# Novena vs Saint Joseph

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Novena at none against Saint Joseph's 1. Novena also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 85%). Saint Joseph's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 51 months) and ratings volume (345 vs 5). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Saint Joseph sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Novena asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Novena against 4.9 for Saint Joseph. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Saint Joseph has 345 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Novena's written reviews are positive against 85% of Saint Joseph's.

Novena ships an update every 51 months, Saint Joseph every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Novena | Saint Joseph |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/novena/id1168491958/reviews)** | [4.9 (345 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/saint-joseph/id1550406573/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **345** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 85.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 51 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 2 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.6 | **12.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [BoCoSoft,Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/303687884) | [Jose Ignacio Gonzalez Rivera](https://appshunter.io/developer/1453409528) |

## What reviewers say

### Novena

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/novena/id1168491958)

This app guides users through the Catholic tradition of the Novena de Aguinaldos, a Colombian Christmas custom. It provides a step-by-step format for praying the novena, making it easy to follow for those unfamiliar with the tradition.

**Highlights:** Step-by-step novena prayer guide, Explanation of Colombian Christmas traditions, Facilitates family and social gatherings, Includes traditional elements like carols and games

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Saint Joseph

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/saint-joseph/id1550406573)

This app provides a guided experience for praying the Novena to Saint Joseph, allowing users to track their progress and save personal prayers with photos. It features automated audio playback, text highlighting, and customizable reminders to foster a daily prayer habit.

**Highlights:** Daily Novena prayer tracking, Save personal prayers with photos, Automated audio and text playback, Progress counter for habit building, Customizable prayer reminders, Audio player with voice options

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Version - Lifetime Access | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🙏 Easy to use novena
- 🙏 Helpful for daily prayers
- 🚗 Audio good for driving
- ✨ Beautiful prayers
- 👍 Premium version worth it

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤖 Machine-like audio voice
- ⏩ Audio too fast
- 😞 Audio disappointing
- ❌ App not in settings
- 🚫 Cannot access chaplet

**Reported bugs**

- Premium version doesn't grant access to chaplet
- App does not show up in settings

**Requested features**

- Add prayer to Sainte Rita
- Include Sacro Manto prayer
- Add initial/final prayer 'A te o beato Giuseppe'
- Vivify colors for better readability
- Add rosary corresponding to San Jose


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Novena free?

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

### Is Saint Joseph free?

Saint Joseph is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Novena or Saint Joseph?

Novena is rated higher. Novena averages 5.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Saint Joseph averages 4.9 from 345 ratings.

### Do Novena or Saint Joseph have ads?

Neither Novena nor Saint Joseph shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Novena or Saint Joseph?

Novena ships an update every 51 months, and Saint Joseph every 2 months. Most recently, Novena was updated on September 17, 2026 and Saint Joseph on October 25, 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.*