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Religion · head to head

Ecclesia vs OpenLP

Ecclesia logo

Ecclesia

Religion

Church management and member app built in Chennai for Indian congregations and diaspora churches

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OpenLP logo

OpenLP

Religion

Free, open-source presentation software for churches

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only OpenLP has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Ecclesia pricing is not published anywhere, so a small church cannot budget without a sales conversation, which is a poor fit for the volunteer treasurers who typically make this decision.; OpenLP there is no standalone mobile app; the Android and iOS apps are remote controls for a desktop running OpenLP
  • They diverge on capability: Ecclesia covers Member and family records, OpenLP covers Presentation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ecclesia and OpenLP actually diverge.

Attributes where Ecclesia and OpenLP differ
AttributeEcclesiaOpenLP
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows, Mac, Linux
FoundedUnknown2004

Identical on both: 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 Ecclesia

  • Member and family records
  • Contribution recording
  • Church accounting
  • Member mobile app
  • Event and service scheduling
  • Group communication

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.

Ecclesia

  • An Indian parish moving membership registers and offering books off paper for the first timenot OpenLP
  • A denominational body wanting consistent member records across several parishes under one administrationnot OpenLP
  • A diaspora congregation whose giving and record-keeping conventions do not fit US-built church softwarenot OpenLP
  • A church that needs a member app for notices and prayer requests without commissioning custom developmentnot OpenLP

OpenLP

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

Where each one falls short

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

Ecclesia

  • Pricing is not published anywhere, so a small church cannot budget without a sales conversation, which is a poor fit for the volunteer treasurers who typically make this decision.
  • The installed base is small and concentrated in India, so there is little peer community, few third-party consultants and limited evidence of long-term product viability.
  • There are no published integrations with accounting packages, payment gateways or presentation software, so data tends to stay inside the system.
  • Support runs on Indian business hours from a single small vendor, which is a real constraint for diaspora congregations in other time zones.
  • Feature depth is well behind established church platforms on areas such as child check-in, volunteer scheduling and multi-site campus management, so growing churches will outgrow it.

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

Ecclesia

On request
  • Ecclesia$undefined/year
    • Church management web application
    • Member mobile app
    • Membership, giving and accounting modules

OpenLP

Free
  • Community EditionFree
    • Full features
    • No restrictions
    • Community support

Which should you pick?

Choose Ecclesia if

  • You need member and family records.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want contribution recording.
Ecclesia review

Choose OpenLP if

  • You need presentation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Mac, Linux.
  • You also want lyric display.
OpenLP review

Questions people ask

Is Ecclesia or OpenLP better?
Neither clearly leads. Ecclesia 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, Ecclesia or OpenLP?
OpenLP has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Ecclesia and Free for OpenLP.
Does Ecclesia or OpenLP run on more platforms?
Ecclesia runs on Web, iOS, Android. 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. Ecclesia starts at On request.
What is Ecclesia best used for?
Ecclesia is most often used for an indian parish moving membership registers and offering books off paper for the first time, a denominational body wanting consistent member records across several parishes under one administration, a diaspora congregation whose giving and record-keeping conventions do not fit us-built church software, a church that needs a member app for notices and prayer requests without commissioning custom development. Of those, an indian parish moving membership registers and offering books off paper for the first time and a denominational body wanting consistent member records across several parishes under one administration are not what OpenLP is typically brought in for.
What can Ecclesia do that OpenLP cannot?
Ecclesia covers Member and family records, Contribution recording, Church accounting, Member mobile app. OpenLP covers Presentation, Lyric Display, Media Playback, Bible Display.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Ecclesia: Is Ecclesia a real, buyable product?

Yes. It is sold by EinNel Technologies of Chennai and is listed on the major software directories, though its footprint is small and concentrated in India.

OpenLP: How much does OpenLP cost?

OpenLP is completely free to download, install, and use. Being open source means OpenLP is free forever with no licensing or subscription fees.

Source
Ecclesia: Does it publish pricing?

No. Pricing is quoted by congregation size.

OpenLP: Can I install OpenLP on multiple computers for free?

Yes, OpenLP can be downloaded, installed on multiple computers, and distributed to others at no cost.

Source
Ecclesia: Does it handle online giving?

It records contributions and generates receipts. Card and UPI collection depends on what the vendor configures for you rather than a published processor relationship.

OpenLP: What platforms does OpenLP support?

OpenLP is free for Windows, Mac, Linux, and FreeBSD platforms with no platform-specific licensing costs.

Source
Ecclesia: Should a US or UK church consider it?

No. Established platforms in those markets have deeper features and larger support ecosystems.

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