Sermon Design 3 vs CoPastor
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sermon Design 3
This tool guides users through the sermon preparation process, from initial planning to final manuscript. It features a visual outlining tool with building blocks to structure messages and offers a library of predefined and custom sermon movements.
- Visual sermon outlining
- 5-phase preparation process
- 40+ predefined sermon movements
- Custom forms and templates
- Guided reflection prompts
- iCloud sync
- Export to PDF/RTF
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Sermon Design 3 is a tool built to help you prepare thoughtful, intentional sermons. It walks you through the process of thinking through the sermon, from considering its focus and purpose to writing the final manuscript. At the core is a visual outlining tool that helps you design your sermon's flow, using movements like building blocks to construct a message that will fulfill its purpose. Sermon Design uses a 5 phase process: Plan: Think about sermons coming up over the next few weeks, months, or years! Focus: Consider the heart of your sermon, distilling it's core message. Listen: Give attention to the text, asking question that get to heart of what the Word is for the people. Structure: Build the frame of the sermon by giving consideration to the type of movements through which the sermon will move. Write: Finalize the manuscript for the sermon you've been designing. With the iOS version, you can capture ideas while on the go, crafting your sermon in the moments and times when inspiration comes to you. Sermon Movement Library — Access 40+ predefined movement types including Opening, Transition, Anecdote, Exegesis, Theology, Application, Question, Metaphor, Prayer, and more. Custom Forms & Templates — Create and save your own sermon structures. Build templates for recurring sermon types and reuse them across documents. Guided Reflection Prompts — Explore textual, theological, contemporary, personal, and pastoral questions designed to deepen your engagement with scripture. Session Timer — Track your writing sessions and maintain momentum with built-in timing tools that automatically split sessions at midnight. iCloud Sync — Your planning data, custom movements, and templates sync across all your devices via CloudKit. Export & Print — Print sermon plans and manuscripts with professional formatting. Export to PDF or RTF for sharing with team members. **DESIGNED FOR YOUR WORKFLOW** Whether you're preparing Sunday sermons, special occasions, or teaching series, Sermon Design 3 adapts to your needs. Work on individual sermon documents while maintaining awareness of your broader preaching calendar. Create custom movements that reflect your unique preaching style. Build sermon structures that honor traditional homiletical practices while remaining flexible for contemporary approaches. **CROSS-PLATFORM** Available for Mac, iPad, and iPhone with adaptive interfaces optimized for each device. Use sidebar navigation on Mac and iPad, or tab navigation on iPhone. Keyboard shortcuts on Mac make phase switching and common actions quick and efficient. **WHO IT'S FOR** - Pastors and ministers preparing weekly sermons - Lay speakers developing occasional messages - Seminary students learning homiletical practices - Preaching teams collaborating on sermon series - Anyone seeking a systematic approach to sermon preparation Sermon Design Pro is available as a one-time Lifetime purchase or as an annual auto-renewable subscription. The annual subscription automatically renews at the end of each one-year period unless canceled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at purchase confirmation. Manage or cancel any time in your Apple ID account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial period (if offered) is forfeited when you purchase the subscription. Privacy Policy: https://stevenhovater.com/sermon-design-privacy-policy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
CoPastor
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Planning Center runs your church. CoPastor develops you as a pastor. CoPastor is the first AI ministry operating system built specifically for pastors — not church administrators. It brings together every dimension of pastoral work into one intelligent platform that learns who you are and grows with you. WHETHER YOU PREACH WEEKLY OR OCCASIONALLY, CoPastor helps you: • Prepare sermons faster with AI-powered outlines, illustrations, and biblical exegesis • Track pastoral care visits, follow-ups, and congregation needs • Manage prayer requests and intercede for your entire flock • Develop disciples through structured growth pathways • Manage your congregation database, small groups, and volunteers • Stay organized with a unified ministry calendar • Check in on your own soul care and ministry health • Write communications, newsletters, and correspondence with AI assistance THE FEATURE NO OTHER PLATFORM HAS — INTERPRETIVE MEMORY CoPastor builds a living profile of who you are as a pastor. It analyzes your preaching patterns, pastoral tendencies, and ministry rhythms — then uses that knowledge to personalize every AI response you receive. After months of use, CoPastor knows your theology, your style, and your congregation better than any generic AI ever could. BUILT FOR YOUR TRADITION CoPastor supports 14 denominations including COCHUSA, COGIC, AME, NBC, PNBC, Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Non-Denominational, Southern Baptist, Roman Catholic, United Methodist, and more. The AI understands your theological tradition and incorporates it into every response. WHAT'S INCLUDED • Sermon Studio — AI outlines, illustrations, exegesis, manuscript editor, preach mode, Word/PDF export • Prayer Dashboard — congregation prayer tracking, AI intercession, answered prayer log • Pastoral Care — visit logging, follow-up tracking, care records • Discipleship — growth stage tracking, mentorship, personalized development plans • Congregation Database — member profiles, families, milestones, attendance • Small Groups — rosters, curriculum, AI discussion questions • Volunteers — roles, scheduling, hours tracking • Ministry Calendar — unified view of all events and meetings • Interpretive Memory — AI that learns and personalizes over time • Wellness Check-Ins — regular soul care prompts for the pastor • Ministry Health Score — weekly AI scorecard across all pillars • Writing & Communications — AI-assisted letters, newsletters, announcements • Administrative Assistant Access — invite staff for limited calendar access PRICING 14-day free trial included. CoPastor Pro is $19/month after trial. Founding Pastor rate of $9.99/month available for the first 50 pastors — first year only. Your data is always yours. Cancel anytime. Learn more at copastor.app Terms of Use: https://copastor.app/terms | Privacy Policy: https://copastor.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: CoPastor at every 4 days against Sermon Design 3's monthly. CoPastor also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Sermon Design 3 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per year and CoPastor sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Sermon Design 3 ships an update monthly, CoPastor every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sermon Design 3 | CoPastor |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 88 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Steven Hovater | GLAKE A HILL |
In-app purchases
Sermon Design 3
- Pro Annual Subscription7 Days trial$5.991 Year
- Pro Lifetime Unlock$14.99
CoPastor
- CoPastor Pro Monthly14 Days trial$19.991 Month









