We love Planning Center. Most church teams are already using it and that's not going to change. Show Caller isn't here to replace it — it's the production layer your tech team has always been missing. Here's how they work together, and where Show Caller fills the gap.
PCO Live is excellent at what it's designed for — stepping through a service plan. Show Caller handles what happens in the production room while the service runs.
| Feature | PCO Live | Show Caller | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rundown & Planning | |||
| Deep Planning Center integration | ✓ | ✗ | PCO Live is built into the PCO ecosystem — songs, arrangements, team schedules all pull through automatically. |
| Service order / rundown view | ✓ | ✓ | Both show the service order in sequence. PCO is built around worship elements; Show Caller is built around production cues. |
| Custom production columns (Audio, Video, Lighting, Camera) | ✗ | ✓ | Show Caller lets you add columns for every department. PCO items carry notes but not structured per-department data. |
| Cue types — Items, Headers, Breaks | Items only | ✓ | Show Caller has production-native row types. Headers group sections visually; Breaks handle intermissions. |
| Auto-calculated cumulative timing | ✓ | ✓ | Both calculate total service length and show running time. Show Caller's EST TOD updates live as the show runs. |
| CSV import from existing rundowns | ✗ | ✓ | Bring your Google Sheet rundown into Show Caller in one step. Your existing workflow transfers immediately. |
| Templates for recurring shows | Via PCO plans | ✓ | Show Caller saves show structure as a template — columns, headers, automation settings — for reuse week to week. |
| Live Show Control | |||
| Step through service item by item | ✓ | ✓ | Both support advancing through the rundown item by item. Show Caller adds dedicated transport controls and keyboard shortcuts. |
| Keyboard-driven show control (Space = GO) | ✗ | ✓ | Space bar fires the next cue. Arrow keys navigate. Show Caller is built for eyes-up, keyboard-first show calling. |
| Countdown timer per item | ✓ | ✓ | Both show a countdown for each item. PCO has three countdown modes; Show Caller has color-coded timer with WRAP/OVER states. |
| Live timer adjustment (+/- time during show) | ✗ | ✓ | Show Caller lets the producer add or remove time from the running countdown in real time. Critical for adapting to the live moment. |
| Auto-advance cues | ✗ | ✓ | Mark cues to fire automatically when their timer reaches zero. PCO requires manual advancement for every item. |
| Time of Day triggers | ✗ | ✓ | Fire a cue at an exact clock time — critical for broadcast, multi-campus, or satellite services. |
| Over/Under tracking | ✓ | ✓ | Both track how far ahead or behind the service is running. Show Caller shows EST TOD for every remaining cue. |
| Jump to any cue (GO) | Limited | ✓ | Select any cue in the rundown and hit GO to jump directly. Essential for recovering from missed cues or show changes. |
| Team Collaboration | |||
| Real-time sync across devices | ✓ | ✓ | Both broadcast the current state to all connected devices in real time. |
| Production role system (Producer / Operator / Viewer) | PCO roles | ✓ | Show Caller uses production-native role names. The Producer controls the show; Operators run cues; Viewers follow along. |
| Producer broadcast messages to team | Chat only | ✓ | Show Caller lets the producer push a message as a banner to all connected users or specific team members. No phone needed. |
| Per-user column layout preferences | ✗ | ✓ | Each team member saves their own column view. The TD sees TD data; the LD sees LD data. |
| Team chat channels | ✓ | ✗ | PCO Live has multi-channel team chat built in. Show Caller has producer broadcast messages but not open team chat. |
| Displays & Video | |||
| Stage Timer — dedicated video output | Via ProPresenter | ✓ | Show Caller outputs a fullscreen Stage Timer directly from the Mac. No ProPresenter required. Patch into the switcher. |
| Portrait mode — 90° rotation | ✗ | ✓ | Lay a standard TV on its side. Show Caller rotates the output in software — no scaler, no adapter needed. |
| Backstage Display — fullscreen + half-window | ✗ | ✓ | Show Caller provides a dedicated backstage view — current cue, next up, clock. Half-window shares the screen with a confidence monitor. |
| WRAP / OVER states on timer | ✗ | ✓ | Show Caller flashes WRAP when approaching end, OVER with elapsed count when past it. Readable from across a room. |
| Infrastructure | |||
| Cloud-based (no local server needed) | ✓ | ✗ | PCO runs fully in the cloud — no setup required. Show Caller requires a Mac on the local network as the server. |
| No internet required during show | ✗ | ✓ | Show Caller runs on the local network. If the internet goes down during service, the show keeps running. |
| Browser-based (no installs for crew) | ✓ | ✓ | Both work in any modern browser. Team members join without installing anything. |
| Annual price | Included in PCO | $249/yr | PCO Live is included with Planning Center Services. Show Caller is $249/year — a separate tool for the production layer. |
Here's what the same Sunday service looks like through each tool — and how they complement each other in the room.
