Sermonary and Pulpit AI approach the sermon workflow from opposite ends of the week. Sermonary is a sermon-writing tool: you open it on Tuesday morning to build your outline, draft your manuscript, rehearse in Podium Mode, and preach from your phone on Sunday. Pulpit AI is a sermon-repurposing tool: you upload the recording after preaching and it turns one sermon into 20+ pieces of content - clips, blog, devotional, study guide, emails - automatically.
Both are paid subscriptions built for working pastors. Neither is free and neither is cheap. But they solve different bottlenecks: Sermonary solves 'how do I write a sermon efficiently,' and Pulpit AI solves 'what do I do with the sermon once I have preached it.' Many pastors use both - Sermonary to prep, Pulpit AI to repurpose.
The bottom line
Choose Sermonary if your main need is a better sermon-writing and presentation environment. Choose Pulpit AI if your sermons are already recorded every week and you want an automated content multiplier for social and email.
The core difference: Sermonary is a sermon-prep and drafting tool with block-based outlining and Podium Mode delivery. Pulpit AI is a post-production content generator that turns one recorded sermon into dozens of social, blog, and email assets.
Sermonary vs Pulpit AI: at a glance
| Sermonary | Pulpit AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Starting price | $14.99/mo (or $149/yr) | From around $29/mo |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Platforms | Web · iOS · Android | Web |
| Developer | Ministry Pass | Pulpit AI |
| Launched | 2018 | 2023 |
| Best for | Working pastors who preach weekly | Solo pastors and small church staffs without a dedicated comms person |
How they compare, point by point
Primary Use Case
Sermonary
Sermon writing and delivery - outline building, manuscript drafting, rearranging, preaching from your phone on Sunday
Pulpit AI
Sermon repurposing - uploading a recording and generating social clips, blog posts, devotionals, study guides, and emails automatically
Workflow Timing
Sermonary
Pre-Sunday work - Tuesday through Saturday before you preach, with Podium Mode supporting delivery on Sunday
Pulpit AI
Post-Sunday work - upload after preaching on Sunday, get content outputs within 10-20 minutes that you refine Monday-Friday
Core Features
Sermonary
Block-based outline editor (drag-and-drop sermon structure), Podium Mode for pulpit delivery from phone, calendar and series planning, Ministry Pass resource integration (25,000+ illustrations and outlines)
Pulpit AI
Sermon-to-multi-content pipeline (20+ outputs including clips, blog, devotional, study guide, email, captions), smart clip extraction from sermon recording, brand-consistent output templating
Research and Commentary
Sermonary
No built-in commentary library or original-language tools - hooks into Ministry Pass illustrations and outlines, but you keep a separate commentary subscription
Pulpit AI
No research tools at all - this is post-production only, assumes sermon is already written and recorded
Pricing
Sermonary
$149/yr annual ($12.42/mo) or $14.99/mo monthly - single subscription for one user
Pulpit AI
Around $29/mo Starter tier or $69/mo Pro tier (most common) - higher volume and team seats available, no annual discount
Which should you choose?
Sermonary
Choose Sermonary if you want a better sermon-writing environment, often preach without a manuscript, need to rehearse Podium delivery, or want fast access to illustrations and pre-built outlines.
Pulpit AI
Choose Pulpit AI if your sermons are already recorded every week and your bottleneck is turning them into social media clips, devotional series, study guides, and emails without hiring a communications staff.
These tools solve different problems and many pastors use both. If you can only afford one, Sermonary is the better investment for solo prep. If you have a comms bottleneck, Pulpit AI fixes that.
Strengths at a glance
Sermonary
- Block-based outline builder - drag-and-drop intro / illustration / exegesis / application / conclusion blocks make rearranging a sermon trivial
- Podium Mode is the real differentiator - preach from your phone or tablet with large fonts, auto-scroll, and a clean reader view
- Deep integration with the Ministry Pass library - 25,000+ illustrations, outlines, graphics, and series resources sit one tab away
- Calendar and series planning built in - schedule sermons by date, group them into series, and see your year at a glance
Pulpit AI
- Genuine 20+ outputs per sermon - clips, blog, devotional, study guide, email, captions, transcript, and more from a single upload
- Fast turnaround - most outputs are ready within 10-20 minutes of upload, not hours
- Smart clip extraction - the auto-detected shareable moments are usually defensible, occasionally great
- Brand-consistent output - once you set your church voice and visual style, everything that comes out feels like it belongs to you
Watch-outs
Sermonary
- No original-language tools - no Greek/Hebrew lemma search, no interlinear, no morphology (Logos territory)
- No first-party commentary library - you get Ministry Pass illustrations and outlines, not Calvin, Henry, or NICOT
- Subscription-only - there is no perpetual license, and pausing means losing access to the editor (your exports remain yours)
Pulpit AI
- Not a sermon-writing tool - you still have to preach the sermon first; this is post-production only
- Clip selection is hit-or-miss for narrative or liturgical sermons - works best when the preaching is point-driven
- Devotional and blog outputs need a light editorial pass before publishing - about 80 percent there, not 100
Frequently asked questions
Can I use these two tools together?
Absolutely - Sermonary doesn't support repurposing and Pulpit AI doesn't support sermon-writing, so they pair perfectly. Many pastors write in Sermonary, preach in Podium Mode, then upload the recording to Pulpit AI for clips and social content.
Does Sermonary help me write a better sermon?
It helps you organize faster - the block model makes rearranging painless and the Ministry Pass library gives you instant access to illustrations. It does not do the theological work or exegesis; you keep a commentary subscription or Logos library for that.
How much editorial work do Pulpit AI outputs need before publishing?
The blog, devotional, and study guide outputs are consistently around 80 percent of the way to publishable. Expect a 15-30 minute light editorial pass per sermon to catch theological precision, citation formatting, and occasional AI tics. Clips are usually good to go.
Which one has the better free tier?
Neither has a free tier - Sermonary offers a 14-day trial, Pulpit AI offers a short trial period. Both require commitment of a credit card to evaluate properly.
Is Sermonary free?
Sermonary starts at $14.99/mo (or $149/yr); there's no free tier.
Is Pulpit AI free?
Pulpit AI starts at From around $29/mo; there's no free tier.
The most thoughtfully designed sermon-building tool on the market - a block-based outline builder, a genuinely useful Podium Mode, and deep ties to the Ministry Pass library. Pulpit AI is the closest thing pastors have to a dedicated content team.