What happens if Kairos puts the wrong verse on screen during the service?

Two safeguards. Every detection carries a visible confidence score in the operator panel — low-confidence hits never auto-go-live, they sit in a queue for the operator to approve or skip. And the operator always has a one-click "clear overlay" to pull anything off the broadcast instantly. The default posture is "surface, don't override": Kairos suggests, the operator decides.

What if our internet drops mid-sermon?

Kairos ships with a local Whisper model that runs entirely on the booth machine — no internet required for transcription or detection. If you use cloud STT (Deepgram, Gladia, or our managed option) and the connection drops, Kairos falls back to the local model automatically so the broadcast keeps moving.

Will the pastor notice a delay?

Typical end-to-end latency from the spoken word to the verse on the broadcast is 0.6 seconds. The pastor will not feel it; the congregation perceives it as the verse appearing as it's being preached, not after. The hardest case — a paraphrased quote — takes a beat longer because the semantic match runs after the phrase completes.

Who can hear the audio Kairos records? Where is it stored?

Live transcription audio is streamed to the STT provider you choose and is not retained after transcription — that holds for BYOK Deepgram/Gladia, our managed option, and local Whisper (which never leaves your machine). Optional session recordings are saved to your own cloud account on Kairos Cloud, accessible only to operators you invite. You own the audio; we don't train on it.

If our current operator quits, can the next volunteer figure this out?

Yes. Operators control Kairos from a single panel — Prev / Next / Send Live, with keyboard shortcuts and a queue of pending detections. Most teams hand it off to a new volunteer in under fifteen minutes. Setup happens once, on the booth machine, and survives reboots.

Kairos is a free desktop app that detects Bible verses in real time from live sermon audio. It listens to a sermon feed, transcribes speech as it happens, identifies scripture references (including paraphrased quotations), and renders broadcast-ready overlays via NDI for OBS, vMix, and other live production tools. Kairos is built with Tauri v2, a React frontend, and a Rust backend.

What equipment do I need to run Kairos?

A computer running Windows or macOS, an audio feed from your sound system (system audio, NDI, or a USB mic), and a projector or display screen on the output side. Kairos works with your existing audio setup and NDI-compatible switcher. No specialised hardware required.

What Bible translations does Kairos support?

Kairos supports KJV, ESV, NIV, NKJV, NLT, and more. You can switch between translations on-the-fly from the operator panel, and each translation is stored locally in your app database for offline use.

What happens if the pastor paraphrases a verse?

Kairos is trained to recognise paraphrased scripture references, not just exact quotations. A semantic / vector model surfaces the intended passage even when the wording differs from any source translation, and tags the match with a confidence score so the operator can decide whether to go live.

Do we still need a projection or media operator?

Yes, but their role becomes simpler. Instead of typing verse references into a search bar mid-sermon, the operator triages incoming detections — approving high-confidence hits, overriding the few that need correction. The job moves from data entry to judgement.

Does Kairos work with OBS Studio and vMix?

Yes. Kairos outputs broadcast-ready overlays via NDI, which integrates natively with OBS Studio, vMix, Resolume, and other professional live production software. The overlay is a single NDI source you drop onto a layer above your existing scene.

How do I get started?

Download the free desktop app for Windows or macOS, plug in your audio feed, and you're ready to go. Most teams are running in under five minutes. Full setup instructions live in-app and in the online documentation.

Is Kairos difficult to set up or use?

No. Kairos is designed for church teams of all technical skill levels. Setup is straightforward, and once running, it operates with minimal interaction during services.

How much does Kairos cost?

Kairos is free for every church when you bring your own transcription key (Deepgram or Gladia) or run our bundled local Whisper model fully offline. No account required, no usage limits. If you'd rather not manage a transcription account, every new account gets 2 free hours of managed transcription to try it — no card required. After that you can stay on a prepaid wallet ($10 ≈ 20 hours) or move to a Pro annual plan ($200/year with 60 hours included every month). See the pricing page for details.

