ProPresenter is presentation and production software: slides, lyrics, media playback, and multi-screen output for worship services, conferences, and broadcasts. Timers exist inside it, but they are a supporting feature of a much larger tool.
That is why the search for a ProPresenter alternative splits into two different questions. If you need the whole presentation stack, you are comparing production suites. If what you actually reach for is the countdown and the running order, you can solve that with a dedicated browser-based timer — on its own, or alongside the presentation software you already run. This page covers the second path, using MaestroTimer.
Which alternative are you actually looking for?
Start with what you use today. Teams that live in ProPresenter's slides, lyrics, and media features are looking for another presentation suite — that comparison is about content workflows, and a timer app is not the answer.
Teams that open a heavyweight application because the preacher needs a countdown on the confidence monitor are in a different situation: the need is timing, cues, and screens that stay in sync. A tool built only for that is smaller, runs anywhere a browser runs, and does not put a production suite between the sound desk and the clock.
What MaestroTimer covers
MaestroTimer does the timing layer and nothing else. One room per service or show, and every surface of it is a link.
The core:
- A running order of timers, each with a name, a speaker, and notes — sermon, worship set, announcements, each its own timed item.
- Manual start, linked timers that auto-advance through the order, or a scheduled start at a set time of day.
- Countdown and count-up modes.
- Wrap-up thresholds that change the display as time runs low — the person on stage sees the cue without anyone waving.
- Messages to the stage: bold, colored, or flashing, sent live from the desk.
- Five views, each a link: controller, stage viewer, agenda, moderator, and operator.
- A live connections view showing every attached device, so the booth can confirm the pulpit monitor is receiving before the service starts.
Running it alongside ProPresenter
Choosing a timer does not mean replacing your presentation software. A common setup keeps ProPresenter on projection duty — slides and lyrics to the main screens — while the timer runs on its own display: a confidence monitor at the stage edge, a tablet on the pulpit, or any spare screen with a browser.
Because the two tools drive different screens, there is nothing to integrate and nothing to configure between them. The operator keeps the presentation remote; the timer is controlled from a phone or the sound desk; and the speaker sees both the current slide and the remaining time.
About the 'free alternative' question
Many searches here ask for a free ProPresenter alternative, and the honest answer depends on which half of the product you need. Free presentation suites exist, with the usual trade-offs in polish and support.
If the timing layer is the actual need, the economics change shape: you are no longer licensing presentation software for the sake of its timer. MaestroTimer runs in the browser without installs or per-machine licensing — you can try it on your existing screens before any decision, and judge against your current setup directly.
FAQ
Does MaestroTimer show lyrics or slides like ProPresenter?
No. MaestroTimer is a timer, not presentation software — it handles countdowns, rundowns, cues, and synced screens. For slides and lyrics you keep a presentation tool.
Can I use MaestroTimer together with ProPresenter?
Yes, and without any integration: ProPresenter drives the projection screens while the timer's viewer link runs on a separate confidence monitor or tablet. Each tool owns its own display.
How does the preacher or speaker see the timer?
Open the room's viewer link on any screen facing the stage — a monitor at the stage edge or a tablet on the pulpit. Wrap-up colors warn them as time runs low, and the desk can send a message next to the countdown.
What does the tech team need to install?
Nothing. Every view is a URL that opens in a browser, so the booth computer, the stage display, and the operator's phone are all set up by opening a link.
Give the timer its own tool
MaestroTimer runs in the browser: build the service's running order, open the viewer on the confidence monitor, and control everything from the desk. Wrap-up colors, stage messages, and a live connections view are built in.