Comparison

The Better Part vs Ignatius Press

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

"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/

About

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.

Highlights
  • Vast eBook library
  • Over 100 audiobooks
  • Catholic films and documentaries
  • Weekly podcasts
  • Monthly free content offers
  • Shop on Ignatius.com
Features
Read full description

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.

Screenshots

The Better Part4 screens
Ignatius Press4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
The Better Part versus Ignatius Press: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Better PartIgnatius Press
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better3.7 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews—40.0% of reviews
Number of ratings17 — better
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 5 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB49 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperSophia InstituteIgnatius + Lighthouse Partnership

Customer experience

The Better Part

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Ignatius Press

All ratings7 ratings
Positive71.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative28.6%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

The Better Part

Subscriptions1
  • Annual Premium$9.991 Year
None

Ignatius Press

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Better Part free?
The Better Part is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ignatius Press free?
Ignatius Press is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Better Part or Ignatius Press?
The Better Part is rated higher. The Better Part averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Ignatius Press averages 3.7 from 7 ratings.
Do The Better Part or Ignatius Press have ads?
The Better Part shows ads; Ignatius Press does not.
Which is updated more often, The Better Part or Ignatius Press?
The Better Part ships an update monthly, and Ignatius Press every 5 months. Most recently, The Better Part was updated on September 7, 2026 and Ignatius Press on September 17, 2026.

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