OpenDNA vs Fathom
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
OpenDNA
Explore art and philosophy through engaging 5-minute lessons and daily activities. Develop your critical thinking skills by discovering new concepts and recording your insights in a personal notepad.
- 5-minute learning content
- Daily unusual activities
- Personal notepad for discoveries
- Explore Cubism
- Learn about Haiku
- Study light and shade in art
- Investigate Western philosophy
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- Explore art, philosophy, and literature in short, engaging sessions. - Experience artworks at exhibitions and learn more about their stories through the app. Enjoy content on art, philosophy, and literature anytime, anywhere. At OpenDNA Space in Sengawa, Chofu, Tokyo, we regularly present exhibitions, performances, and other events and programs. By combining actual exhibition visits with the app, you can deepen your understanding of the artworks and discover new perspectives. Whether you use the app on its own or together with OpenDNA Space, OpenDNA invites you to encounter art and culture while discovering new questions and perspectives. OpenDNA Space Related Content FUNAKOSHI Katsura Print Exhibition FUNAKOSHI Katsura (1951-2024) was a Japanese sculptor and printmaker. Enjoy looking at the artist’s diverse print works. 5-Minute Art, Philosophy & Literature Happiness in Western Philosophy What is happiness? How can we be happy? Explore these questions alongside Western philosophers from Ancient Greece to the 20th century. Freedom in Western Philosophy What is freedom? How has the idea of freedom changed over time? Discover how Western philosophers have understood and defined freedom since the days of Ancient Greece. Light and Shade in Visual Arts How do artists use light and shade, and what effects do they create? Think about this question through works by Vermeer, Caravaggio, Degas, Monet, and others. East Asian Philosophy and the Origins of Chinese Characters How were Chinese characters, which have been widely used around the world, created? Discover their origins through Chinese history and myths. Wandering through the World of Haiku Haiku are short poems that capture moments of the seasons and everyday life. Enjoy this unique literary form and let your imagination go into the ordinary and extraordinary. Haiku Theatre Experience haiku through familiar everyday scenes. What kind of landscape or story comes to mind when you listen to each poem? New content is added regularly. Part of the content is available in Japanese only.
Fathom
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.
- Daily philosophy habit building
- Bite-sized lessons (under 2 minutes)
- Elegant visual explanations
- 50+ learning paths
- Save and review insights
- Set learning goals
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Fathom is your guide to the world's most great thinkers and philosophies. - Build your foundational knowledge in one of humanity’s original disciplines. From Socrates to Descartes and from Buddhism to Existentialism take the time to truly understand how some of the world’s wisest people think. - Understand complex concepts quickly, with elegant visuals that clarify key ideas and help you stay focused. - Learn on your schedule. Knock out a lesson in two minutes or less, in bite-sized sessions designed to fit into your week no matter what life throws your way. - Set a learning goal and embark on a multi lesson learning paths into specific philosophies and philosophers - Actually refer back to wisdom when you need it most. Save and review the insights and visuals that matter most to you Explore our rapidly expanding catalog, featuring 50+ learning paths such as: -Buddhist Wisdom for Anxious Minds -Socrates and Plato -Aristotle -Hedonism, Cynicism, Stoicism -Utilitarianism and Kantian Ethics -Kant’s Epistemology -Kierkegaard -Feminist Philosophy and Perspectives on Power -Camus ...and much more! -- SUBSCRIPTION PRICING AND TERMS: Fathom offers an auto-renewing yearly subscription and an auto-renewing monthly subscription which allows you full access to all of the content in our catalog for as long as you maintain an active subscription. These prices are for United States customers. Pricing in other countries may vary and actual charges may be converted to your local currency depending on your country. Payment will be charged to the credit card connected to your iTunes account at the time of initial subscription purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current subscription period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period end date, and the cost of the renewal will be listed. You can manage your subscription and auto-renewal can be turned off by going to your Account Settings after the purchase. Read more about our Privacy Policy here: https://tinyurl.com/4a5p4z8b Read more about our Terms of Service here: https://tinyurl.com/xnmcrbvp
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OpenDNA at none against Fathom's 8. OpenDNA also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (95% vs 69%). Fathom's advantage is ratings volume (508 vs 3) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price and device support 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. Fathom sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. OpenDNA asks for nothing beyond the download.
OpenDNA holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Fathom has 508 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of OpenDNA's written reviews are positive against 69% of Fathom's.
OpenDNA ships an update monthly, Fathom weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | OpenDNA | Fathom |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | 4.8 (508 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 95.0% of reviews — better | 69.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 508 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 116 MB | 191 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | OpenDNA Inc. | Polywise, Inc. |
Customer experience
OpenDNA
Fathom
Bugs and requests
OpenDNA
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Fathom
Reported bugs
2 issues- Unexpected charges during free trial period
- Potential issues with app functionality and compatibility
Requested features
3 requests- 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
In-app purchases
OpenDNA
No in-app purchases
Fathom
- Monthly Subscription$6.991 Month
- Premium Monthly Subscription$12.991 Month
- Yearly Subscription (no trial)$49.991 Year
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- Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Yearly Subscription (Premium)7 Days trial$59.991 Year
- Yearly Access Premium No Trial$59.991 Year
- Yearly Sub Premium No Trial$69.991 Year
- Yearly Subscription Premium7 Days trial$69.991 Year









