Today, I want to introduce you to a new player in the live presentation software world: FreeShow. Many churches are familiar with ProPresenter, the top-tier live presentation software renowned for its features and support. However, ProPresenter can be quite pricey, especially for smaller churches or church plants with limited budgets. Enter FreeShow, a robust and completely free alternative. Let’s dive in and see if FreeShow could be a good fit for your church!

FreeShow aims to provide a cost-effective solution for churches needing presentation software without the hefty price tag. While ProPresenter offers an impressive feature set, its $400 annual fee for a single seat or $1000 for a campus license can be prohibitive. FreeShow, on the other hand, offers many similar functionalities without any cost.

You can find and download FreeShow from their website at freeshow.app. It’s available for Windows, MacOS, and Linux, making it accessible regardless of your operating system.

Installation is straightforward. Once you open FreeShow, you’ll notice its interface bears a strong resemblance to ProPresenter, with a familiar left-to-right flow and bins at the bottom of the screen. While not as polished as ProPresenter, the overall layout is intuitive for those already accustomed to live presentation software.

Let’s explore some of FreeShow’s main features that are crucial for church presentations:

  • Projects can be organized into folders, allowing you to structure your content by dates, events, or themes.
  • Within projects, you can add sections and shows. The terminology differs slightly from ProPresenter, but the functionality remains similar.
  • You can create new shows from scratch, write your own songs, or search for existing songs.
  • Songs are broken into groups for building different arrangements, termed as “layouts.”
  • Click through slides to display them on your connected screens.
  • FreeShow supports a StageDisplay for a confidence monitor, helpful for on-stage presenters.
  • FreeShow offers slide and template editing, media integration, and even CSS editing for advanced customization.
  • While the editor might feel a bit clunky compared to ProPresenter, it is functional and versatile.
  • The Bible tab allows you to look up and display scripture passages directly, formatted to your preferences.
  • Incorporate pictures, videos, camera feeds, screen recordings, and online videos into your presentations.
  • Direct connection to Pixabay for royalty-free images and videos is a handy addition.
  • The Calendar tab lets you create scheduled shows, events, and timers. While not highly intuitive, it offers powerful scheduling capabilities.
  • Create different displays and assign specific styles. NDI support is also available.
  • Perform actions based on MIDI inputs, with room for future expansion.
  • Control FreeShow via a browser on the same network, with different modes for various control levels (RemoteShow, ControlShow, OutputShow, StageShow).
  • Adjust text and colors to match your preferences.

FreeShow offers a compelling free alternative to ProPresenter, especially for churches with tight budgets. It mirrors many of ProPresenter’s functionalities and serves as a potential on-ramp to ProPresenter if you plan to upgrade in the future. While it may not be as polished or feature-rich as ProPresenter, it covers the essentials and then some.

Although my church uses ProPresenter and we might not switch to FreeShow, the existence of such competition benefits all users by pushing all products to continually improve. For churches looking to streamline their presentations without breaking the bank, FreeShow is definitely worth exploring.


Got questions? Drop me a line through the contact form or reach out on Instagram!