AI software translation (the modern approach)
AI translation software has transformed church accessibility over the past three years. The main platforms and their verified 2026 prices:
- Voco Starter — £6/week (£24/month): 1 service, up to 2 language groups, unlimited attendees
- Voco Church — £12/week (£48/month): all languages, OBS/ProPresenter, unlimited attendees
- LiveSunday — $5/hour PAYG or $59–$99/month: 99–100+ languages, OBS/ProPresenter/vMix
- Glossa — $5/hour PAYG or $99–$499/month: 100+ languages, voice cloning on higher plans
- Kaleo AI — $24–$149/month: 150+ output languages, theology-trained AI
- Wordly — no published pricing: contact for quote
Hardware translation systems (the traditional approach)
Radio receiver systems — where the church provides physical earpiece devices to each attendee — cost significantly more and require ongoing maintenance. A professional FM radio interpretation system (transmitter + 20 receivers) typically costs £2,000–£4,000 upfront plus maintenance, with no language flexibility. These systems are still used in large venues and cathedrals but are being replaced by software solutions for most churches.
Professional human interpreters
Trained simultaneous interpreters typically charge £300–£600 per day (half-day minimum), plus travel. For a weekly Sunday service with one language pair, a professional interpreter would cost approximately £15,000–£30,000 per year. Human interpretation remains the gold standard for accuracy and nuance but is economically out of reach for most churches.
Volunteer interpreters
Many churches start with bilingual volunteers who whisper translation to small groups (chuchotage). This is free but limited to one or two attendees per volunteer, exhausting for the volunteer over time, and vulnerable to volunteer absence. AI translation supplements or replaces this approach for scalability.
Total cost of ownership — AI software vs hardware
A typical small church switching from radio receiver hardware to Voco saves the upfront hardware cost entirely (hardware: £2,000–£4,000 to buy; Voco: £0 upfront) and reduces per-year costs from hardware maintenance + one language to Voco Church at £456/year for all 155+ languages.