Ormilio vs WorshipStorm

WorshipStorm and Ormilio both put song words on people's phones, so they often come up together. They start from different places. WorshipStorm is made for churches that plan their services in Planning Center. Ormilio is a simple app on its own, for any group that sings together. Here is a fair look at both.

What WorshipStorm is

WorshipStorm makes presentation apps for churches that use Planning Center Services. Its newest app, Projector Plus, runs on iPhone, iPad, Android and in a web browser. It takes the songs and lyrics from your Planning Center plan and builds the slides for the big screen, with your own layouts. Once a plan is downloaded, it can present offline.

Its Viewer lets people in the room follow the lyrics on their own phone. They scan a QR code or type a short code, and the words open in the browser, with no app and no account. The Viewer is free for everyone in the room, but sending the words to phones is part of the paid subscription. WorshipStorm lists it at $6.99 a month or $71.99 a year for each Planning Center organization, with a 30-day free trial.

A Planning Center account is needed to run Projector Plus. Songs and lyrics are edited in Planning Center, and there is no separate song library.

What Ormilio is

Ormilio is a simple web app for singing together. The leader picks songs from a small free library of public domain hymns, or pastes in their own words. They put today's songs in order and move forward from a phone, live with a tap, or with a timer set to a number of seconds per line.

Everyone else joins by scanning a QR code, tapping a WhatsApp link or typing a short join number. There is no app to install, no account and no password. The words open on each phone, with bigger letters, dark mode, scroll back and a tap to catch up. The big screen shows the same words full screen, easy to read from the back.

Ormilio is free forever for up to 10 songs and 20 people at once. Ormilio Plus costs $10 a month, paid in your own currency, and removes those limits. It works in any language and any alphabet, and it is made for songs, prayers and readings.

The main differences, in plain words

Planning Center or on its own. WorshipStorm is made for churches that already plan in Planning Center Services, and it needs that account to run. Ormilio needs no other service. A leader can start with nothing but a phone.

Paying for the phones. With WorshipStorm, putting the words on everyone's phone is part of the paid subscription. With Ormilio, it is free for up to 20 people at once. For a large church, though, WorshipStorm's subscription costs less than Ormilio Plus.

Where the songs come from. WorshipStorm takes the songs from your Planning Center plan. Ormilio has a small free library of public domain hymns, and you can paste in any song or reading.

What the big screen shows. WorshipStorm offers more for the big screen, with backgrounds and your own layouts. Ormilio shows plain words only, large and easy to read, with no backgrounds, audio or video.

Which one fits your group?

WorshipStorm may be the better choice if your church already plans every Sunday in Planning Center, and you want the slides built from those plans, with backgrounds and layouts on the big screen.

Ormilio may fit better if you don't use Planning Center, if you want to start free, or if you lead a choir, a prayer group, a youth group or a home group. The best way to decide is simple: try both with your group on a normal week and see which one feels easier for everyone.