# Catholic Essentials vs Throwback.

The clearest difference is price: Throwback. at Free against Catholic Essentials's $1.99. Throwback. also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 29 months) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). Catholic Essentials's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Throwback. is free to download; Catholic Essentials costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Catholic Essentials ships an update every 29 months, Throwback. every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Catholic Essentials | Throwback. |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | — | **[4.1 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/throwback/id1434370438/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **7** |
| Positive reviews | — | 81.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 29 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 1 MB | 51 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jovito Jr. Auza](https://appshunter.io/developer/689899403) | [Throwback PTY LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1434370437) |

## What reviewers say

### Catholic Essentials

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/catholic-essentials/id1026742345)

This app serves as a digital prayer book for Filipino Roman Catholics, offering essential guides and prayers for their spiritual journey. It provides offline access to a collection of prayers and spiritual resources, with more content planned for future updates.

**Highlights:** Holy Rosary Guide with photos, Holy Mass Guide, Holy Rosary Prayers, Holy Rosary Mysteries, Miscellaneous Prayers, Offline access

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Throwback.

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/throwback/id1434370438)

Access a wide range of basketball apparel, from the latest NBA jerseys to retro styles. Get exclusive app-only discounts, early access to new products, and special collections.

**Highlights:** Latest NBA jerseys, Retro Mitchell & Ness, App-only discounts, Early product releases, Exclusive collections

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Catholic Essentials free?

Catholic Essentials costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Throwback. free?

Throwback. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Catholic Essentials or Throwback. have ads?

Throwback. shows ads; Catholic Essentials does not.

### Which is updated more often, Catholic Essentials or Throwback.?

Catholic Essentials ships an update every 29 months, and Throwback. every 5 weeks. Most recently, Catholic Essentials was updated on October 3, 2026 and Throwback. on September 28, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*