Looking for a free Pewbeam alternative?
Pewbeam and TajiCast do the same core job, listen to a live sermon, detect the Bible verse being spoken, and put it on screen automatically. The difference is the price and the limits: TajiCast's free plan has no weekly caps and no watermark, it runs fully offline, and where Pewbeam's paid tiers start at $14 a month, TajiCast's start at $5. Here's an honest side-by-side.
Download TajiCast for WindowsTajiCast vs Pewbeam
| TajiCast | Pewbeam | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan, or $5/month | Free plan, then $14/mo or $144/yr; $30/mo or $300/yr |
| Free-tier limits | Unlimited, no time or weekly cap | 60 transcription minutes, one-time |
| Watermark on free output | None | Yes (removed on paid) |
| Real-time verse detection | Yes | Yes |
| Paraphrase detection | Yes | Yes |
| Works offline | Yes | Yes |
| Full-screen projector output | Yes | Yes |
| NDI lower-thirds (vMix, OBS) | Yes | Yes |
| Themes | Multiple, incl. full-width & pulpit-color | 2 free / all on paid |
| Speech recognition | Your choice, cloud or fully offline | Built-in |
| AI sermon notes | Yes, free | Yes, on paid plans |
| Slide generation | Yes, on Pro | Yes, on paid plans |
| Song library, arrangements and a running order | Yes, free | No |
Pewbeam details checked September 2026 against pewbeam.com. Pricing and features change, so confirm on their site before deciding.
What Pewbeam costs
The question most people arrive with, so here it is plainly. Pewbeam has three plans:
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Explorer | Free | 60 transcription minutes, once. Paid features stay unlocked until those minutes run out. One device, two themes, one output. |
| Plus | $14/mo, or $144/yr | Unlimited transcription, all themes, no watermark, AI sermon notes, slides, four outputs. |
| Core | $30/mo, or $300/yr | Everything in Plus, plus three devices, main and alternate output, priority support. |
The part worth reading twice: the free plan is 60 minutes in total, not per week or per month. A single service usually runs 60 to 90 minutes, so Explorer is a way to try Pewbeam once, not a way to run a church on it. After that it is $14 a month, which is $168 a year.
None of that makes Pewbeam a bad product, and if the AI sermon notes and slide generation are what you need, it is a fair price for them. But if what you actually want is the verse on the screen, week after week, that is the part TajiCast does for nothing, with no cap and no watermark.
Looking for the Pewbeam download?
It is at pewbeam.com — no account needed to read their pricing. If you landed here trying to work out whether it costs money before you install it, the answer is above: free for your first 60 minutes, then a subscription. TajiCast is the free one, and you can run both side by side over NDI to see which keeps up with your preacher better.
Where TajiCast comes out ahead
A free plan you can actually run a church on
No weekly minute cap, no watermark, no credits. Pewbeam’s free tier is 60 minutes once, which is about one service.
Transcription that does not need the internet
Run it on your own computer with no account and no connection, or switch to Cloud on a paid plan. Either way there is no third-party key to manage.
Both outputs, first-class
Full-screen verse display for your projector and full-width NDI lower-thirds for vMix or OBS.
Offline and private
The Bible database and detection model are bundled in, nothing leaves your machine.
Where Pewbeam might suit you better
Fair is fair. Pewbeam builds slides, and TajiCast does not — it shows scripture and leaves songs and slide decks to whatever presentation software you already run. If you want one application for the whole service, that is a real reason to pay them.
On AI sermon notes the difference is the price and what you get for it. Both reserve notes for a paid plan: Pewbeam from $14 a month, TajiCast from $5. TajiCast transcribes the service and turns it into structured notes — key points, scripture, quotes and applications, editable and exportable to PDF or Markdown — and it also writes them as the preacher speaks, ready to put straight on screen. See AI sermon notes.
Questions
Is TajiCast really free?
The free plan is, with no usage limits, no watermark and no expiry: scripture, verse detection, songs, sets and your outputs. Slides, sermon notes and extra computers are $5 a month, and every new account gets seven days of them to try.
How much does Pewbeam cost?
Its free Explorer plan gives you 60 transcription minutes in total, one time. After that it is $14 a month ($144 a year) for Plus, or $30 a month ($300 a year) for Core. Checked September 2026.
Is Pewbeam free?
Only to try. The free plan is a one-off 60 minutes of transcription, which is roughly a single service, not a free tier you can run a church on. TajiCast's free plan has no minute cap and no watermark, because transcription runs on your own computer.
Does TajiCast have a usage limit like Pewbeam's free plan?
No. There is no minute allowance, no weekly cap and no trial window. Every service, every week, at no cost.
Can I try TajiCast alongside my current setup?
Yes. It outputs over NDI and to a second screen, so you can trial it next to whatever you use today.
Compare TajiCast with other tools
Still weighing your options? See how TajiCast compares with ProPresenter, EasyWorship, FreeShow, BibleShow, SmartVerses, and Loghema. You can also browse the best free church presentation software and other free Bible verse software.