What Is ProPresenter+ & Is It Worth the Cost?

ProPresenter is one of the most common presentation software for churches across the world. This is in part due to the many features constantly being added through regular updates. What many churches don’t realize when purchasing a ProPresenter license is that these updates don’t always come free.

ProPresenter+ is an annual subscription service offered by Renewed Vision that gives ProPresenter users access to software support and continued updates. ProPresenter+ is an extension of the included one year of support with every new ProPresenter License.

There are some nuances when it comes to the cost and renewal conditions of ProPresenter+, I’ve outlined all of these below and included a section to help you decide if you should pay for ProPresenter+.

What Is ProPresenter+?

A common software pricing model is to release maintenance and minor updates for free but to charge for major software updates. Renewed Vision has elected to use a completely different pricing model, charging only a yearly subscription fee that includes all updates to their ProPresenter software. As stated before, ProPresenter+ also includes software support; this comes through email, phone, or web chat with Renewed Vision.

This means, to update your ProPresenter software or utilize Renewed Vision’s support channels, you need an active subscription to ProPresenter+ connected to your associated ProPresenter license.

Do You Have to Renew ProPresenter+ Every Year?

You do not need to renew your ProPresenter+ subscription every year. Keep in mind that, if you do not renew your ProPresenter+ subscription, you will lose access to email, phone, and web chat support. You also will not be able to update your ProPresenter software anymore. This means you will not have access to major or minor updates.

For example, if you own a license and have downloaded ProPresenter 7.14, with ProPresenter+ you can upgrade to 7.15 at no additional cost. On the other hand, if your ProPresenter+ subscription has expired, you cannot update to ProPresenter 7.15. You will still have access to ProPresenter 7.14, as you do not lose your ProPresenter license once ProPresenter+ expires.

What Happens if You Don’t Renew ProPresenter+?

If you do not renew your ProPresenter+ subscription by its expiry date, you have a 30-day grace period to resume your subscription at its renewal cost of $189 USD per seat or $469 USD for a campus license.

After the 30-day grace period, a ProPresenter+ subscription will cost the price of a full ProPresenter license. For more information on the precise amount, this will cost you, check out our article covering ProPresenter’s pricing structure. Renewed Vision clarifies that you should renew your existing subscription to retain any Bibles you have purchased on your current license (source).

In other words, if your 30-day grace period expires and you want to renew your ProPresenter+ subscription, do not buy a new ProPresenter license. Instead, renew your existing ProPresenter+ subscription. You can complete a ProPresenter+ renewal on Renewed Vision’s website.

It’s important to note that your renewal date does not change each year; there is no benefit to waiting until the end of your 30-day grace period to renew your ProPresenter+ subscription. In fact, that technically means you will have 30 fewer days of ProPresenter+ in your annual subscription.

For example, let’s say your ProPresenter+ subscription ends on May 4th, 2024. This means that, with your 30-day grace period, you have until June 3rd, 2024 to renew your ProPresenter+ subscription at the renewal cost. Let’s say you decided to renew on June 1st, 2024. Next year, in 2025, your renewal date will still be May 4th, 2024.

Remember, these 30 days are a grace period in case you forget to renew or are having billing issues. In reality, you should have your mind made up about renewals before your expiry date comes around.

Is ProPresenter+ Worth the Cost?

Whether or not ProPresenter+ is “worth it” completely depends on your church and its specific needs. Factors such as your budget, the size of your team, and the technological literacy of your team all play a huge role in your buying process. With that in mind, here are a few things to consider when deciding whether or not to renew your ProPresenter+ subscription.

ProPresenter+ keeps your software up-to-date with the latest Windows and MacOS updates. ProPresenter updates are important to add new features and fix any bugs in previous versions of the software. On the other hand, they’re also important to keep your software running smoothly on the newest operating systems. Renewed Vision cannot predict what future operating systems will look like, so they use software updates to stay current.

Renewed Vision’s support can make it possible for staff and volunteers who aren’t “tech savvy” to solve advanced software issues. When things go wrong in small churches or volunteer-based teams, the best thing you can have is experienced technicians to walk you through proper problem-solving steps. I can’t guarantee every problem will be solved; it’s not Renewed Vision’s responsibility to deal with your hardware issues, but, in general, Renewed Vision’s support is a great asset to have available.

ProPresenter+ can be out-of-budget for some churches. This is an obvious consideration when buying anything as a church; is it in the budget? When it comes to ProPresenter+, it most likely isn’t an essential or a need for your church, so it may be difficult to justify it in your budget.

Your church may not use features added through updates included in your ProPresenter+ subscription. ProPresenter updates can be hit or miss, sometimes they are bug fixes and allow your software to run smoother, and sometimes they include new features and additions. The risk here is that the updates may not be useful to you; maybe the bug fixes are for Windows and you use Mac or maybe your church has no need for the new features being added. This is an inherent risk when purchasing a ProPresenter+ subscription.

You may never need to utilize the support channels included in your ProPresenter+ subscription. ProPresenter support is kind of like car insurance; in both cases, it’s important to have but you hope you never have to use it. On one hand, not needing support channels for an entire year is an absolute win for any church (I’m fully convinced this has never happened). On the other hand, you want to have a safety net in case anything does happen. This depends on your risk tolerance and your confidence to solve tech issues without support.

My recommendation is that, if you have the budget for it, keep your ProPresenter+ subscription current. If your church is tight on budget, consider the technical ability of your staff and volunteers before deciding to cancel your subscription. For technologically advanced teams, you may be able to survive without ProPresenter+.