Comparison

Mars Hill Audio vs ClassicalU Mobile

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

Head to head
About

Mars Hill Audio

Access a vast library of thoughtful audio content, including interviews with prominent thinkers and in-depth discussions on culture and faith. Stream or download audiobooks, documentaries, and an ongoing audio magazine. Search your library for specific guests and topics.

Highlights
  • Audio magazine subscription
  • Interviews with authors and thinkers
  • Audiobooks and documentaries
  • Searchable audio library
  • Streaming and offline listening
  • Free content archive access
Features
Read full description

THREE DECADES OF THOUGHTFUL AUDIO More than 10 years before the term “podcast” was ever used, MARS HILL AUDIO launched an audio magazine. First distributed on cassette tapes, then CDs, then MP3 downloads, then streaming from a website, the MARS HILL AUDIO Journal can now be enjoyed through our free app. Our principal product is our audio Journal, which has become required listening for those interested in developing a deeper understanding of “contemporary culture and Christian conviction.” Hosted by Ken Myers, the Journal regularly features insightful interviews with authors, critics, artists, and other prominent thinkers. In addition to the Journal, MARS HILL AUDIO produces audiobooks, anthologies, documentaries, and “audio reprints” from magazines and journals. All of this audio content can be streamed through the MHA app, or stored for later listening. The app also lets you search your library of audio products for names of guests and topics. POPULAR GUESTS AND TOPICS • Rebecca DeYoung, on the forgotten vice of vainglory • Nicholas Carr, on automation technologies and us • Joel Salatin, on farming practices that observe the order of Creation • Bishop Robert Barron on God, freedom, faith, reason, and holiness. • Gisela Kreglinger, on the spiritual meaning of wine • R. J. Snell, on how the vice of acedia denies the being of Creation • Dana Gioia, on the life and poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins • Peter Harrison, on the territories of science and religion FREE CONTENT FOR ALL In addition to enabling access to products you’ve purchased, the MHA app delivers regular releases of free content, including material from our 25 year-long archive, specially produced features on timely topics, and complete recordings of our Areopagus Lecture series. HOW YOU CAN JOIN THE CONVERSATION • Download the free MHA app • Sign in with the e-mail address tied to your MHA account (if you don’t have one, you can create one at marshillaudio.org) • Subscribe to the Journal or purchase individual copies and other products • Listen to free content from the app’s home page, or • Browse your library of back issues of the Journal and other products • Start listening. Stop as necessary. Talk with your friends. Repeat. WHAT LISTENERS TELL US “Thanks for the great work on the Journal which my wife and I have enjoyed for years. We like to listen while on road trips and find ourselves frequently pausing the play back to discuss various points. It is awonderful stimulus for conversation.” — D.S., Brainerd, MN, listener since 2004 “The recent segment on Renaissance polyphonic choral music was fantastic.  It opened up a new world for me.” — C.D., Indianapolis, IN, listener since 1997 “This is absolutely indispensable listening for me. I never fail to be stretched in my thinking and understanding of the issues discussed. It has been sheer pleasure to listen in on the conversations Ken has with his guests and be drawn into a world of thoughts, ideas, and issues that I would otherwise have never thought about, much less thought about well.” S.K., Canton, GA, listener since 2006 “As an undergraduate student, I welcomed each new episode of the Mars Hill Audio Journal like the discovery of a lost civilization; each issue revealing new voices and conversations to me from wise men and women I didn't know existed before. I've listened and re-listened to many of these conversations in the years since graduation and have come to count many of the Journal's guests as inspirations and guides.” — B.W., Fullerton, CA, listener since 2007

About

ClassicalU Mobile

Access your enrolled courses, discover new ones, and watch video lectures on the go. Download lessons for offline viewing and track your progress towards certificates. This app complements the classicalu.com learning platform.

Highlights
  • Access enrolled courses
  • Discover and browse courses
  • Watch video lectures
  • Offline lesson downloads
  • Track progress and earn credit
  • View and download certificates
Features
Read full description

ClassicalU Mobile brings your ClassicalU learning experience to iPhone. Sign in with your ClassicalU account to access the courses you’re enrolled in, wherever you are. WHAT YOU CAN DO • My Learning — see enrolled courses and pick up where you left off • Browse — discover courses, filter by track or subject, and view course details • Lesson player — watch video lectures, read lesson content, and open PDF attachments • Offline downloads — save eligible lesson videos for viewing without an internet connection • Just Watching — move through course videos in a simpler, video-first mode with optional autoplay • Earn Credit — complete required lessons, quizzes, CEUs, and certificate progress • Quizzes — complete lesson and course assessments in the app • Progress — your completion syncs with your ClassicalU account • Certificates — view and download certificates you’ve earned • Profile — update your profile and switch between light and dark appearance FOR CLASSICALU SUBSCRIBERS This app is a companion to classicalu.com. An active ClassicalU subscription is required. Subscription purchase and account billing are managed on the website, not in the app. ClassicalU offers professional development for classical educators from trusted presenters. Take your training with you on mobile.

Screenshots

Mars Hill Audio4 screens
ClassicalU Mobile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ClassicalU Mobile at every 6 days against Mars Hill Audio's every 6 weeks. Mars Hill Audio's advantage is review sentiment (69% vs 50%) and ratings volume (35 vs 5). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Mars Hill Audio against 4.4 for ClassicalU Mobile. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mars Hill Audio has 35 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 69% of Mars Hill Audio's written reviews are positive against 50% of ClassicalU Mobile's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mars Hill Audio ships an update every 6 weeks, ClassicalU Mobile every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Mars Hill Audio versus ClassicalU Mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMars Hill AudioClassicalU Mobile
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (35 ratings)4.4 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews69.2% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings35 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB32 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperMars Hill AudioCLASSICAL ACADEMIC PRESS, LLC

Customer experience

Mars Hill Audio

All ratings35 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral2.9%
Negative11.4%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive69.2%
Neutral7.7%
Negative23.1%

ClassicalU Mobile

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Mars Hill Audio

No in-app purchases

None

ClassicalU Mobile

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mars Hill Audio free?
Mars Hill Audio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ClassicalU Mobile free?
ClassicalU Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Mars Hill Audio or ClassicalU Mobile?
Mars Hill Audio and ClassicalU Mobile are both rated 4.4 out of 5 on the App Store, from 35 and 5 ratings respectively.
Do Mars Hill Audio or ClassicalU Mobile have ads?
Neither Mars Hill Audio nor ClassicalU Mobile shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mars Hill Audio or ClassicalU Mobile?
Mars Hill Audio ships an update every 6 weeks, and ClassicalU Mobile every 6 days. Most recently, Mars Hill Audio was updated on October 17, 2026 and ClassicalU Mobile on October 18, 2026.

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