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Church & Religious · head to head

OpenLP vs Pushpay

OpenLP logo

OpenLP

Church & Religious

Free, open-source presentation software for churches

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Pushpay logo

Pushpay

Church & Religious

Mobile-first giving platform for churches and nonprofits

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only OpenLP has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: OpenLP there is no standalone mobile app; the Android and iOS apps are remote controls for a desktop running OpenLP; Pushpay the pricing page names Core, Advanced and Complete packages but publishes no price, no minimum and no per-transaction rate for any of them
  • They diverge on capability: OpenLP covers Presentation, Pushpay covers Mobile Giving.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which OpenLP and Pushpay actually diverge.

Attributes where OpenLP and Pushpay differ
AttributeOpenLPPushpay
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows, Mac, LinuxWeb, IOS, Android, SMS
Founded20042012

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Church & Religious).

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 OpenLP

  • Presentation
  • Lyric Display
  • Media Playback
  • Bible Display
  • Theme Support
  • Plugin System
  • Custom Layouts
  • Scripture Integration

Only in Pushpay

  • Mobile Giving
  • Recurring Donations
  • Text-to-Give
  • Planning Center
  • Accounting Software
  • CRM Systems
  • Web support
  • IOS support

What people use each for

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

OpenLP

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

Pushpay

  • Mobile and online giving for churchesnot OpenLP
  • Church management with attendance, groups and follow-up processesnot OpenLP
  • Custom branded church apps for congregationsnot OpenLP

Where each one falls short

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

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

Pushpay

  • The pricing page names Core, Advanced and Complete packages but publishes no price, no minimum and no per-transaction rate for any of them
  • Integrations and API access are withheld from the Core package and require Advanced
  • Giving history on Advanced is capped at 7 years
  • Multi-site support, per-campus branding, multiple bank accounts and metric dashboards require the Complete package
  • Check-in, facility management, forms and volunteer scheduling are excluded from Core
  • Check scanning and remote deposit start at $0.29 per check on top of the plan

Pricing, plan by plan

OpenLP

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

Pushpay

On request
  • StandardFree
    • Transaction fees apply (2.2% + $0.30)
    • Mobile giving
  • Premium$299/month
    • Advanced analytics
    • Priority support
    • Custom integrations

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Pushpay if

  • You need mobile giving.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android, SMS.
  • You also want recurring donations.
Pushpay review

Questions people ask

Is OpenLP or Pushpay better?
Neither clearly leads. OpenLP starts at Free and Pushpay at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, OpenLP or Pushpay?
OpenLP has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for OpenLP and On request for Pushpay.
Does OpenLP or Pushpay run on more platforms?
OpenLP runs on Windows, Mac, Linux. Pushpay runs on Web, IOS, Android, SMS.
Can I use OpenLP for free?
Yes. OpenLP has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Pushpay starts at On request.
What is OpenLP best used for?
OpenLP is most often used for member management, donation tracking, event planning, volunteer scheduling. Of those, member management and donation tracking are not what Pushpay is typically brought in for.
What can OpenLP do that Pushpay cannot?
OpenLP covers Presentation, Lyric Display, Media Playback, Bible Display. Pushpay covers Mobile Giving, Recurring Donations, Text-to-Give, Planning Center.
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