# Encouraging Word vs The Blessing Devotional

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Encouraging Word at 3.2K against The Blessing Devotional's 73. Encouraging Word also leads on iOS requirement (9.1 vs 13.0). The Blessing Devotional's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Encouraging Word against 4.9 for The Blessing Devotional. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Encouraging Word has 3.2K ratings behind it against 73, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 97% of Encouraging Word's written reviews are positive against 100% of The Blessing Devotional's.

Encouraging Word ships an update every 6 months, The Blessing Devotional every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Encouraging Word | The Blessing Devotional |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (3.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/encouraging-word/id1339362650/reviews)** | [4.9 (73 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-blessing-devotional/id1378316967/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.2K** | 73 |
| Positive reviews | 96.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 40 MB | 170 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.1** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mark Stewart](https://appshunter.io/developer/1339362649) | [Johan Maasbach World Mission](https://appshunter.io/developer/565101093) |

## What reviewers say

### Encouraging Word

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/encouraging-word/id1339362650)

This app provides daily encouragement and strength through God's promises from the Bible. It aims to lift your spirit and help you live by faith rather than by problems, offering joy and renewed strength.

**Highlights:** Daily Bible promises, Spiritual encouragement, Strength through faith, Joyful living, Biblical devotions

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Encouraging and uplifting content
- 🙏 Helps build a relationship with God
- 📚 Provides daily Bible verses and devotionals
- 💻 Easy to use app
- 🌟 Wonderful and inspiring messages

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Date display issues
- 🔍 Difficulty contacting developer
- 🔁 Lack of new content updates

**Reported bugs**

- App freezing/crashing
- Date display not matching actual date

**Requested features**

- Add prayer feature
- Ability to mark/track read devotionals
- Rotate app with device orientation


### The Blessing Devotional

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-blessing-devotional/id1378316967)

Access daily Bible encouragements and prayers to strengthen your faith and build an intimate relationship with God. Search for specific topics, set personal notifications, and customize your reading experience with adjustable text size and dark mode.

**Highlights:** Daily encouragements and prayers, Search by keywords, Personalized notifications, Adjustable text size, Dark mode, Home screen widget

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Encouraging Word free?

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

### Is The Blessing Devotional free?

The Blessing Devotional is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Encouraging Word or The Blessing Devotional?

Encouraging Word is rated higher. Encouraging Word averages 4.9 out of 5 from 3.2K ratings, while The Blessing Devotional averages 4.9 from 73 ratings.

### Do Encouraging Word or The Blessing Devotional have ads?

Neither Encouraging Word nor The Blessing Devotional shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Encouraging Word or The Blessing Devotional?

Encouraging Word ships an update every 6 months, and The Blessing Devotional every 2 months. Most recently, Encouraging Word was updated on November 11, 2026 and The Blessing Devotional on November 2, 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.*