# Shibari Study vs Fathom

The clearest difference is ads: Shibari Study at none against Fathom's shown. Shibari Study also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Fathom's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Shibari Study sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per month and Fathom sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Shibari Study against 4.8 for Fathom. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 261 and 503 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of Shibari Study's written reviews are positive against 69% of Fathom's.

Shibari Study ships an update monthly, Fathom weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shibari Study | Fathom |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (261 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shibari-study/id1509975994/reviews)** | [4.8 (503 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fathom-learn-philosophy/id6742149252/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 261 | **503** |
| Positive reviews | 63.2% of reviews | **69.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Subscription | Subscription |
| Size | 63 MB | 191 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Shibari Study GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1509975993) | [Polywise, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1437286958) |

## What reviewers say

### Shibari Study

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shibari-study/id1509975994)

Learn rope art from beginner to expert with step-by-step tutorials, live classes, and educational content for solo and partnered tying. Explore intricate patterns and harnesses at your own pace, even offline. Access all content on any device with a subscription.

**Highlights:** Step-by-step tutorials, Weekly streamed classes, Partnered and solo tying content, Offline functionality, Beginner to expert skill levels, Rope harness tutorials

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly subscription | $24.99 | per month |
| Shibari Study App Monthly | $25.00 | per month |
| Shibari Study App Quarterly | $65.00 | per 3 months |
| Shibari Study App Yearly | $214.99 | per year |


### Fathom

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fathom-learn-philosophy/id6742149252)

Explore great thinkers and philosophies with bite-sized lessons. Understand complex ideas with elegant visuals and build a daily habit of learning. Access over 50 learning paths on diverse philosophical topics.

**Highlights:** Daily philosophy habit building, Bite-sized lessons (under 2 minutes), Elegant visual explanations, 50+ learning paths, Save and review insights, Set learning goals

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $6.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly Subscription | $12.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription (no trial) | $49.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription (Premium) | $59.99 | per year |
| Yearly Access Premium No Trial | $59.99 | per year |
| Yearly Sub Premium No Trial | $69.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription Premium | $69.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Engaging and interactive lessons
- 🎨 Visually appealing and informative
- 🧠 Helps develop critical thinking skills
- 🔍 Broad range of philosophical topics covered

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription-based model with limited free trial
- 🤔 Some questions felt leading rather than open-ended
- 🕰️ Lack of flexibility to revisit initial philosopher selections

**Reported bugs**

- Unexpected charges during free trial period
- Potential issues with app functionality and compatibility

**Requested features**

- Option to customize or revisit philosopher selections
- More information about the app's algorithm and learning progression
- Ability to explore a wider range of philosophical perspectives


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shibari Study free?

Shibari Study is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Fathom free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Shibari Study or Fathom?

Shibari Study is rated higher. Shibari Study averages 4.9 out of 5 from 261 ratings, while Fathom averages 4.8 from 503 ratings.

### Do Shibari Study or Fathom have ads?

Fathom shows ads; Shibari Study does not.

### Which is updated more often, Shibari Study or Fathom?

Shibari Study ships an update monthly, and Fathom weekly. Most recently, Shibari Study was updated on October 13, 2026 and Fathom on October 16, 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.*