EasyWorship Alternatives: Free, Mac and Linux Options for 2026

A good EasyWorship alternative is one that keeps what your volunteers like about EasyWorship, its straightforward approach to songs and scripture, while fixing whatever is pushing you to look elsewhere. If that is the subscription, free options such as OpenMico, FreeShow and OpenLP are worth testing; if you need more production depth, ProPresenter is the usual step up; and if you would rather buy once, MediaShout still sells perpetual licences.

Why do churches look for an EasyWorship alternative?

EasyWorship, from Softouch, is a dependable choice that many churches have used for years. It offers 100+ Bible translations, a large licensed song catalogue, Main, Alternate and Foldback outputs, and NDI as a subscription feature. So why look around?

The move to subscriptions

As of October 2026, EasyWorship is subscription-only, priced by average weekly attendance: Basic from $17.50/month or $210/year, and Premium from $27.50/month or $330/year (check the vendor's site for current pricing). Both include a campus licence, which is generous. Older one-time licences now receive bug fixes only, so churches on those versions face a choice.

Platform needs

EasyWorship 8 now runs on Mac as well as Windows, which answers the long-standing "EasyWorship for Mac" question. Native Apple silicon support arrived in build 8.0.46 in April 2026. If you are on Mac, check with the vendor whether NDI and Alternate Output are fully available in version 8. There is no Linux version.

Wanting help during the sermon

As of October 2026, we found no AI or speech features in EasyWorship's official materials. Churches whose preachers move quickly between passages sometimes want the software to keep up for them.

EasyWorship vs ProPresenter

This is one of the most searched comparisons, and both are capable products.

Check both vendors' sites for current pricing. In short, EasyWorship is often the easier and cheaper fit for a single site, while ProPresenter offers more depth for complex productions, stage screens and multi-machine sync. If you are weighing ProPresenter too, our guide to ProPresenter alternatives covers the other side.

What should you look for in an EasyWorship alternative?

Most churches that leave EasyWorship are not looking for something radically different. They want a tool their existing volunteers can pick up quickly, with a few specific gaps filled. Before testing anything, agree what those gaps are.

• A similar workflow. EasyWorship users are used to building a schedule of songs, scriptures and media, then sending items live. Look for the same pattern: a running order, a preview and a live view. OpenMico, FreeShow and OpenLP all work this way.
• Song entry that is quick to learn. Your volunteers will spend most of their preparation time on songs. Try entering three of your regular songs in each app and time how long it takes.
• The Bibles you actually use. EasyWorship includes 100+ translations, which is hard to match. Check which translations each alternative includes or can import, and which ones your church has the rights to use.
• Outputs that match your room. If you rely on EasyWorship's Alternate or Foldback outputs, make sure the new app has a stage display and any extra outputs your stream needs.
• Platform fit. If you have a mix of Windows and Mac computers, or older machines you would like to run on Linux, confirm the alternative supports all of them.
• Total cost over three years. Compare a subscription, a one-time licence and a free app over the same period, including any add-ons, rather than looking at monthly prices alone.

Write your answers down and use them to score each app after a rehearsal. A short, shared scorecard keeps the decision about your church's needs rather than personal preference.

The main EasyWorship alternatives

Prices are as of October 2026; check each vendor's site for current pricing.

OpenMico

OpenMico is a desktop app for Windows (x64 and ARM64), macOS (Apple silicon and Intel) and Linux (supported where practical). The free core app needs no account and works offline. It includes installed Bible search by reference or words, a song library that turns sectioned lyrics into clean slides, a slide editor with PowerPoint import, images and video, a Schedule, Preview and Live, a theme designer, and outputs for displays, stage displays, OBS Browser Source and NDI (video only). Our worship lyrics projection page shows how songs work.

It also listens. With optional live transcription, OpenMico detects Bible references spoken aloud and queues them in Preview for the operator to approve. On Pro and Max, AI recognises passages described rather than cited.

• Pros: free core, no subscription needed for Sunday basics, Linux support, built-in verse detection.
• Cons: no bundled song catalogue; modern translations must be imported where you hold the rights; outputs are displays, stage displays, an OBS browser source and NDI, so check the documentation first if your setup depends on SDI.

FreeShow (EasyWorship vs FreeShow)

FreeShow is free and open source (GPL-3.0) for Windows, macOS and Linux. It offers NDI output, a stage view, separate in-person and online outputs, one-click scripture slides, lyric search that creates slides, cloud sync, a mobile remote and MIDI control.

• Pros: completely free, actively developed, broad features.
• Cons: no built-in speech or verse detection found as of October 2026.

OpenLP (EasyWorship vs OpenLP)

OpenLP is free and open source (GPL v3 or later) for Windows, macOS and Linux. It imports Bibles and songs from several formats, supports verse tagging and verse order, and offers a browser-based stage view and free mobile remote apps.

• Pros: mature, free, flexible imports, good remote options.
• Cons: NDI is not mentioned in its official materials.

MediaShout (EasyWorship vs MediaShout)

MediaShout is the alternative for churches who want to buy once. As of October 2026, the Windows Site licence is $599 for unlimited computers on one site, the Mac Site licence is $499, and Essentials ($698 on Windows) includes the first year of Plus. Most editions include 70 Bibles.

• Pros: one-time purchase, site licence, stage display on most editions.
• Cons: upgrades and Plus membership cost extra; no Linux.

Proclaim (EasyWorship vs Proclaim)

Proclaim, from Faithlife, offers a single team subscription with unlimited installs, cloud collaboration, SDI and NDI, and Logos integration. A Faithlife or Logos account is required. We could not confirm current pricing from the official site, so check with Proclaim directly.

• Pros: strong for teams preparing services together; Logos users will feel at home.
• Cons: account required; Windows on ARM not supported; no Linux.

Holyrics

Holyrics is a free core app, popular in Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking churches, for Windows, Linux and Mac (with Java 8). Optional plans start from US$2/month as of October 2026.

For a full side-by-side of every option, see the best worship presentation software in 2026.

How do you switch from EasyWorship without disrupting Sunday?

1. Pick a quiet month. Avoid switching just before Christmas or Easter.
2. Gather your current songs. List the songs used in the last few months and copy their lyrics from your licensed source, keeping the credits and CCLI details your licence requires.
3. Add songs as sections. In OpenMico, enter each song with labelled verses, choruses and bridges, and it builds lyric slides automatically from those sections.
4. Check your Bibles. Translations bought as EasyWorship plugins were licensed for that app, so don't assume they carry across; check the publisher's terms. KJV and the World English Bible ship with OpenMico; import others only where your church holds the rights.
5. Import PowerPoint files. Bring announcement and sermon decks across from their PowerPoint originals, then review fonts and effects.
6. Recreate your themes in the theme designer.
7. Set up outputs and rehearse. Follow your first service, then run two or three rehearsals before going live.

Give an alternative a fair trial

The best way to compare is to run a real service plan in the new app with the volunteers who will use it. OpenMico's core app is free, needs no account and works offline, so you can download it and test it alongside EasyWorship before your next renewal.