Platform Comparison Guide for Streamed Worship

What it is: The world's largest video platform. You can live stream directly to YouTube or upload recorded services. Viewers watch in a browser or the YouTube app without needing an account.

Cost: Free for streaming and hosting. No storage limits.

Ease of use: Moderate. Setting up a YouTube channel and going live for the first time involves a few steps (creating a channel, enabling live streaming, verifying your account). Once set up, going live is straightforward - you can stream from a phone, a laptop with a webcam, or dedicated streaming software.

Privacy: Low. YouTube streams are public by default. You can set streams to "unlisted" (only people with the link can watch), but you cannot fully restrict access. Anyone with the link can share it. Google may use viewing data for advertising purposes.

Accessibility: Good. YouTube provides automatic captions (not perfect, but serviceable). You can also upload corrected caption files after the service. Playback speed controls and full-screen viewing are built in. Works on most devices.

Interaction: Viewers can use live chat during the stream and leave comments on the recording. Chat requires a Google account.

Copyright licences needed: CCLI Streaming Licence. YouTube has its own agreement with PRS for Music, so you do not need a separate PRS licence. However, YouTube's Content ID system may flag your stream if it detects a match with a registered recording - see the Copyright Guide for how to handle this.

Strengths:

• Free, unlimited storage for recordings
• Automatic captions
• Easy for anyone to watch - no account needed
• Good for reaching people who aren't part of your congregation
• Recordings are automatically archived and searchable

Limitations:

• Public by default - not suitable if privacy is important
• Content ID can flag legitimate content
• Setting up for the first time takes a bit of effort
• Less personal than two-way platforms like Zoom
• You are reliant on Google's platform and policies

Best for: Churches that want to make their worship widely accessible, reach people beyond their congregation, and build an archive of past services.

What it is: Live streaming within Facebook. You can go live from a personal profile, a church page, or a Facebook group.

Cost: Free.

Ease of use: Easy - particularly if your church already has a Facebook page. Going live is as simple as tapping the "Live" button on your phone.

Privacy: Medium. You can stream to a private group (members only) rather than a public page. However, Facebook's data practices are a concern for some churches and congregation members. People need a Facebook account to interact, though public streams can be watched without one.

Accessibility: Limited. Facebook does not provide automatic captions for live streams (though it does for uploaded videos). No built-in captioning during live broadcasts unless you use a third-party tool.

Interaction: Comments and reactions during the stream. Group streams can feel more communal. Facebook's algorithm may show your stream to people who haven't chosen to watch it (which can be positive or negative depending on your perspective).

Copyright licences needed: CCLI Streaming Licence. Like YouTube, Facebook has its own agreement with PRS, so you do not need a separate PRS licence.

Strengths:

• Very easy to start - most churches already have a Facebook page
• Many congregation members, particularly older ones, already use Facebook
• Private group option provides some access control
• Comments and reactions create a sense of community during the stream

Limitations:

• No automatic captions for live streams
• Facebook's data practices raise privacy concerns
• People without Facebook accounts may feel excluded
• Video quality can be inconsistent
• Facebook's algorithm controls who sees your content
• Recordings are stored on Facebook, not under your control

Best for: Churches whose congregation already uses Facebook, and where the simplicity of getting started outweighs the privacy limitations.

What it is: A video conferencing platform originally designed for meetings. Widely used by churches during and after the pandemic for worship, prayer groups, bible studies, and meetings.

Cost: Free tier allows meetings up to 40 minutes with up to 100 participants. Paid plans (from approximately £120/year) remove the time limit and add features like breakout rooms, cloud recording, and larger capacity. Webinar plans are separate and more expensive.

Ease of use: Easy. Most people have used Zoom at least once. Joining a meeting requires a single click on a link. Hosting requires the Zoom app.

Privacy: High. Meetings can be password-protected and use a waiting room. Only invited participants can join. End-to-end encryption is available. No content is made public unless you choose to share the recording.

Accessibility: Good. Zoom has built-in live captioning (AI-generated) and supports third-party captioning services. Participants can pin speakers, adjust their view, and control their own audio. BSL interpreters can be spotlighted.

Interaction: Full two-way audio and video. Participants can be seen and heard, which makes Zoom feel more like "being there" than watching a broadcast. Chat function for text interaction. Breakout rooms enable small group discussion.

Copyright licences needed: CCLI Streaming Licence AND PRS Digital Music Licence for Worship. Zoom does not have a pre-existing agreement with PRS, so you need the PRS licence separately. This is the most commonly misunderstood licensing point.

