VIBRESIA

Live video compared

ProPresenter vs Resolume: church presentation software or a VJ application?

By Syd Lawrence, a visual artist and developer who makes Vibresia. Facts last checked 2 November 2026; updated 2 November 2026.

ProPresenter and Resolume both put video on a screen in front of an audience, and the right one depends on whether the show is planned in advance or performed live. If you are running a church service or a stage show built from lyrics, slides and media, pick ProPresenter, which is presentation and live production software for driving screens and video outputs, and its standard seat is US$289 a year. If you are a VJ or a venue running video on screens and projectors, pick Resolume, which is VJ and media-server software for macOS and Windows, and Avenue is €299, one-time.

ProPresenterResolume
What it isPresentation and live production software for showing lyrics, slides and media, and for driving screens and video outputs.VJ and media-server software (Avenue, Arena) and a visual programming tool (Wire), for macOS and Windows.
PriceFree version; paid from US$29€299, one-time
Runs onMac, WindowsMac, Windows
RequirementsmacOS 13.5 Ventura or later, or Windows 10 version 1903 or later, with macOS 15 or Windows 11 recommendedmacOS 13.4 Ventura or later, or Windows 10 or later, with 8GB of RAM and an AMD, Iris Pro or Apple silicon graphics card
Free versionThe trial runs 14 days, starts as soon as the request is completed, requires a credit card at sign-up and converts automatically to a monthly or annual subscription.Free to use indefinitely, but video output has a Resolume watermark and audio has a robot voice until a serial number is entered..
Known forWorship tooling is built in, with automatic lyric and copyright integration and access to 125 Bible translationsAn industry-standard pair: Avenue for VJing, Arena adding media-server features
Best forChurches and their volunteer or staff media teams running weekly services and live events, plus the live production and broadcast teams the maker also lists. It suits operators who build a planned show of lyrics, slides and media in advance and drive several screens from it.Working VJs and venues running video on screens and projectors.

Control and connections

ProPresenterResolume
MIDIYes: ProPresenter sends and receives MIDI, and can use incoming notes to trigger slides, media and macros.Yes: Avenue and Arena take MIDI in and send MIDI out, including pad colour feedback, from multiple enabled devices, and Wire adds MIDI In and MIDI Out nodes for generating and reading MIDI data.
OSCNo: No OSC support was found; the maker documents HTTP and TCP/IP control, MIDI, DMX and timecode, and its own help centre search returns no OSC article.Yes: Avenue and Arena accept OSC input and can send OSC output to other applications over the network, and Wire adds OSC In and OSC Out nodes for reading and writing OSC inside a patch.
SyphonYes: ProPresenter can send its output to other applications on the same Mac over Syphon, and Syphon is a macOS-only output type.Yes: Avenue and Arena provide Syphon input and output on macOS, and Wire can read and write Syphon textures through its Texture In and Texture Out nodes.
SpoutNo: No Spout support was found; the maker lists Syphon as the Mac-only shared output and names no Windows equivalent.Yes: Avenue and Arena provide Spout input and output on Windows, and Wire can read and write Spout textures through its Texture In and Texture Out nodes.
NDIYes: ProPresenter can create a virtual NDI output that shows over the network to any software or hardware that receives NDI.Yes: NDI input is always enabled in Avenue and Arena, and NDI output can be broadcast from the composition, with Arena additionally treating NDI outputs as separate screens in the Advanced Output.
DMXYes: ProPresenter can be controlled by a lighting console over DMX or Art-Net, but this is macOS only.Yes: DMX output over Art-Net is available in Arena only, and Arena also accepts Art-Net DMX input from a lighting desk, so Avenue has no DMX support.
Video in and outYes: ProPresenter outputs video to broadcast hardware, including separate key and fill channels for broadcast graphics applications.Yes: Video input works from webcams and capture cards, with native low-latency support for Blackmagic, AJA and Datapath devices, and video output goes to the displays connected to the computer.

Every row comes from the app's own documentation, on the date shown in the sources below. "Not that we could find" means we could not find it documented, not that the app cannot do it.

Pick ProPresenter if

you are running a church service or a live event where the show is built in advance from lyrics, slides and media, and one machine drives several screens. ProPresenter does worship tooling, multi-screen outputs and broadcast feeds as standard, and a standard seat is US$289 a year, which falls to 189 dollars per seat on an annual plan with 2 to 4 seats and 149 per seat with 5 to 10 seats.

Pick Resolume if

you are VJing, or running video on screens and projectors for a room, and you would rather own the licence than pay every year. Resolume's Avenue is a one-time purchase of €299 that keeps working after the 12 months of updates it includes, and Resolume also does OSC and Spout, which ProPresenter does not document.

Why people compare them

They come up together because both put video on a screen in a room where people are watching. ProPresenter is presentation and live production software for showing lyrics, slides and media, and for driving screens and video outputs. Resolume is VJ and media-server software for macOS and Windows: Avenue is the VJ application, Arena adds the media-server features, and Wire is a visual programming tool for building your own effects and generators visually.

They are aimed at different rooms and different jobs. ProPresenter suits churches and their volunteer or staff media teams running weekly services and live events, and it suits operators who build a planned show of lyrics, slides and media in advance and drive several screens from it. Resolume suits working VJs and venues running video on screens and projectors.

So the question is not which one is better. It is whether the show is written before the audience arrives or played in front of them.

Where ProPresenter wins

Lyrics and copyright are handled for you. Worship tooling is built in, with automatic lyric and copyright integration and access to 125 Bible translations.

Several screens from one machine. Multi-screen management sends different layouts to each screen and supports up to 8 unique outputs, with separate stage display layouts for confidence monitors.

