Comparison

Commonweal Mag vs The Catholic Thing

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Commonweal Mag

This app offers a forum for civil debate on faith, politics, and culture from a Catholic perspective. It features well-argued viewpoints on contemporary issues, social justice, and theological discussions, providing a space for diverse opinions.

Highlights
  • Civil debate on faith and culture
  • Catholic perspective on contemporary issues
  • Independent lay-run journal
  • Social justice and ecumenism discussions
  • Diverse viewpoints from leading writers
Features
Read full description

Commonweal’s mission is to provide a forum for civil, reasoned debate on the interaction of faith with contemporary politics and culture. Read by a passionate audience of educated Catholics as well as readers from many other faiths, Commonweal presents well-argued, respectful points of view from across the ideological spectrum. In an often contentiously divided Catholic church and secular culture, its status as an independent, lay-run journal of opinion encourages conversations that can be difficult in other settings. Since its founding in 1924 Commonweal has staked a claim for Catholic principles and perspective in American life. It has been credited with helping prepare American Catholics for Vatican II, and Commonweal’s current readers say it has helped them weather the church’s sexual-abuse scandal and work through questions related to the role of women, church teachings on sexuality, and other contemporary issues. The magazine has an ongoing interest in social justice, ecumenism, just-war teaching, liturgical renewal, and the interchange between Catholicism and liberal democracy. Today Commonweal publishes many of the leading Catholic theologians, writers and public figures in the United States. Commonweal has a unique history of taking strong and controversial positions, often liberal and opinionated yet tolerant in tone. The editors condemned the firebombing of Dresden and the use of atomic weapons; they have criticized American racism; supported resistance to U.S. involvement in Vietnam; and took issue with the 1968 papal encyclical Humanae vitae but also the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade. Today the magazine maintains prolife convictions while being critical of single-issue abortion politics, and provides a space for marginalized voices. ================================== The magazine offers a yearly ($59.99) subscription - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase ================================== This magazine is proudly powered by PressPad. Find out more at www.presspadapp.com Terms of Use (EULA) https://www.presspadapp.com/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://presspadapp.com/terms-apps/

About

The Catholic Thing

This app provides a platform for thoughtful Catholic commentary and discussion. It serves as a forum for intelligent perspectives on faith and culture. Access insightful articles and engage with a community of Catholic thinkers.

Highlights
  • Intelligent Catholic commentary
  • Forum for discussion
  • Faith and culture perspectives
  • Insightful articles
  • Community engagement
Features
Read full description

The Catholic Thing is a forum for intelligent Catholic commentary.

Screenshots

Commonweal Mag3 screens
The Catholic Thing4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: The Catholic Thing at 4.3 against Commonweal Mag's 1.5. The Catholic Thing also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 17) and update cadence (every 9 months vs every 57 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Commonweal Mag sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $4.49 per month. The Catholic Thing asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Catholic Thing holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 1.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 23 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 0% and 0% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Commonweal Mag ships an update every 57 months, The Catholic Thing every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Commonweal Mag versus The Catholic Thing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCommonweal MagThe Catholic Thing
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.5 (11 ratings)4.3 (23 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1123 — better
Update frequencyEvery 57 monthsEvery 9 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPressPad Sp. z o.o.Slynet Communications, Inc

Customer experience

Commonweal Mag

All ratings10 ratings
Positive10.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative90.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

The Catholic Thing

All ratings16 ratings
Positive81.3%
Neutral12.5%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

17 purchases

Commonweal Mag

Subscriptions2
  • Commonweal Magazine$4.491 Month
  • 1 Commonweal Magazine$54.991 Year
One-time15
  • October 7, 2016$3.99
  • Issue #77$3.99
  • Issue #81$3.99
Show 12 more
  • Issue #82$3.99
  • Issue #85$3.99
  • Issue #110$3.99
  • Issue #121$3.99
  • Issue #127$3.99
  • Issue #154$3.99
  • Issue #181$3.99
  • Issue #185$3.99
  • Issue #208$3.99
  • Issue #204$3.99
  • Issue #188$3.99
  • Issue #193$3.99
None

The Catholic Thing

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Commonweal Mag free?
Commonweal Mag is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Catholic Thing free?
The Catholic Thing is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Commonweal Mag or The Catholic Thing?
The Catholic Thing is rated higher. Commonweal Mag averages 1.5 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while The Catholic Thing averages 4.3 from 23 ratings.
Do Commonweal Mag or The Catholic Thing have ads?
Neither Commonweal Mag nor The Catholic Thing shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Commonweal Mag or The Catholic Thing?
Commonweal Mag ships an update every 57 months, and The Catholic Thing every 9 months. Most recently, Commonweal Mag was updated on October 24, 2026 and The Catholic Thing on October 27, 2026.

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