Software · head to head
Church Alive vs OpenLP
The short version
- Only OpenLP has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- They diverge on capability: Church Alive covers Member Management, OpenLP covers Presentation.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Church Alive and OpenLP actually diverge.
| Attribute | Church Alive | OpenLP |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | open-source |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, Mobile | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| Founded | 2006 | 2004 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 OpenLP
- Presentation
- Lyric Display
- Media Playback
- Bible Display
- Theme Support
- Plugin System
- Custom Layouts
- Scripture Integration
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Church Alive
- Member management
- Donation tracking
- Event planning
- Volunteer scheduling
- Communication
OpenLP
- Member management
- Donation tracking
- Event planning
- Volunteer scheduling
- Communication
Both are used for member management, donation tracking, event planning, volunteer scheduling, communication, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.
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.
OpenLP
- There is no standalone mobile app; the Android and iOS apps are remote controls for a desktop running OpenLP
- Only the most recent Fedora release and Debian unstable are supported on those distributions
- The Flatpak build is experimental and the OpenLP team states it does not support its use
- Requires macOS 10.15 or higher and Windows 10 or higher
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
OpenLP
Free- Community EditionFree
- Full features
- No restrictions
- Community support
Which should you pick?
Choose Church Alive if
- You need member management.
- You work on Web, Mobile.
- You also want event planning.
Choose OpenLP if
- You need presentation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Mac, Linux.
- You also want lyric display.
Questions people ask
- Is Church Alive or OpenLP better?
- Neither clearly leads. Church Alive starts at On request and OpenLP at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Church Alive or OpenLP?
- OpenLP has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Church Alive and Free for OpenLP.
- Does Church Alive or OpenLP run on more platforms?
- Church Alive runs on Web, Mobile. OpenLP runs on Windows, Mac, Linux.
- Can I use OpenLP for free?
- Yes. OpenLP has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Church Alive starts at On request.
- What is Church Alive best used for?
- Church Alive is most often used for member management, donation tracking, event planning, volunteer scheduling.
- What can Church Alive do that OpenLP cannot?
- Church Alive covers Member Management, Event Planning, Group Coordination, Volunteer Scheduling. OpenLP covers Presentation, Lyric Display, Media Playback, Bible Display.
Related pages
More on Church Alive
Keep looking
Other head to heads
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- Church Alive vs Planning Center
- Church Alive vs Logos Bible Software
- Church Alive vs Rock RMS
- Church Alive vs Bible Gateway
- Church Alive vs Church Community Builder
- Church Alive vs ChurchTrac
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- Church Alive vs ChurchDesk
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- Church Alive vs eGiving
- Church Alive vs FaithMetrics
- Church Alive vs Fellowfy
- Church Alive vs FellowshipOne
- OpenLP vs Breeze
- OpenLP vs Planning Center
- OpenLP vs Logos Bible Software
- OpenLP vs Rock RMS
- OpenLP vs Bible Gateway
- OpenLP vs Church Community Builder
- OpenLP vs ChurchTrac
- OpenLP vs EasyWorship
- OpenLP vs Faithlife Proclaim
- OpenLP vs Accordance Bible Software
- OpenLP vs ACS Technologies Church Software
- OpenLP vs ChurchDesk
- OpenLP vs ChurchPlanner
- OpenLP vs eGiving
- OpenLP vs FaithMetrics
- OpenLP vs Fellowfy
- OpenLP vs FellowshipOne

