Unknown
- Record the output to a file Unknown
TV output Unknown
- Apple TV app Unknown
- Android / Google TV app Unknown
- Fire TV app Unknown
- Roku app Unknown
- Chromecast / AirPlay Unknown
Connectivity & collaboration Supported
- Cloud sync of library Unknown
- Works fully offline Supported
- Remote control from phone or tablet Unknown
- Multiple operators at once Unknown
- Web native (runs in a browser) Unknown

Notes

Songs & lyrics: Song library:: Songs are kept as files in a song repository folder, in Cantara's own .song format or CCLI SongSelect text format.
Songs & lyrics: Paste or import plain-text lyrics:: Plain .txt lyric files are recognised as songs.
Songs & lyrics: Automatic lyrics import (e.g. SongSelect, online sources):: Can read song files in the CCLI SongSelect lyrics file format; there is no direct SongSelect account integration.
Media: Images:: Images are used only as presentation backgrounds (with per-song overrides since 2.7); there is no separate media playback.
Multilingual: Interface in multiple languages:: The interface has been translated into a few languages by the community.
Multilingual: Bilingual lyrics on screen:: Songs can be presented and exported in two languages at the same time.
Screens & outputs: Multiple audience screens:: Multi-screen presentation is supported out of the box.

Frequently asked questions

What is Cantara?

Cantara is church presentation software by Jan Martin Reckel. Lightweight open-source song presentation tool for churches and small groups.

How much does Cantara cost?

Cantara is free to use.

What platforms does Cantara run on?

Cantara runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Is Cantara open source?

Yes. Cantara is open source under the GPL-3.0 license.

What are the best alternatives to Cantara?

Similar tools include FreeShow, Praisenter, ChurchPresenter, OpenLP, and TheOpenPresenter.

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