Strengths:

• Feels interactive and communal - people can see each other
• Familiar to most people
• Strong privacy controls
• Good accessibility features (captions, spotlighting, pin)
• Excellent for small groups, prayer meetings, bible studies
• Breakout rooms enable pastoral conversations

Limitations:

• Not free for sessions over 40 minutes
• Requires an additional PRS licence that YouTube and Facebook do not
• Not ideal for large congregations (more than 100 people need a paid plan)
• "Zoom fatigue" is real - some people find video calls tiring
• No automatic archiving unless you record manually
• Not discoverable - only people with the link can find it

Best for: Interactive worship where seeing each other matters. Small to medium congregations. Midweek services, prayer groups, bible studies, and meetings. Churches where privacy is important.

What it is: Microsoft's video conferencing and collaboration platform. Part of the Microsoft 365 suite.

Cost: Included with Microsoft 365 subscriptions. Many Methodist circuits and districts have access through organisational licences. Free tier available with limited features.

Ease of use: Medium. Teams is powerful but can feel complex, particularly for people who don't use it regularly. Joining a meeting via a link is easy; setting up and managing meetings as an organiser takes more familiarity.

Privacy: High. Meetings are invitation-only. Microsoft 365 operates under enterprise data protection agreements. Data processing is within the UK/EU for Microsoft 365 business and enterprise plans.

Accessibility: Good. Teams has live captions (AI-generated), immersive reader, and supports screen readers. BSL interpreters can be pinned or spotlighted.

Interaction: Full two-way audio and video, chat, reactions. "Together mode" places participants in a shared virtual space. Breakout rooms available.

Copyright licences needed: CCLI Streaming Licence AND PRS Digital Music Licence for Worship. Same position as Zoom - Teams is not a pre-agreed platform under CCLI's arrangement with PRS.

Strengths:

• Already available to many Methodist circuits and districts
• Strong privacy and data protection (UK/EU data residency)
• Good accessibility features
• Integrates with other Microsoft tools (calendar, files, chat)
• "Together mode" creates a sense of gathering

Limitations:

• Can feel corporate rather than worshipful
• Requires an additional PRS licence
• Less intuitive than Zoom for occasional users
• Some district listening conversations have highlighted Teams access difficulties for volunteers who don't have Microsoft 365 accounts
• Free tier is limited

Best for: Churches and circuits that already use Microsoft 365. Formal meetings and governance as well as worship. Organisations prioritising data protection.

What it is: A browser-based streaming studio that lets you broadcast to YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other platforms simultaneously. You don't install anything - it runs in your web browser.

Cost: Free tier allows streaming to one destination with StreamYard branding. Paid plans (from approximately £20/month) remove branding, add multi-platform streaming, custom graphics, and more.

Ease of use: Easy. One of the most beginner-friendly ways to produce a more polished live stream. Guests join via a link (like Zoom), and the host controls what viewers see. You can add overlays, lower thirds (name captions), shared screens, and pre-recorded videos.

Privacy: Medium. StreamYard itself is a production tool - privacy depends on where you broadcast to (YouTube, Facebook, etc.).

Accessibility: Depends on the destination platform. YouTube provides auto-captions; Facebook does not for live streams.

Interaction: Depends on the destination platform. StreamYard can pull in comments from YouTube and Facebook and display them on screen.

Copyright licences needed: Depends on where you stream to. If you stream to YouTube/Facebook, you need the CCLI Streaming Licence. If you stream to your own website or another platform, you also need the PRS Digital Music Licence for Worship.

Strengths:

• Produces a polished, professional-looking stream without expensive software
• Multi-platform streaming (reach people on YouTube and Facebook simultaneously)
• Browser-based - nothing to install
• Easy for guests to join and participate
• On-screen graphics, captions, and overlays built in
• Recommended by the Church of England's Digital Labs

Limitations:

• Paid plan needed for most useful features
• One-way broadcast - viewers can't see each other (unlike Zoom)
• Requires a stable internet connection
• Monthly cost adds up over time

Best for: Churches that want a more polished stream without the complexity of dedicated streaming software. Multi-platform streaming. Services with multiple speakers or remote contributors.

Several platforms are designed specifically for church streaming:

• Church Online Platform (Life.Church) - free, designed for church services, includes chat and prayer request features
• Churchlive.org - UK-based, designed for church streaming
• Resi - professional church streaming with high reliability

Cost: Varies from free to several hundred pounds per year.

Key consideration: These platforms are not pre-agreed with CCLI or PRS, so you will typically need both a CCLI Streaming Licence and a PRS Digital Music Licence for Worship.

Strengths: Purpose-built for worship (prayer requests, digital welcome, service-specific features). Can feel more appropriate than a secular platform.

Limitations: Smaller user base means less community familiarity. May duplicate features you already have. Additional cost on top of licensing. Long-term viability of smaller providers is uncertain.

Best for: Larger churches wanting a dedicated, worship-focused online presence. Churches that find secular platforms inappropriate.