FreeShow alternative
A FreeShow alternative for modern church services
FreeShow is a powerful free desktop presenter. LlamaPresenter takes a different approach. It runs in your browser and brings Bible verses, song lyrics, multiple languages, projector, stage, livestream, templates, and remote control into one online workflow.
Looking for a FreeShow alternative?
FreeShow is a popular free and open-source presentation tool for churches. It gives churches a large set of features for presenting lyrics, Bible verses, media, and more.
LlamaPresenter is built with a different idea: keep the church presentation in the browser and make the setup simple. There is nothing to install, and your projector, stage, livestream, and remote control can all work from the same web-based system.
If you like what FreeShow can do but prefer a browser-based workflow, LlamaPresenter may be a better fit. It is worth reading the differences below before you move a service across, because the two products are built on different ground.
Desktop software or browser-based?
The biggest difference is how the two products work. Everything else on this page follows from it.
FreeShow
A free and open-source desktop application that you install on your computer. It is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
LlamaPresenter
A browser-based church presentation platform. Open it in your browser and connect your projector, stage display, livestream, and remote devices.
LlamaPresenter vs FreeShow
Only the rows where the two part company. Both run a Sunday, and the list under the table says so — but these are the lines a church is actually choosing between.
| Feature | LlamaPresenter | FreeShow |
|---|---|---|
| Where the software runs | In the browser. Any computer will do. | Installed on each Windows, macOS or Linux computer. |
| Getting a screen on | A link, opened on the screen itself. | An output of the presenting computer. |
| Learning curve | Simple and intuitive. | Moderate. Shows, slides and outputs panels to learn. |
| Two languages on one slide | Arm them once. Every verse comes out in all of them. | Put together slide by slide. |
| Different languages per screen | Each screen shows the languages you give it. | One slide, every screen. |
| Two languages in a song | The same as a verse, out of the box. | Both typed into the slide. |
| A Bible in your own language | Ticked from a public archive inside the console. | An XML Bible, added to that machine. |
| The remote | Any phone browser, from anywhere. | Their app, on the same network. |
| Where the service lives | In your church account. | In files on the computer you built it on. |
| A volunteer covering on Sunday | Signs in on whatever computer is there. | Needs the machine with the show files. |
| Keeping it up to date | Nothing to do. Everyone is on one version. | Each machine updates itself. |
What both do
FreeShow covers all of this, and so do we. It is listed here rather than in the table because a row that is a yes on both sides is not a reason to choose either one.
- Bible search and verse slides
- Song lyrics and a song library
- Importing a ProPresenter export
- Projector output
- A stage display
- Livestream graphics, including OBS
- Custom templates and slide design
- A countdown timer
- Remote control from a phone
- Your own backgrounds and music
FreeShow is a mature project with a wide feature set, and a church running it well is not missing anything on a Sunday. What differs is where the software lives and how a service is set up around it — and since it costs nothing, none of the rows above are about money.
See it in the console
Search once. Every language updates.
Type a reference and it lands on the live projector at once, stacked in every language you have armed — not a separate step per translation.
Searching 2 Corinthians 7 with English and Ukrainian armed, the verse appearing live on the projector output
What you get here that FreeShow does not
FreeShow gives churches a lot of functionality for nothing, and it is a serious project. These six are the things it cannot do from where it runs.
Nothing to install, anywhere
Not on the booth computer, not on the screen at the front, not on the phone in your hand. If it has a browser, it can run its part of the service.
Every screen is a link
The projector, the stage, the stream and the lower third each open on the device that needs them, rather than hanging off the outputs of one machine.
Languages are armed, not assembled
Two or more translations on the same slide, from one passage read once — and a song carries the languages it is sung in the same way. Turning one on mid-service is one click.
Each screen picks its own languages
The congregation can read two while the stage carries one and the stream carries the other — from the same verse, or the same song, you just sent.
The service is not in a folder
It lives in your church account, so the laptop that died on Saturday night is an inconvenience rather than the service.
Nothing to maintain
No installs to update, no versions to keep matched between the booth and the office, no files to carry across on a stick.
Multiple Bible languages, side by side
One of the main differences in LlamaPresenter is its focus on multilingual church services. Show two or more Bible translations on the same slide and choose which languages appear on the projector, stage, or livestream.
It is the same passage read once and drawn in each language you have armed, so turning a language on or off in the middle of a service is one click rather than a second set of slides. Your own translation can join them: pick one from a public Bible archive inside the console, or bring a file of your own.
