Churches, like all other social groups, recognize that the majority of message consumption occurs online. The way churches hold services is constantly changing due to technological advancements. Providers of church streaming software are not left behind as the need for real-time church service broadcasting grows. Here are a few live streaming service providers that allow both large and small churches to live stream their sermons and services.
TOP 7 BEST CHURCH STREAMING SOFTWARE
- VMIX – Best church streaming software overall
- BOXCAST – Best church streaming software for any size of church
- WIRECAST – Best church streaming software for Beginners
- PROPRESENTER – Best church streaming software for Pros
- DACAST – Best church streaming software for monetization
- CHURCHSTREAMING.TV – Best church streaming software for broadcasting to multiple sources
- OPEN BROADCASTER – Best church streaming software for saving cost
1. VMIX – BEST CHURCH STREAMING SOFTWARE OVERALL
PRICING: There is a free trial, a free version and the paid version is one time $60 payment
VMix is the best church streaming software overall. It is a cloud-based and on-premise live streaming software that allows churches to record, present, and broadcast productions in real-time by including web feeds, chroma-key, photos, and other elements into the video. The software allows churches to use videography and broadcast technologies to create church services, concerts, and mini webcasts.
KEY FEATURES:
- Live Streaming Production
- Multiple Camera Feeds
- Audience Engagement
- Customizable Branding
- Session Recording
REASONS TO BUY:
- Can encode multiple frame synced streams
- Virtual sets
- Full NDI support
- Instant replay and video delay support
- Remote desktop sources
REASONS TO AVOID:
- The user interface demands considerable effort to master
2. BOXCAST – BEST CHURCH STREAMING SOFTWARE FOR ANY SIZE OF CHURCH
PRICING: There is a free trial and the least paid plan is $99/month
Boxcast is the best church streaming software for any size of church. It is an excellent choice for religious communities consisting of one worshipper all the way up to one thousand and more. Most The majority of churches use BoxCast for access controls and permissions, audience analytics, and audience engagement. It has allowed thousands of individuals to better connect with their churches and to communicate with others who are unable to physically attend services. They never stop looking for new and more effective ways to satisfy their clients.
KEY FEATURES:
- Access Controls/Permissions
- Event Scheduling
- Session Recording
- Live Streaming Production
- Multistreaming Audience Analytics
- Customizable Branding
- Performance Monitoring
REASONS TO BUY:
- Smooths out your video stream and take care of any buffering issues
- It is easy to setup live stream for a mobile/outdoor church venue
- You can stream to multiple platforms at once
- You can schedule your live streams and they run themselves
- It’s basically a plug and play platform
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Add on apps are expensive
3. WIRECAST – BEST CHURCH STREAMING SOFTWARE FOR BEGINNERS
PRICING: The least paid plan is $12/month
Wirecast is the best church streaming software for beginners. It is a cloud-based and on-premise live video streaming solution for churches looking to broadcast live events. Churches can use the software to create professional material by capturing live or pre-recorded video, audio, or photographs, and preparing individual audio tracks for various outputs and streams.
KEY FEATURES:
- Content Management
- Customizable Branding
- API
- Conferencing
- Drag & Drop
- Live Streaming Production
- Audience Engagement
- Commenting/Notes
REASONS TO BUY:
- Offers simulcast choices for YouTube and Facebook
- Users can integrate this platform with multiple input sources for easy sharing
- It comes with Facebook live integration facility
- It offers so many editing tools with advanced features so that users can enjoy interactive services.
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Users are not able to view live comments within program
4. PROPRESENTER – BEST CHURCH STREAMING SOFTWARE FOR PRO
PRICING: The least paid plan is $399 one-time payment
ProPresenter is the best church streaming software for Pro. It’s a real-time presentation software that helps churches organize and display lyrics and other material in real time to boost audience involvement. It lets users to manage and control scriptural presentations from a single interface and present content using one or more output methods.
KEY FEATURES:
- Media Library
- Event Management
- Chord Chart Management
- Layout & Design
- For Religious Organizations
- Multi-Screen Support
- Customizable Templates
- Drag & Drop
- Playlist Management
REASONS TO BUY:
- CPU efficient
- Full automation for lyrics, backgrounds, videos, etc.
- Media friendly
- Widest Accessibility
- Easy to learn and operate
- 100% cloud based, making collaboration easy
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Cloud-based system makes for slow response to user input at times
5. DACAST – BEST CHURCH STREAMING SOFTWARE FOR MONETIZATION
PRICING: There is a free trial and the least paid plan is $39/ month
Dacast is the best church streaming software for monetization. Dacast is a live and on-demand streaming software for small to midsize churches that utilizes a single dashboard to broadcast live and on-demand films and events. The software helps organizers learn more about audience engagement, top-performing content, consumption data, revenue generation, and geolocation.
KEY FEATURES:
- Closed Captions
- Access Controls/Permissions
- Brand Overlay
- Bulk Uploading
- Audience Analytics
- Content Management
- Customizable Branding
- Audience Engagement
REASONS TO BUY:
- White label features, such as the ability to personalize the integrated video player and the addition of a watermark emblem for the purpose of content protection
- Premium support and account management
- Integrated system for the broadcasting of live events in high definition and the monetization of videos
- Vimeo integrations
- High-volume storage
- Full access to the API gives companies the ability to integrate features and develop specific workflows.
- Video subscription and OTT monetization
- Large-scale live streaming
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Interface looks quite outdated
6. CHURCHSTREAMING.TV – BEST CHURCH STREAMING SOFTWARE FOR BROADCASTING TO MULTIPLE SOURCES
PRICING: There is a free trial and the least paid plan is $79/month
Churchstreaming.tv is the best church streaming software for broadcasting to multiple sources. For churches of all sizes and faiths, ChurchStreaming.TV delivers a simple, ready-to-use live streaming platform. Its web-based software enables you to simply schedule, record, and broadcast your services and other live events to your church’s website and other channels at any time.
KEY FEATURES:
- Session Recording
- Audience Analytics
- Multistreaming
- Performance Monitoring
- Customizable Branding
- Event Scheduling
REASONS TO BUY:
- Mobile device and Roku compatible
- Good dependability
- Ad-free streaming
- Good interface usability details
- Good user-friendly products details
- Facebook and Twitter compatible
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Most of the features you need are on the paid version
7. OpenBroadcaster – best church streaming software for saving cost
PRICING: The least paid plan is $50/month
OpenBroadcaster is the best church streaming software for saving cost. This software makes screencasting extremely simple. If you’re looking for software for live streaming or other internet broadcasts, the Open Broadcast Software has a lot of useful features that will help you stand out. You’ll be able to easily produce a highly dynamic stream with real-time video and audio mixing and capture, as well as endless scenes to flip between using custom transitions.
KEY FEATURES:
- NDI Plugin! If you haven’t started using it. Do so!
- xBox Camera Control!
- OBS MultiViewer
- Hotkeys
- Image Mask
- Studio Mode w/ Double Click Scene Switching
- Instant Replay – Check
REASONS TO BUY:
- Streams to most live streaming video platforms
- Free, open source and cross-platform
- over 20 plugins that enhance functionality
REASONS TO AVOID:
- It is not possible to create a link to an audio file as a source
References
https://www.hitpaw.com/screen-recorder/streaming-software.html
https://www.saasworthy.com/product/wisecast
https://www.cincopa.com/blog/video-hosting-for-best-streaming/
https://www.slant.co/options/22362/alternatives/~lightstream-alternatives