The Better Part vs Ignatius Press
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Better Part
This app offers a Christ-centered resource for personal prayer and Christian meditation, drawing from the four Gospels. It provides commentaries, reflection questions, and guidance for daily spiritual growth. Designed to help users integrate faith into busy lives, it serves as a companion for deepening one's relationship with Christ.
- Christ-centered meditation guide
- Full text of the four Gospels
- Commentaries on Christ's roles
- Personal reflection questions
- Small group discussion prompts
- Sequential or liturgical calendar options
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"The Better Part: A Christ-Centered Resource for Personal prayer" by Fr. John Bartunek, LC, has already improved thousands of lives in its best-selling book form. Now the same practical and deep help for Christian meditation is available in an app! Fr. Bartunek has created an extensive, Christ-centered resource to serve as a daily meditation companion. It is a Bible study on the four Gospels (included in full), a survey of saints' writings, a guide to prayer, and a fresh introduction to Jesus rolled into one. The Better Part enables us to read, meditate, absorb and apply the Gospels to our lives, and it serves as a catalyst to personalize times of prayer, enabling us to follow the Holy Spirit's lead into holiness. Each Gospel passage includes four commentaries: Christ as Lord, Christ as Teacher, Christ as Friend, and Christ in my Life. Questions for personal reflection and small group discussion are also included. You can choose to go through “The Better Part” sequentially or according to the Liturgical Calendar. We lead tremendously busy lives, with 1,001 things to do. Even so, every saint and renowned spiritual director through the ages has said the same thing: If we desire to become saints, we must spend time daily in meditation. With this App, you can make that happen in a powerful new way. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Ignatius Press
Access a vast library of Catholic eBooks, audiobooks, and films. Enjoy free weekly podcasts and monthly content offers. Purchase digital titles from the website to read, listen, or watch within the app.
- Vast eBook library
- Over 100 audiobooks
- Catholic films and documentaries
- Weekly podcasts
- Monthly free content offers
- Shop on Ignatius.com
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Now you can easily read or listen to wonderful books and stream faithful Catholic films, all in the same place! Add titles to your library by shopping on Ignatius.com and then dive into them on the app. KEY FEATURES – Free Content: Enjoy our weekly podcasts and monthly offers of free access to some of our audiobooks, eBooks, and video content. – Over 1,000 eBooks: Experience our vast library of fiction books, as well as books on ethics, theology, social issues, history, inspirational topics, prayers, saints and sainthood, apologetics, and much more. – Over 100 Audiobooks from our best-selling authors: Get lost in novels from Michael O’Brien and Fiorella DeMaria, as well as a vast array of titles from Pope Benedict XVI, Peter Kreeft, Jesuit Fr.. Robert Spitzer, Abigail Favale, George Weigel, Fr. Michael Schmitz, Cardinal Robert Sarah, G.K. Chesterton, and many more. – Catholic movies and documentaries: Enjoy streaming rentals and streaming purchases from the extensive Ignatius library of high-quality films. Download the Ignatius Press app today and create a free account. No subscription. No credit card. No catch. Enjoy the free content or purchase digital content on Ignatius.com to read, listen, or watch on the app.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: The Better Part at 5.0 against Ignatius Press's 3.7. The Better Part also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 5 months). Ignatius Press's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On price, monetization model, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. The Better Part sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. Ignatius Press asks for nothing beyond the download.
The Better Part holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ignatius Press has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
The Better Part ships an update monthly, Ignatius Press every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Better Part | Ignatius Press |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 3.7 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 40.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 7 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 63 MB | 49 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Sophia Institute | Ignatius + Lighthouse Partnership |
Customer experience
The Better Part
Ignatius Press
In-app purchases
The Better Part
- Annual Premium$9.991 Year
Ignatius Press
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The Better Part free?
Is Ignatius Press free?
Which has better reviews, The Better Part or Ignatius Press?
Do The Better Part or Ignatius Press have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Better Part or Ignatius Press?
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