Why Churches Compare These Two
EasyWorship and MediaShout are two of the most established names in church worship presentation software. Both run on Windows, both have been used by thousands of churches for over a decade, and both handle the core task of displaying lyrics, scriptures, and media on a projector or screen during worship services.
The comparison matters because these two tools take different philosophical approaches. EasyWorship prioritizes speed and simplicity — the idea is that any volunteer can open it and run a service within minutes of sitting down at the computer. MediaShout invests more in features and flexibility, accepting some added complexity in exchange for capability that grows with a church's production needs.
For a small church with rotating volunteers and limited technical training, EasyWorship is typically the right call. For a church that has a dedicated media team and wants more production control, MediaShout has meaningful advantages worth considering.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | EasyWorship | MediaShout |
|---|---|---|
| Display & Output | ||
| Dual-monitor / dual-display output | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Full-screen presentation mode | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Multi-screen (more than 2) support | ✗ No | ◑ Deluxe version |
| High-resolution display support (4K) | ◑ Limited | ✓ Yes |
| Media Playback | ||
| Video file playback (MP4, AVI, etc.) | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Audio file playback during service | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| PowerPoint / PPT import | ◑ Via conversion | ✓ Direct import |
| Image files (JPG, PNG, etc.) | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Live camera / video input | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Song & Content Management | ||
| Built-in song library / database | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Import song lyrics from online sources | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Instant search for songs during service | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Schedule / service planning built-in | ◑ Basic | ✓ Full |
| Usability & Support | ||
| Easy for first-time volunteers | ✓ Excellent | ◑ Good (some training needed) |
| Touch-screen support | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Stage display / confidence monitor | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Technical support & updates | 1 yr included, renewals available | 1 yr included, renewals available |
| Pricing | ||
| Starting price | ~$399/seat (perpetual) | ~$399–$599/seat (perpetual) |
| Annual maintenance (optional) | ~$99/yr | ~$99/yr |
| Free trial available | ◑ Limited trial | ◑ Limited trial |
Pricing Breakdown
Pros and Cons
EasyWorship Pros
- Extremely fast to learn — volunteers can run a service with minimal training
- Clean, familiar interface that hasn't changed dramatically over versions
- Strong song database with easy search during live service
- Runs well on modest Windows hardware — no need for expensive PCs
- Established user community with lots of freely available song slides
- Stage display output helps singers and speakers see what's coming
- Reliable and stable — rarely crashes mid-service
EasyWorship Cons
- Windows only — no Mac version available
- Limited media format support compared to MediaShout Deluxe
- No live video camera input — can't display camera feeds directly
- Service planning features are basic, not as robust as MediaShout
- Multi-screen support is limited — not ideal for large production setups
- No 4K display optimization
MediaShout Pros
- Live camera / video input allows direct feed from cameras to projection
- More flexible media format support, including PowerPoint direct import
- Deluxe version supports multi-display for large sanctuaries and multiple screens
- Stronger service planning and scheduling features for organized media teams
- Better 4K display support for modern projection systems
- Stage display mode for worship leaders and speakers
- Can handle more complex production setups without third-party workarounds
MediaShout Cons
- Steeper learning curve than EasyWorship — requires more training time
- Windows only — same cross-platform limitation as EasyWorship
- Higher cost for Deluxe version if you need multi-display features
- Interface has more options and settings, which can overwhelm first-time users
- Annual support renewals are required for software updates
Who Should Choose Which Platform
Choose EasyWorship if...
- Your church has volunteers with varying tech comfort levels
- You primarily display lyrics, scripture, and simple media (images, short videos)
- Your media team needs to set up and tear down quickly each week
- You're on a tighter budget and want the most cost-effective option
- You want software that works reliably without constant configuration
- Your church doesn't have live camera feeds in the worship service
- You don't need 4K display or multi-screen (more than 2) output
Choose MediaShout if...
- Your church uses multiple screens (main projection + side screens + stage display)
- You need to display live camera or video input feeds during worship
- Your media team uses PowerPoint presentations as part of the service
- You have a dedicated tech booth with trained operators
- You want the most capable Windows-based worship software for production
- Your church is growing into more sophisticated visual production
- 4K display output is important for your projection setup
If your church is on Mac computers, neither EasyWorship nor MediaShout will work — both are Windows-only. For Mac-based worship teams, consider ProPresenter which runs natively on macOS and Windows, or EasyWorship running on a Windows emulator or Boot Camp partition. Check with your IT or production team on what's feasible for your setup.
Integrating with Other Church Tools
Neither EasyWorship nor MediaShout directly integrates with church management systems like Planning Center, Breeze, or Church Community Builder. However, both work well alongside your broader church tech stack:
Song selection workflow: Many churches plan worship songs in Planning Center or a spreadsheet, then build the EasyWorship or MediaShout set list from those plans. The song databases in both platforms let you build and save sets ahead of time, so Sunday morning setup is just loading the pre-built service plan.
Chord charts and song sheets: If your worship team uses chord charts, tools like ChordChartStack ($19) can generate print-ready chord charts and song sheets that pair well with either worship presentation software.
Sermon integration: FaithStack's Sermon Generator creates full sermon outlines that include suggested scripture readings. You can import these scripture texts into either EasyWorship or MediaShout for display during the sermon portion of the service.