What is managed transcription and do I need it?

Managed transcription means Kairos handles the speech-to-text connection for you — no key paste, no separate STT account, no surprise bills. We meter usage by the minute and charge a flat per-hour rate via Paystack. You don't need it: the free BYOK and local Whisper options work the same as they always have. Managed is purely for teams that want a single bill and zero setup.

Does Kairos run on macOS?

Yes. Kairos ships native installers for both macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Windows. EasyWorship is historically Windows-only.

Do I have to give up EasyWorship to use Kairos?

No. Most churches run them together — EasyWorship for lyrics and media, Kairos as a dedicated NDI source for live scripture. Both render into the same broadcast switcher as separate layers.

What does Kairos cost?

The desktop app is free for every church. Optional managed transcription is $10 for a prepaid wallet (~20 hours) or $200/year for Pro with 60 hours/month included.

Comparison

Kairos vs EasyWorship

EasyWorship is a long-established Windows-first presentation app where an operator selects scripture and lyrics manually. Kairos is a free, cross-platform tool that listens to the sermon and detects verses in real time. Most churches that move to Kairos keep their existing presentation software and add Kairos as a dedicated scripture layer.

EasyWorship by Softouch is a Windows-first church presentation tool widely used by small and mid-sized congregations for lyrics, scripture, and media playback.

Side by side

How the two compare.

Dimension	Kairos	EasyWorship
Scripture display workflow	Listens to sermon audio and detects the verse the pastor just spoke, including paraphrased quotations.	Operator searches and switches scripture slides during the service.
Primary purpose	Real-time Bible verse detection and NDI broadcast overlay.	General church presentation: lyrics, scripture, media, announcements.
Pricing model	Free for every church. Optional managed transcription on $10 prepaid wallet or $200/year Pro plan.	Paid license. See EasyWorship for current pricing.
Operating systems	macOS, Windows.	Windows.
Broadcast output	NDI to OBS, vMix, Resolume, and any NDI-capable switcher.	NDI and standard display outputs.
Bible translations bundled	Ten translations across four languages: KJV, NIV, ESV, NASB, NKJV, NLT, AMP, SpaRV, FreJND, PorBLivre.	Multiple translations available through Bible add-ons.

Honest comparison

Where each one shines.

Both tools exist because both jobs are real. Here's where each one lands.

EasyWorship is the right call when…

Familiar workflow for Windows-based media teams.
Established template and media library tooling.
Strong fit for small churches that prioritise lyric and song management.

Kairos is the right call when…

Cross-platform from day one — macOS and Windows.
Auto-detects scripture from sermon audio; operators don't search for verses while the pastor preaches.
Free with optional managed transcription instead of an upfront license fee.

Verdict

Which one should your church pick?

Pick Kairos when:

— Your media team is on macOS, or runs both platforms.
— Scripture is the part of the service your operator most often misses or mistimes.
— You want a free tool you can layer over your existing presentation setup.

Pick EasyWorship when:

— You need integrated lyric, scripture, and media in one Windows-native app.
— Your team is already trained on EasyWorship and your service flow depends on it.
— Live sermon audio routing into the media booth is not part of your setup.

Download Kairos free

Free for every church. No account required for the desktop app.

FAQ

Questions teams ask before switching.

Does Kairos run on macOS?: Yes. Kairos ships native installers for both macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Windows. EasyWorship is historically Windows-only.
Do I have to give up EasyWorship to use Kairos?: No. Most churches run them together — EasyWorship for lyrics and media, Kairos as a dedicated NDI source for live scripture. Both render into the same broadcast switcher as separate layers.
What does Kairos cost?: The desktop app is free for every church. Optional managed transcription is $10 for a prepaid wallet (~20 hours) or $200/year for Pro with 60 hours/month included.

Bring scripture to screen, as it's spoken.

Free for every church. We built Kairos so scripture lands where it belongs — on the screen, the second it's preached. If it serves your church, tell another.

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