VIBRESIA

Live production compared

ProPresenter vs vMix: a planned show or a live switcher?

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

If you are running a show you built in advance, with lyrics, slides and media on several screens, pick ProPresenter: Standard is US$29 a month and it runs on macOS and Windows. If you are mixing live cameras into a feed you record and stream, pick vMix, which is a switcher rather than a show system, but it is Windows only: there is no Mac build of vMix at all, and the trial lasts 60 days and runs vMix Pro with all its features, including 4K, MultiCorder and full Instant Replay. A paid licence is needed after the 60 days.

ProPresentervMix
What it isPresentation and live production software for showing lyrics, slides and media, and for driving screens and video outputs.A live video production and streaming switcher for Windows that mixes cameras, network sources and media, then records and streams the result.
PriceFree version; paid from US$29US$60, one-time
Runs onMac, WindowsWindows
RequirementsmacOS 13.5 Ventura or later, or Windows 10 version 1903 or later, with macOS 15 or Windows 11 recommendedWindows 10 or 11, 64-bit only, with a 2GHz quad-core processor and 4GB of memory, and a dedicated NVIDIA card with 2GB or more recommended for 4K
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. One trial is allowed per organisation. Unlike the free version the trial is a fully registered copy, so there is no watermark and it can be used in front of a live audience.The trial lasts 60 days and runs vMix Pro with all its features, including 4K, MultiCorder and full Instant Replay. A paid licence is needed after the 60 days.
Known forWorship tooling is built in, with automatic lyric and copyright integration and access to 125 Bible translationsMixes cameras, capture cards, NDI, OMT and SRT sources with transitions, overlays and titles, and records and streams the same production at the same time
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.Operators of live multi-camera productions on a Windows PC who need switching, recording and streaming in one application, from churches and sport to esports, podcasts and conference streams.

Control and connections

ProPresentervMix
MIDIYes: ProPresenter sends and receives MIDI, and can use incoming notes to trigger slides, media and macros.Yes: vMix accepts MIDI from controllers for shortcuts, and can send MIDI out to lights and faders through its Activators feature.
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.Not that we could find
SyphonYes: ProPresenter can send its output to other applications on the same Mac over Syphon, and Syphon is a macOS-only output type.No: vMix has no Syphon input or output, because there is no macOS version of vMix, and Mac sources reach vMix through NDI or OMT scan converters instead.
SpoutNo: No Spout support was found; the maker lists Syphon as the Mac-only shared output and names no Windows equivalent.Not that we could find
NDIYes: ProPresenter can create a virtual NDI output that shows over the network to any software or hardware that receives NDI.Yes: vMix receives NDI sources from the network and sends its output over NDI, with up to four independently configurable NDI outputs in the 4K, Pro and Max editions.
DMXYes: ProPresenter can be controlled by a lighting console over DMX or Art-Net, but this is macOS only.Not that we could find
Video in and outYes: ProPresenter outputs video to broadcast hardware, including separate key and fill channels for broadcast graphics applications.Yes: vMix ingests video from cameras, capture cards, video files, NDI, OMT and SRT, and outputs it by recording, streaming and sending it to monitors and other machines.

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 planned show with lyrics, slides and media, you have more than one screen, and you need the Mac version. Standard is US$29 a month or US$289 a year for one seat.

Pick vMix if

you are switching live cameras into a feed you record and stream, you want instant replay or remote callers, and you have a Windows machine. Basic HD is US$60 once, and the full edition is US$50 a month.

Why people compare them

They end up in the same rack at the same event, because both take a set of sources and put them on a screen in front of people. But they are built around different jobs. ProPresenter is presentation and live production software for showing lyrics, slides and media, and for driving screens and video outputs. vMix is a live video production and streaming switcher for windows that mixes cameras, network sources and media, then records and streams the result.

One is a show system you build and then run. The other is a switcher you operate. If your evening is a service with lyrics, scripture and slides, they are not close. If it is a multi-camera broadcast, they are not close either. They meet in the middle: churches and venues that stream their service need both kinds of job done.

