Metropolitan Tabernacle vs Return to the Word
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Metropolitan Tabernacle
Access a vast library of sermons from a Reformed Baptist church, available for online and offline playback. Browse by topic or scripture, enjoy live-streaming, and receive notifications. Supports English, Spanish, and Chinese.
- Thousands of sermons
- Online and offline playback
- Browse by topic and scripture
- Live-streaming
- Push notifications
- Multi-language support
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This is the official app for the Metropolitan Tabernacle Reformed Baptist Church, pastored by Dr Peter Masters since 1970. We are dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel of Christ and the Doctrines of Grace. This app provides: A full index of thousands of sermons, with online and offline playback Browsing of our library by topic, Scripture and titles Live-streaming capabilities and push notifications. Multi-language support for English, Spanish and Chinese Information about the Tabernacle, and upcoming services
Return to the Word
Access Bible teachings, podcasts, and writings from Pastor Mark Fontecchio. This ministry app aims to share God's grace through verse-by-verse teaching.
- Bible teaching
- Podcasts
- Videos
- Written ministry
- Verse-by-verse study
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The podcast, video, and writing ministry of Return to the Word features the Bible teaching of Pastor Mark Fontecchio. Advancing the message of God's amazing grace to the world one verse at a time.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Metropolitan Tabernacle at none against Return to the Word's shown. Metropolitan Tabernacle also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 27 months) and ratings volume (79 vs 3). Return to the Word's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, review sentiment 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Metropolitan Tabernacle against 5.0 for Return to the Word. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Metropolitan Tabernacle has 79 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Metropolitan Tabernacle ships an update every 5 weeks, Return to the Word every 27 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.
| Parameter | Metropolitan Tabernacle | Return to the Word |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (79 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 79 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 27 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 53 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Metropolitan Tabernacle | Mark Fontecchio |
Customer experience
Metropolitan Tabernacle
Return to the Word
In-app purchases
Metropolitan Tabernacle
No in-app purchases
Return to the Word
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Metropolitan Tabernacle free?
Is Return to the Word free?
Which has better reviews, Metropolitan Tabernacle or Return to the Word?
Do Metropolitan Tabernacle or Return to the Word have ads?
Which is updated more often, Metropolitan Tabernacle or Return to the Word?
Other comparisons