Broadcast and network outputs. Broadcast outputs cover SDI with separate key and fill channels, NDI, Syphon and Resi streaming. ProPresenter can send its output to other applications on the same Mac over Syphon, and Syphon is a macOS-only output type. ProPresenter can create a virtual NDI output that shows over the network to any software or hardware that receives NDI.

Automation is built in. Automation covers macros, MIDI, DMX, timecode and Elgato Stream Deck, so one operator can run a show. Support runs seven days a week with a stated average chat wait of under 90 seconds.

The trial is show-ready. The trial is a fully registered copy, so it carries no watermark and can be used in front of a live audience, and it runs for 14 days from the moment the request is completed.

Where Resolume wins

You buy it once. Licences keep working after the 12 months of included updates. Avenue is €299, Arena is €799 and Wire is €399, each a one-time purchase.

You can use it for as long as you like. Resolume is free to use indefinitely, and the catch is that video output has a Resolume watermark and audio has a robot voice until a serial number is entered.

Two connections ProPresenter does not document. ProPresenter documents HTTP and TCP/IP control, MIDI, DMX and timecode, and its own knowledge base search returns no results for OSC, while the maker lists Syphon as the Mac-only shared output and names no Windows equivalent, so OSC and Spout look absent rather than denied. Avenue and Arena accept OSC input and can send OSC output to other applications over the network, and Wire adds OSC In and OSC Out nodes for reading and writing OSC inside a patch. Avenue and Arena provide Spout input and output on Windows, and Wire can read and write Spout textures through its Texture In and Texture Out nodes.

DMX, in the top tier. DMX output over Art-Net is available in Arena only, and Arena also accepts Art-Net DMX input from a lighting desk, so Avenue has no DMX support.

Video in, and effects of your own. Video input works from webcams and capture cards, with native low-latency support for Blackmagic, AJA and Datapath devices, and video output goes to the displays connected to the computer. Wire is the visual programming tool, for building your own effects and generators.

Where both fall short

Neither one is a music visualiser. Both are general tools for video and both expect you to bring the content. ProPresenter is for showing lyrics, slides and media, and Resolume is for performing video from material you have loaded, so the sound itself does not become the picture in either.

Both need the internet at some point. Installing, registering and verifying the subscription need a working internet connection, though running the software does not. A registered licence on an offline machine must phone home every 30 days, and Resolume restores the watermark if it cannot reach the Internet for 30 days.

The hardware has to match the job. H.264 recording and RTMP streaming need a graphics card with NVENC, AMF or QSV support, and are not offered on machines that lack it. Resolume needs 8GB of RAM and an AMD, Iris Pro or Apple silicon graphics card.

Both have a free mode that changes the output. ProPresenter's free mode puts a watermark on every output and edits on one computer only, and Resolume's free version watermarks the video and robs the audio of its voice, so neither free mode is ready to put in front of an audience.

Both have a ceiling on outputs. ProPresenter supports up to 8 unique outputs, and the number of outputs is capped by the graphics card, so a single machine is limited to five outputs plus one control monitor.

What it costs

ProPresenter is sold to new users as a subscription only. One seat is US$29 a month or US$289 a year. Annual per-seat prices are tiered: 289 dollars for one seat, 189 per seat for 2 to 4 seats and 149 per seat for 5 to 10 seats, while 11 or more seats are quoted by sales with no published price, and monthly subscriptions get no volume discount.

Resolume is a one-time purchase: Avenue is €299, Arena is €799 and Wire is €399, and each licence keeps working after the 12 months of updates it includes.

Neither free mode is a way to run a show for nothing. ProPresenter's free mode is an unregistered download or a free Local Editor seat that puts a watermark on every output, and the maker does not publish it as a pricing tier. Resolume's free version watermarks the video and robs the audio of its voice until you enter a serial number.

The two are priced in different currencies, one in dollars and one in euros, and neither maker converts them, so there is no single number to set side by side. What the choice comes down to is a recurring bill against a one-off licence, and a planned show against a performed one.

Questions people ask

Should I buy ProPresenter or Resolume?

ProPresenter if your show is planned in advance from lyrics, slides and media, because that is what it is built for and it suits churches and their volunteer or staff media teams. Resolume if you are working as a VJ or running video on screens and projectors, because it is for performing to a room. Neither one turns the music into the picture, so both need content brought to them.

Is there a free version of ProPresenter?

Yes. The free mode is a watermarked Local Editor seat: it edits on one computer only, does not sync to the cloud, and puts a ProPresenter watermark on outputs. The maker also offers it as an unregistered download, and does not publish it as a pricing tier. The trial is a different thing: it runs 14 days, needs a credit card at sign-up, converts automatically to a monthly or annual subscription, and is a fully registered copy with no watermark.

Can I try Resolume for free?

Yes. Free to use indefinitely, but video output has a Resolume watermark and audio has a robot voice until a serial number is entered. That is enough to learn the software, but not to put a paid show on a screen.

What does each one cost?

ProPresenter is sold to new users as a subscription only: one seat is US$29 a month or US$289 a year, with annual per-seat rates of 189 dollars for 2 to 4 seats and 149 for 5 to 10 seats, and 11 or more seats quoted by sales. Resolume is a one-time purchase: Avenue is €299, Arena is €799 and Wire is €399, each with 12 months of updates included and the licence still working afterwards.

Read next

More comparisons

Sources

Every fact about another app on this page comes from the source listed for it, on the date shown. We make Vibresia, so we've tried to say where each of the others is the better choice. If something here is out of date, tell us and we'll fix it.