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Religion · head to head

Church Alive vs MediaShout

C

Church Alive

Religion

Church management and event software

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
MediaShout logo

MediaShout

Religion

Worship presentation and media management software

From
$198/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • They diverge on capability: Church Alive covers Member Management, MediaShout covers Lyric Display.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Church Alive and MediaShout actually diverge.

Attributes where Church Alive and MediaShout differ
AttributeChurch AliveMediaShout
Starting priceOn request$198/year
Pricing modelsubscriptionone-time
PlatformsWeb, MobileWindows
Founded20062000

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Religion).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Church Alive

  • Member Management
  • Event Planning
  • Group Coordination
  • Volunteer Scheduling
  • Email Integration
  • Calendar Systems
  • Payment Processing
  • Giving Integration

Only in MediaShout

  • Lyric Display
  • Video Integration
  • Theme Creation
  • Remote Control
  • Song Databases
  • Planning Center
  • CCLI Integration
  • Web Remote

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Church Alive

  • Member managementnot MediaShout
  • Donation trackingnot MediaShout
  • Event planningnot MediaShout
  • Volunteer schedulingnot MediaShout
  • Communicationnot MediaShout

MediaShout

  • Church worship presentation and lyrics displaynot Church Alive
  • Multi-screen sermon notes and Bible verse displaynot Church Alive
  • CCLI SongSelect integration for compliancenot Church Alive
  • 70+ Bible translation displaynot Church Alive

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Church Alive

Nothing recorded yet. See the Church Alive review.

MediaShout

  • The perpetual MediaShout 7 Site licence is a $599 one-time purchase, and phone support is limited to 2 sessions in the first 30 days before dropping to email and live chat
  • Ongoing phone and video support with remote desktop control requires the Plus Membership at $199 per year on top of the software
  • The cheapest option, MediaShout LE at $198 per year, licenses one computer only and omits the stage and confidence display
  • Shift Worship media access requires MediaShout 7 Complete at $798 one-time plus $299 per year
  • Upgrading from a previous MediaShout version still costs $399 for the Site licence or $498 for Essentials
  • The published plans are for MediaShout 7 for Windows, listed separately from the Mac product

Pricing, plan by plan

Church Alive

On request
  • Basic$49/month
    • Core management
    • Up to 200 members
  • Professional$149/month
    • All features
    • Unlimited members
    • Advanced reporting

MediaShout

$198/year
  • MediaShout 7 LE (Subscription)$198/year
    • Single computer
    • Limited features
    • Annual subscription
  • MediaShout 7 Essentials (Windows)$698/one-time
    • Perpetual license
    • 1 year Plus Membership ($199 annual renewal)
    • Unlimited computers with Site License upgrade
  • MediaShout 7 Complete (Windows)$798/one-time
    • Perpetual license
    • Plus Membership
    • Shift Worship media library access
  • MediaShout 7 Site License (Windows)$599/one-time
    • Unlimited computers
    • Perpetual license

Which should you pick?

Choose Church Alive if

  • You need member management.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want event planning.
Church Alive review

Choose MediaShout if

  • You need lyric display.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want video integration.
MediaShout review

Questions people ask

Is Church Alive or MediaShout better?
Neither clearly leads. Church Alive starts at On request and MediaShout at $198/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Church Alive or MediaShout?
Church Alive starts at On request and MediaShout at $198/year.
Does Church Alive or MediaShout run on more platforms?
Church Alive runs on Web, Mobile. MediaShout runs on Windows.
What is Church Alive best used for?
Church Alive is most often used for member management, donation tracking, event planning, volunteer scheduling. Of those, member management and donation tracking are not what MediaShout is typically brought in for.
What can Church Alive do that MediaShout cannot?
Church Alive covers Member Management, Event Planning, Group Coordination, Volunteer Scheduling. MediaShout covers Lyric Display, Video Integration, Theme Creation, Remote Control.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

MediaShout: What is the cheapest way to use MediaShout for a church?

MediaShout 7 LE subscription at $198/year provides single-computer access. Alternatively, Site License at $599 one-time covers unlimited computers permanently without annual fees.

Source
MediaShout: Does the perpetual license include ongoing support after purchase?

No, perpetual licenses (Essentials $698, Complete $798, Site $599) require optional Plus Membership renewal annually ($199-299/year) for priority support and training access.

Source
MediaShout: What is the cost difference between Windows and Mac versions?

Mac Essentials costs $598 (vs $698 Windows). Mac Complete costs $698 (vs $798 Windows). Mac Site License costs $499 (vs $599 Windows). All include same perpetual license model with annual membership options.

Source
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