Worship team · Service planner · Cloud-based
Production team · Tech crew · Local network
The worship pastor builds the service in Planning Center — songs, arrangements, scripture, announcements. The whole team gets scheduled and can see their parts. This is what PCO does best.
By Thursday, the TD can see the service order in PCO and start thinking through production.
✓ PCO at its bestThe TD takes the PCO plan, imports it (or builds fresh), and adds the production layer — camera cues, lighting notes, graphics columns, broadcast timing. Show Caller is where the tech team plans the show.
Import from a CSV or build from a template. By Friday, the production rundown is ready to rehearse.
✓ Show Caller fills the gapThe worship leader, MD, and stage team open PCO Live on their devices. They can see the service order, song arrangements, and notes. This is their show-of-record for what's happening on stage.
✓ Worship team readyThe TD starts Show Caller on the production Mac. FOH, cameras, lighting, graphics, and broadcast all connect from their devices via browser. Everyone picks their role. The production team is on the same screen — separate from the worship team's view.
✓ Tech team readyThe service planner or worship pastor advances items in PCO Live as each element completes. The countdown runs. The team sees what's current and what's next. PCO Live is the worship team's source of truth.
✓ Service plan on trackThe TD calls cues from Live View. Space bar fires NEXT. The whole tech team follows. Camera director sees camera cues. Lighting op sees lighting notes. Graphics sees lower thirds. Everyone has the right information, nobody has too much.
✓ Production in syncThe planned duration ends but worship continues. PCO shows the item has gone overtime — the countdown counts up in red. The service plan is now behind.
There's no mechanism to alert the tech team or adjust downstream timing. The worship team watches the clock. The tech team is on their own.
→ Both teams feel itThe TD adds time to the running countdown — one button. EST TOD updates across every remaining cue instantly. The producer sends a message: "Holding for extro — standby cameras."
The tech team is in sync. Nobody misses a beat. The worship moment gets the space it deserves. When it ends, the TD calls GO and the show flows.
✓ Production adaptsMost churches use ProPresenter to surface a stage timer to talent — pulled from PCO via the ProPresenter integration. Requires ProPresenter to be running and configured.
Works well in the ProPresenter ecosystem. Adds dependency on ProPresenter for the timer output.
✓ Works with ProPresenterShow Caller's Stage Timer is a dedicated fullscreen video output from the Mac. Patch it into the switcher. No ProPresenter required. No extra device needed at the monitor location.
Portrait mode? Rotate 90° in software. Lay the TV on its side. The backstage monitor shows current cue, next up, and the clock — shareable with a program return in half-window mode.
✓ Switcher-ready, standalonePCO handles the worship side of the service. Show Caller handles the production side. They don't conflict — they complement. Most church tech teams run both.
The worship pastor runs PCO. The TD runs Show Caller. The audience experiences a show where every department was looking at the right screen at the right time.
Full-featured 14-day trial. No credit card. Keep using PCO for what it's great at — bring Show Caller in for the tech team.