Where ProPresenter wins

It runs on a Mac. ProPresenter is listed for Mac, Windows. there is no macOS version of vMix, as it cannot be installed directly on OSX and can only be installed on Windows via Boot Camp on older Intel Macs.

It is built for a show you have prepared. Worship tooling is built in, with automatic lyric and copyright integration and access to 125 Bible translations Multi-screen management sends different layouts to each screen and supports up to 8 unique outputs, with separate stage display layouts for confidence monitors

The outputs are broadcast-shaped. proPresenter outputs video to broadcast hardware, including separate key and fill channels for broadcast graphics applications.

It can be driven from the desk. Automation covers macros, MIDI, DMX, timecode and Elgato Stream Deck, so one operator can run a show, so one operator can run the evening without touching the mouse.

Where vMix wins

It mixes live cameras. Mixes cameras, capture cards, NDI, OMT and SRT sources with transitions, overlays and titles, and records and streams the same production at the same time

It has replay and remote guests. Handles remote guests with vMix Call for up to eight callers, and slow-motion instant replay for up to eight cameras

It has a free trial worth something. the trial lasts 60 days and runs vMix Pro with all its features, including 4K, MultiCorder and full Instant Replay. A paid licence is needed after the 60 days. ProPresenter's trial is 14 days, needs a card at sign-up and converts to a paid subscription on its own.

It gets the picture to other machines. Sends program output to other machines over NDI, with up to four independently configurable NDI outputs in the 4K, Pro and Max editions

Where both fall short

Neither is free to run. ProPresenter is sold to new users as a subscription only the cheapest edition, Basic HD at 60 dollars, is limited to four total inputs, three of them cameras or NDI, 1920 by 1080 output and one overlay channel, and it leaves out vMix Call, MultiCorder, Instant Replay, scripting, PTZ control, the Mix input and the extra outputs.

Both need a show made before the show. Whichever you pick, the visuals are only as good as the material you prepared and the cues you built. Neither turns a camera into a performance by itself.

Both cap what you can drive. recording is capped at two recorders, and four external outputs, two fullscreen outputs and four virtual outputs come only with the 4K, Pro and Max editions. And dMX and Art-Net control is macOS only, and on Windows ProPresenter supports MIDI devices only.

Neither is a music visualiser. Both are general tools for video, and both expect you to bring the content. If what you want is visuals that react to what the Mac is playing, with nothing to prepare, that is a different job than either of these does.

What it costs

ProPresenter Standard is US$29 a month a month or US$289 a year a year for one seat, and the price falls per seat as you add them: 189 dollars a seat for 2 to 4 seats and 149 for 5 to 10, while 11 or more are quoted by sales. The free mode is a watermarked Local Editor seat that edits on one computer and does not sync to the cloud.

vMix has one-off licences at US$60, one-time for Basic HD, US$350, one-time for HD, US$700, one-time for 4K and US$1,200, one-time for Pro, each with twelve months of free version updates, and a subscription at US$50 a month a month for the full edition. Both charge in US dollars, so the rate on the day you buy is yours to check.

Questions people ask

Does vMix run on a Mac?

No. There is no macOS version of vMix, as it cannot be installed directly on OSX and can only be installed on Windows via Boot Camp on older Intel Macs. ProPresenter runs on Mac, Windows, so on a Mac it is the one that runs on your own hardware.

Which is cheaper, ProPresenter or vMix?

It depends on the edition. ProPresenter Standard is US$29 a month for one seat and the price falls per seat as you add them. vMix starts at US$60 once for Basic HD, which is limited to three camera inputs and 1080p, and the full edition is US$50 a month.

Can I try either one for free?

Yes. the 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. One trial is allowed per organisation. Unlike the free version the trial is a fully registered copy, so there is no watermark and it can be used in front of a live audience. vMix's trial lasts 60 days and runs the Pro edition with every feature.

Which one is for a church service?

ProPresenter. It has lyrics, scripture and copyright lookup built in, separate layouts for stage displays and confidence monitors, and it sends key and fill feeds to a switcher. vMix is for mixing cameras into a feed, not for running a service.

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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.