7 picks · Church Management
You set up in a school gym on Sunday and pack it all away by noon. Here's the media kit a new church plant needs in year one, mostly free.
Updated
Start with Planning Center, which is free for church plants for one year, to plan Sundays and schedule volunteers. Presenter puts lyrics on screen free, Canva covers weekly graphics, and ChurchCreate, which we make, turns out sermon series art on a free plan. OBS Studio streams the service free, Text In Church follows up with guests, and Tithely takes online gifts with no monthly fee.
Don't set up everything before launch. Get Sunday running first, then add the pieces that help guests come back.
Want the best $0 option for every job? See the free church media toolkit.
| App | Best for | Price | Free option | Works on | Learning curve |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planning Center | Best for people and Sunday planning | Free tier in every app; paid tiers from $15/mo per app (Oct 2026) | Yes | Web, iOS, Android | Moderate |
| Presenter | Best for screens in a rented space | Free; Pro $19/mo or $195/yr; Pro Plus $29/mo (Oct 2026) | Yes | Mac, Windows | Easy |
| Canva | Best for weekly graphics | Free plan; Pro $144/yr; Business $250/yr per person (Oct 2026) | Yes | Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android | Easy |
| ChurchCreateOurs | Best for sermon series art | Free plan; Pro $97/mo or $970/yr; Max $247/mo (Oct 2026) | Yes | Web | Easy |
| OBS Studio | Best free livestream software | Free (open source) | Yes | Windows, Mac, Linux | Moderate |
| Text In Church | Best for guest follow-up | From $30/mo for 500 credits, or $25/mo billed yearly (Oct 2026) | No | Web, iOS, Android | Easy |
| Tithely | Best for online giving | Free giving + fees; Sites $19/mo; All Access $119/mo (Oct 2026) | Yes | Web, iOS, Android | Easy |
01Best for people and Sunday planning
Start your member database in People, which is free with unlimited records, and plan Sunday in Services so worship, tech and the preacher work from one plan. Every app has a free tier, and Planning Center is free for church plants for one year. You request it on its church planters page.
02Best for screens in a rented space
Install it free on the laptop that travels with the sound kit, build Sunday's set at home and open it in the school gym. Unlimited installs, 45+ built-in Bibles, and CCLI import with automatic usage reporting all come on the free plan.
03Best for weekly graphics
Volunteers can make a decent graphic in their first session, from announcement slides to Instagram posts and invite cards. Set up a Brand Kit early so every ministry looks like your church. Eligible nonprofits can apply for Canva Nonprofits to get Pro free for up to 50 people.
04Best for sermon series artOur product
Type the series title and subtitle, pick from a few design directions, and download the screen, feed, story and square sizes together. It pulls your colors, fonts and logo from your church website. The free plan includes one generation a month, with no card needed.
Made by Church Media Squad, who also run Pro Church Media.
05Best free livestream software
It turns your laptop into a switcher for the camera, slides and lower thirds, and records the sermon while you stream. It's free and open source on Windows, Mac and Linux. Check the computer first: current releases need Windows 10 or 11, or macOS 13 or newer.
06Best for guest follow-up
A guest fills out a digital connect card and gets a welcome text, then a scheduled series of follow-ups. It connects to Planning Center so your lists stay current. Church plants can get six months free; ask Text In Church support. After that, Core starts at $30 a month (Oct 2026).
07Best for online giving
Online giving has no monthly fee, setup fee or contract, and signing up needs no credit card. Put the giving link or text-to-give number on the announcement slide so people can give during the offering, and add the same link to your website.
Does it have a free plan, a church-plant offer or a price a launch budget can carry?
Does it run from a laptop, a phone or the web, so nothing depends on a booth you lose when the school locks up?
Can someone who serves once a month learn it before launch Sunday?
Every price, free tier and church-plant offer was checked on the vendor's own site in October 2026.
A planning and volunteer tool, presentation software for lyrics, a design app and a way to stream the service. Planning Center, Presenter, Canva and OBS Studio all have free options, so you can launch without a software bill.
Yes. Planning Center is free for church plants for one year. You request the free year on its church planters page. After that, every app still has a free tier, and paid tiers start at $15 a month per app (Oct 2026).
Planning Center is free for church plants for one year. With Text In Church, church plants can get six months free; ask its support team. In the UK, church plants under two years old can ask ChurchSuite about a special package.
Yes, if you sing worship songs and show the lyrics. Free presentation software doesn't cover song rights, and streaming worship songs needs a streaming license such as CCLI's or OneLicense's.
