The basic rule: 1 credit = 1 minute into 1 language
ChurchTranslate charges in credits. One credit is one minute of translation into one language. The number of listeners does not matter: whether one person listens to the Polish translation or sixty, a minute in Polish uses one credit.
Two details make this cheaper in practice than it may look:
- A language only uses credits while someone is listening to it. If you offer five languages but nobody chooses Portuguese this Sunday, Portuguese costs nothing.
- Paused time does not translate. The broadcast page has a pause button. Some churches pause during a long instrumental set or the coffee break of a conference.
Worked examples
Example 1: a parish church with one Ukrainian family
A 75-minute Sunday service, translated into Ukrainian. That is 75 credits a week, around 300 to 375 a month depending on the number of Sundays. The Lite plan, with 480 credits for €65 a month, covers it with room for an extra service.
Example 2: an international church with three languages
A 120-minute service into English, Spanish and Ukrainian uses 3 × 120 = 360 credits per service. Four services a month is 1,440 credits. The Standaard plan (2,400 credits, €250 a month) covers this comfortably, and also includes the transcript by e-mail after each service and a team with several technicians.
Example 3: languages that are not always used
A church offers Polish, Romanian and Arabic. Polish listeners are there every week for the whole service; Romanian listeners come most weeks; Arabic is used only when a particular family visits. Over a month of 90-minute services that might be 360 credits for Polish, 270 for Romanian and 90 for Arabic: 720 credits in total. The Duo plan (960 credits, €100 a month) fits, even though three languages are switched on.
Example 4: an extra event
Your church hosts a weekend conference with six hours of sessions translated into two languages: 2 × 360 = 720 credits. Rather than upgrading your plan, buy an extra credit pack. Packs never expire, so leftovers carry over to Christmas or the next event.
Plans at a glance
| Plan | Price per month | Credits per month | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | €65 | 480 | 4 services of 2 hours into 1 language |
| Duo | €100 | 960 | 4 services of 2 hours into 2 languages |
| Standaard | €250 | 2,400 | 4 × 2 hours into 5 languages; transcript by e-mail after each service; team with several technicians |
| Compleet | €400 | 4,320 | 4 × 2 hours into 9 languages; lowest price per credit |
Monthly plan credits expire at the start of the next month. Extra credit packs never expire: 300 credits for €50, 600 credits for €90 and 1,800 credits for €255. You can buy packs on top of a plan. The pricing page always shows the current offer.
Which plan suits which church?
As a rough guide: Lite suits a parish or small congregation that serves one language group. Duo fits a church with two regular language groups, or one language plus a midweek meeting. Standaard is for international and city-centre churches with several languages every Sunday and a team of technicians. Compleet is for large churches, multiple services on a Sunday or many languages at once, and has the lowest price per credit.
How to estimate your own needs
- 01Time your service
Take the real length from the start of the broadcast to the end, including notices. Many services are longer than the printed order suggests.
- 02Count the languages that will actually be used
Not the languages you could switch on, but those that people will listen to most weeks.
- 03Multiply and add
Minutes × languages × services per month gives your monthly credits. Add a margin for the odd extra service or a longer Sunday.
- 04Pick the plan that fits
Choose the smallest plan that covers your normal month, and buy a credit pack for peaks like Easter, Christmas or a conference.
Comparing with interpreters and equipment
It is fair to compare costs, but compare like with like.
Volunteer interpreters cost no money, but they cost time: someone who interprets every week misses the service themselves. If you use receiver headsets, the equipment has to be bought, charged, maintained and replaced, and each language needs its own interpreter and channel.
Professional interpreters are usually booked per half day or full day and, indicatively, cost considerably more than a month of software. For an important one-off occasion that can be well worth it. For weekly services in several languages, it rarely fits a church budget.
An app has a predictable monthly cost, no equipment to buy for listeners, and scales to more languages without more people. Its weaknesses are not financial: it is software, with the limits described in interpreter or AI translation.
Presenting it to your church council
Councils and trustees tend to ask three things: what it costs per month, who it serves, and what happens to people's data. Bring a worked example from your own services, the number of people who would benefit, and the privacy guide. Some churches find a donor or a mission budget willing to fund the first year, because welcoming newcomers is close to the heart of many congregations.