AskTheRav vs The Alef
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AskTheRav
Get answers to your Jewish Halacha questions from a respected authority. Browse a large database of existing questions or submit your own for a personal response. Access practical guidance on various topics anytime, anywhere.
- Search thousands of Q&As
- Submit your own Halacha question
- Browse by category
- Access answers offline
- Practical Halacha guidance
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AskTheRav is your go-to resource for Jewish Halacha questions answered under the auspices of HaRav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, member of the Crown Heights Beis Din. Browse our growing database of thousands of answered questions across all areas of Halacha, including Shabbos, Kashrus, Tefillah, Yom Tov, Family Purity, and more. Submit your own question and receive a personal response. Features: • Search thousands of Q&As by topic or keyword • Submit your own Halacha question directly • Browse by category or Shulchan Aruch siman • Access answers anytime, anywhere AskTheRav.com has been serving the wider Jewish community with clear, practical Halacha guidance. Now available on iOS for easy access on the go.
The Alef
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The Future is Now The Alef offers curated learning that brings Torah wisdom into focus for a diverse audience. We explore multiple topics related to Moshiach and Geulah through the perspective of the modern learner. These customized weekly 15-minute learning shorts lead to discussions that strengthen community bonds and nurture insightful exploration into fundamental ideas. The complete library of over 70 publications is now available at your fingertips!
Screenshots
Verdict
AskTheRav and The Alef are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
AskTheRav ships an update monthly, The Alef every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AskTheRav | The Alef |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 387 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yosef Braun | Merkos |
In-app purchases
AskTheRav
No in-app purchases
The Alef
No in-app purchases