Songs work the same way. A song holds the languages it is sung in, they stack on the big screen one under the other, and the stage and the lower third each carry one of them — so the words on the platform can be in one language while the congregation reads two.
Projector, stage, and livestream in one workflow
LlamaPresenter is designed around three different outputs. Each screen can have its own view while the whole service stays connected.
- Projector
- Show Bible verses, lyrics, announcements, and media to the congregation.
- Stage
- Give your team the current slide, next slide, agenda, clock, and timer.
- Livestream
- Send verses, lyrics, and other graphics to your stream.
Your presentation lives in the browser
LlamaPresenter does not require a traditional desktop installation. Open the console in your browser and connect your screens and devices.
This makes it easier to use the same presentation system across different computers and devices. The laptop in the booth, the screen at the front of the platform, and the phone in your hand are all opening the same service, and a volunteer covering on Sunday signs in rather than installing anything.
The other side of that is worth saying plainly: a browser needs a working connection to change what is on the screens. Your screens keep showing whatever slide they are on if the connection drops, but a building with unreliable internet is the case where installed software has the advantage today. Native Mac and Windows apps are being built for exactly that, and they will run a service with the internet down.
When FreeShow may be the better choice
FreeShow is a great option if you want a free and open-source desktop presenter with a large feature set and deep control over your presentation, media, outputs, and integrations.
If you prefer installed desktop software and want an open-source solution, FreeShow may be the better fit. If you prefer a browser-based workflow with projector, stage, livestream, multilingual Bible presentation, and remote control in one online system, LlamaPresenter is designed for that.
If a desktop presenter is what you are weighing up in general, the ProPresenter alternative page covers that side of the question, and the StageTimer alternative page covers the church stage timer on its own. If it is the paid, installed kind you are weighing, the EasyWorship and Proclaim pages cover those.
Who should use LlamaPresenter?
Churches that want browser-based church presentation software with their screens, languages, and timing in one place. What it costs depends on how much of it you use, and the pricing page has the current plans.
Churches using multiple languages
Show Bible translations side by side without creating separate presentations.
Churches with a livestream
Send Bible verses and lyrics to your stream while your projector and stage display show different content.
Church teams using multiple screens
Keep the projector, stage, and livestream connected to the same presentation.
Churches that prefer browser-based tools
Open the presentation in a browser instead of installing desktop presentation software.
See it in the console
Multiple Bible translations.
Add the Bible versions you need and display them together on the same slide. Switch languages without stopping your service.
Adding a translation from the archive inside the console, and picking it in the language picker
FreeShow alternative FAQ
Is LlamaPresenter a FreeShow alternative?
Yes. LlamaPresenter is an alternative for churches looking for presentation software with Bible verses, song lyrics, multiple languages, projector output, stage display, livestream graphics, templates, and remote control. The biggest difference is that LlamaPresenter is browser-based.
Is LlamaPresenter free like FreeShow?
LlamaPresenter has a free plan with the core tools needed to run a church presentation. Pro adds higher limits, more languages, custom templates, more songs, and other features.
Is LlamaPresenter easier to use than FreeShow?
That depends on what you need. FreeShow offers a large number of features and deep control for desktop presentations. LlamaPresenter focuses on a simpler browser-based workflow for running a church service across projector, stage, and livestream.
Does LlamaPresenter work on Mac and Windows?
Yes. LlamaPresenter runs in a modern web browser, so you can use it on Mac, Windows, and other devices that support a modern browser.
Can I import my ProPresenter songs?
Yes. LlamaPresenter can import song lyrics from a ProPresenter export, so you can bring existing songs into your presentation.
Can I show multiple Bible translations at the same time?
Yes. LlamaPresenter lets you show multiple languages side by side on the same slide and choose which languages appear on each output.
Can I use LlamaPresenter with OBS?
Yes. LlamaPresenter provides a browser-based livestream output that you can add to OBS as a Browser source.
Does LlamaPresenter have a stage timer?
Yes. Stage View includes a timer along with the current slide, next slide, agenda, and clock. You can also use a clean timer-only display.
Ready to try a browser-based church presenter?
Move your Bible verses, lyrics, screens, livestream, and stage timer into one simple browser-based workflow.
No credit card required
FreeShow is an open-source project owned by its authors, and ProPresenter is a trademark of Renewed Vision, LLC. LlamaPresenter is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by either of them. Their names are used here only to say which products we are comparing ourselves with.