How is LiveSunday different from Polyglossia for church translation?
Polyglossia sells live captions and translation a la carte. You buy usage credits that roll over, pay per minute for transcription, text translation, or speech translation, and connect audio through a Polyglossia gateway device. There is no per-listener fee.
LiveSunday is the all-in version of the same job. A browser dashboard, a laptop at the sound desk, and a monthly plan with session hours and languages included. This page compares the two models, works through what a typical Sunday costs on each, and covers where the hardware gateway helps and where it gets in the way.
How does LiveSunday compare to Polyglossia?
| Feature | LiveSunday | Polyglossia |
|---|---|---|
| Languages | 100+ | Text translation into up to 15 languages at one flat rate |
| Starting price | Pay-as-you-go ($5/hr) or $59/mo (Pro) | $0.05/min captions, $0.10/min text translation, $0.20/min per spoken language |
| Included hours (entry plan) | 12 hrs/mo on Pro ($59) | No plan hours; usage credits roll over |
| Hardware required | None, browser and a laptop | $149 gateway device per audio source |
| How usage is billed | Session hours; extra languages are a monthly add-on | Per minute; speech translation billed per language |
| Listeners | Unlimited | Unlimited, no per-listener fee |
| Captions-only option | Yes, on every plan | Yes, $0.05/min |
| Spoken translation (TTS) | Yes on Advanced ($99/mo) | $0.20/min per language, captions included |
| Two weekly services, text into 3 languages | Pro $59/mo (12 hrs, 3 languages) | About $60/mo in credits (600 min × $0.10) |
| Two weekly services, speech into 3 languages | Advanced $99/mo (25 hrs, 5 languages) | About $360/mo in credits (600 min × $0.20 × 3) |
Why do teams choose LiveSunday over Polyglossia?
1.No gateway device to buy, ship, or troubleshoot
Polyglossia requires a $149 gateway device for each audio source, and devices share the credit pool. That is a clean way to take a feed from the sound desk, but it is one more box to purchase up front, mount, and keep on the network. A second campus or a second room means a second device. LiveSunday connects the sound desk to a laptop running the browser dashboard. Nothing to order before the first service.
2.Speech translation gets expensive per language
Polyglossia bills speech translation at $0.20 per minute per language. Two 75-minute services a week is about 600 minutes a month. Spoken translation into three languages is 600 × $0.20 × 3, about $360 in credits before any captions-only sessions. LiveSunday Advanced is $99/month for 25 session hours with 5 languages and spoken translation included. The gap widens with each additional language.
3.Text translation is close, until you count the hardware
For text only, Polyglossia is competitive. Text translation is $0.10 per minute for up to 15 languages at one flat rate, so the same 600 minutes is about $60 a month, and unused credits roll over. LiveSunday Pro is $59/month for 12 hours and 3 languages. The difference in year one is the $149 gateway device and the fact that LiveSunday includes worship overlays for OBS, ProPresenter, vMix, and EasyWorship in the same plan.
4.Session hours are easier to budget than minute meters
LiveSunday's plans are described in session hours and simultaneous languages. Pro covers 12 hours and 3 languages, Advanced covers 25 hours and 5, and pay-as-you-go is $5/hour. The catalog covers 100+ translation languages with 60+ source languages. Polyglossia's credit model rewards careful use and rollover, but a volunteer has to think about which rate is running and how many languages are switched on. For a Sunday team, a fixed monthly number is simpler.
Should you choose LiveSunday or Polyglossia?
Choose LiveSunday if
- You want to start this Sunday with a laptop and no hardware order.
- You need spoken translation into more than one language and do not want $0.20 per minute per language.
- You want overlays for OBS, ProPresenter, vMix, and EasyWorship in the same plan.
- You prefer a fixed monthly plan with session hours over a minute-by-minute credit meter.
Choose Polyglossia only if
- You run captions only, occasionally, and want credits that roll over instead of a monthly plan.
- You want a dedicated hardware gateway on the network rather than a laptop at the sound desk.
- You need text translation into more than 5 languages at once on a flat per-minute rate.
Learn more
- LiveSunday vs Palabra — a voice-to-voice engine and $500 Events plan vs a worship product
- LiveSunday vs Glossa — how $5/hour is billed, per session vs per language
- AI live translation for churches — the full product walkthrough for real-time sermon translation
- Real-time captions for churches — live captions on phones, screens, and livestreams
- Pricing — pay-as-you-go, Pro, and Advanced plans
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