Comparison

Square Note vs Inner Monk

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

Head to head
About

Square Note

Access a vast library of Gregorian Chant scores with over 800 unique chants. Learn to read square note notation and hear melodies with adjustable speed and pitch. Ideal for choirs, scholas, or personal study.

Highlights
  • Extensive library of Gregorian Chant scores
  • Learn square note notation
  • Adjustable melody playback (speed, pitch)
  • Customizable chant viewing settings
  • Bookmark favorite chants
  • Search by name or full text
  • Includes Mass Propers, Commons, and Kyriale
Features
Read full description

Gregorian Chant for the Masses! Square Note puts a huge library of Gregorian Chant scores—over 800 unique chants and counting—right at your fingertips. Always wanted to learn how to read square note notation? Always wanted to have the amazing Gregorian Chants of the Catholic Church on your iPhone and iPad? Square Note brings the ancient music of the Church to your mobile devices, ready for you to utilize in your schola, your choir, or your home. * Beautifully rendered chant that automatically formats itself to fit nicely on your screen. * Hear the melodies of the chants, adjusting speed and pitch, to learn how the chants are sung. * Easily adjust chant viewing settings, including zooming in, zooming out, and toggling certain chant markings. * Bookmark your favorite chants or the ones you'll be practicing in your schola. * Search and find chants by name or even by searching through the full text of the chant. * Automatically include Gloria Patri paradigms to your Introit and Communion antiphons. CURRENT CHANTS: Mass Propers for the Proper of Seasons (Ordinary Form and Extraordinary Form); some propers for major Feasts and Solemnities; most commons for both the OF and EF; Latin Kyriale, including all traditional 18 Masses and 6 Creeds; some Marian antiphons (simple and solemn forms) and a smattering of other antiphons and hymns. More chants to come--let us know what you'd like to see included!

About

Inner Monk

This app helps you establish a daily prayer routine with morning and evening prayers composed by monks. It tracks your progress, offers text-to-speech for prayers, and provides access to monastery news, podcasts, and live streams.

Highlights
  • Morning and evening prayers
  • Prayer progress tracking
  • Text-to-speech prayer reader
  • Access to monastery news and events
  • Live Mass and Vespers streams
  • Prayer request submission
Features
Read full description

At Saint Meinrad Archabbey, we believe all Christians have an "inner monk": the part of each of us that wants to develop a deep, intense and personal relationship with God. Inner Monk offers a simple rhythm for that life, created by the Benedictine monks of Saint Meinrad in southern Indiana. MORNING AND EVENING PRAYER A new prayer for every morning and every evening of the year, written by the monks of Saint Meinrad. The app knows the time of day and opens to the prayer you need. THE RULE OF ST. BENEDICT A short daily reading from the Rule, following the traditional Benedictine practice of reading the whole Rule three times each year. GUIDED LECTIO DIVINA Pray with Scripture step by step through the ancient practice of lectio divina: reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation. LIVE FROM THE ARCHABBEY CHURCH Join the monastic community in prayer through live streams from the Archabbey Church of Our Lady of Einsiedeln. A GENTLE HABIT Create a free account to keep a history of your prayers, save favorites, and set optional morning and evening reminders on your phone. Quiet milestones mark your faithfulness along the way. They never count missed days against you, and you can turn them off entirely. NEWS FROM SAINT MEINRAD Stay connected with news, events, the podcast and the blog from Saint Meinrad Archabbey. Inner Monk is free, with no ads.

Screenshots

Square Note4 screens
Inner Monk4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Square Note at every 4 weeks against Inner Monk's every 38 months. Square Note also leads on review sentiment (93% vs 75%) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Square Note holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 70 and 15 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 93% of Square Note's written reviews are positive against 75% of Inner Monk's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Square Note ships an update every 4 weeks, Inner Monk every 38 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Square Note versus Inner Monk: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSquare NoteInner Monk
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (70 ratings) — better4.5 (15 ratings)
Positive reviews92.6% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings70 — better15
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterEvery 38 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOblates of St. JosephAbbey Press Publications

Customer experience

Square Note

All ratings67 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral6.0%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews54 reviews
Positive92.6%
Neutral5.6%
Negative1.9%

Inner Monk

All ratings15 ratings
Positive86.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Square Note

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Cannot get music to play on iPhone
  • Playback won't work after iOS 14 update
  • Sundays of paschaltide enumerated differently in OF & EF

Requested features

25 requests
  • Add liturgical calendar for 1962 missal
  • Add traditional nuptial propers (deus Israel)
  • Include psalm tones for singing psalms
  • Add common chants of the Divine Office
  • Add different tones of the Te Lucis hymn
Show 20 more
  • Add the antiennes des Vêpres
  • Include parts of the Divine office (e.g., compline)
  • Add the Exultet
  • Add chants from the breviary (Roman Breviary hymns)
  • Add Mass XVIIII and Feast of All Saints Introit, Gradual, Alleluia, Offertory, Communion
  • Add the Benedicamus Domino for Masses
  • Separate Marian antiphons from other Marian chants
  • Add a keyboard for playing notes
  • Add the Jubilate Deo sequence (beginners compilation)
  • Provide alternate chant sounds
  • Allow transposition into other octaves
  • Include English translations of each chant
  • Add sung chants, not just notes
  • Offer a crisper sound option for chant tone
  • Provide a choice of different types of chant tones
  • Add notation for punctums or scalici
  • Add notation for the Exultet
  • Add notation for breviary hymns
  • Add notation for Mass XVIIII and Feast of All Saints
  • Add notation for Benedicamus Domino

Inner Monk

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Square Note

No in-app purchases

None

Inner Monk

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Square Note free?
Square Note is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Inner Monk free?
Inner Monk is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Square Note or Inner Monk?
Square Note is rated higher. Square Note averages 4.7 out of 5 from 70 ratings, while Inner Monk averages 4.5 from 15 ratings.
Do Square Note or Inner Monk have ads?
Neither Square Note nor Inner Monk shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Square Note or Inner Monk?
Square Note ships an update every 4 weeks, and Inner Monk every 38 months. Most recently, Square Note was updated on October 24, 2026 and Inner Monk on October 31, 2026.

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