Report updated May 13, 2026
OpenLP Remote
For church media volunteers and worship leaders requiring flexible, cost-effective presentation software for services.
OpenLP Remote is an established utilities app that is completely free. With a 3.1/5 rating from 19 reviews, it shows polarized user reception. Users particularly appreciate core functionality for remote control, though connectivity and firewall configuration issues remains a common concern.
What is OpenLP Remote?
OpenLP Remote is a native mobile utility for controlling OpenLP desktop presentation software during church services.
Users hire this app to manage slide transitions and service items remotely, removing the need for a dedicated presentation computer operator.
Current Momentum
v1.0 · 122mo ago
Zombie- No feature updates since 2016.
- Maintenance-only status limits growth.
Active Nemesis
Fragmented niche
No dominant direct rival identified yet — see Other Rivals below.
Other Rivals
7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸
UtilitiesNo ranking data
Rating Pulse 🇺🇸
Recent User MoodAI-powered deep analysis surfacing high-signal insights. Still in beta, accuracy improves daily. For informational purposes only.
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
How Is The App's Momentum Right Now?
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What Are The Key Features?
Native mobile interface to control slides, service items, and presentation modes on the desktop host
Push text alerts from the mobile device to the presentation screen
Search and add songs, Bibles, custom slides, and media files to the service queue via mobile
Web-based monitor view for performers to see lyrics and notes on local network devices
How much does it cost?
- Completely free software with no subscription or paid tiers
The platform operates on a fully open-source, donation-supported model with no monetization gates.
Who Built It?
Enrichment in progress
Publisher profile available very soon
What other apps does Daniel Borges Ferreira da SIlva make?
What do users think recently?
Medium confidence · 19 reviews analyzed
How did the latest release land?
What is the recent mood?
Recent user voice shows a mixed sentiment. Users appreciate core functionality for remote control, but report connectivity and firewall configuration issues.
Limited review volume (19 reviews). Sentiment analysis will deepen as more data lands.
What is the competitive landscape for OpenLP Remote?
How's The Utilities Market?
OpenLP Remote operates as a free, donation-based utility within the Utilities category. Its positioning relies on the OpenLP desktop platform's existing user base rather than independent market acquisition. The lack of recent updates or a modern UI places it behind competitors that offer integrated communication features.
The rivals identified
Peers
Utilizes gyroscope-based air mouse controls, offering a more intuitive physical interaction than standard button-based remotes.
Includes a visual OS X style dock interface, providing a more familiar desktop-mirroring experience for users.
Features robust offline functionality for Zmanim calculations, ensuring utility without constant internet connectivity requirements.
Maintains a massive user base with over 1,000 ratings, indicating superior community trust and brand longevity.
Provides integrated text-enabled landline services for church communication, which OpenLP lacks entirely.
Offers a modern browser extension for workflow management, contrasting with OpenLP's legacy remote-only focus.
Zentra Access
★3.4 (29)Schlage Lock Company
Both apps serve as mobile-first utility interfaces for managing physical or digital environments within a facility or organization.
Implements secure mobile credentials for physical access, a high-security utility that differentiates it from presentation remotes.
Supports centralized management interfaces, allowing administrators to oversee multiple access points from a single mobile dashboard.
The outtake for OpenLP Remote
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- Donation-supported model removes subscription barriers
- Stage View provides specialized performer utility
Critical Frictions
- 3.05-star rating reflects connectivity friction
- Manual firewall configuration requirement
- No feature updates since 2016
Growth Levers
- Develop modern browser-based interface
- Integrate communication tools for church staff
Market Threats
- PastorsLine browser extensions capture workflow-heavy users
- Lack of maintenance leaves app vulnerable to OS changes
What are the next best moves?
Automate firewall configuration because manual setup is the top-cited connectivity complaint → reduce churn
User reviews explicitly flag firewall configuration as a barrier to entry.
Trade-off: Pause the Stage View UI refresh — connectivity is a higher-impact blocker.
Audit legacy codebase because no updates since 2016 create security risks → maintain platform stability
The app has not received updates in years, increasing vulnerability to OS changes.
Trade-off: Same-quarter capacity available — no major lever displaced.
A counter-intuitive read
The app's lack of monetization is not a weakness but a distribution moat, as it prevents the churn-inducing subscription fatigue that drives users toward competitors like PastorsLine.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Integrated text-enabled communication (available in PastorsLine)
- Modern browser extensions (available in PastorsLine)
Key Takeaways
- The app functions as a legacy utility, but the lack of active development limits its growth.
- Connectivity friction is the primary churn driver for new users.
- Future viability depends on moving toward a modern, browser-integrated workflow.
OpenLP Remote provides essential remote control for the desktop host, but the lack of updates and connectivity friction limit its utility, so the PM should prioritize automating network setup to retain the existing volunteer user base.
Where Is It Heading?
Stable
The church presentation market is consolidating around integrated communication and workflow tools, leaving OpenLP Remote's legacy remote-only focus exposed. The app will likely remain stable as a niche utility, but it will lose market share to modern platforms unless it bridges the gap between presentation control and broader ministry communication.
The lack of updates since 2016 indicates the app is in maintenance mode, which increases the risk of abandonment as mobile OS standards evolve.
The donation-supported model maintains a stable, cost-sensitive user base that is unlikely to switch to subscription-based competitors despite the feature gap.