Comparison

如是我聞(Thus have I heard) vs Sutra

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

Head to head
About

如是我聞(Thus have I heard)

Features
Read full description

Compilation of almost all of the Buddhist Sutras. Chinese text and Pali text Sutras and their translations into many languages are included. Easy to read and make notes.

About

Sutra

Features
Read full description

Sutra — A pocket Tripitaka. An offline, distraction-free reader for the Chinese-Buddhist canon, with text sourced from CBETA (Chinese Buddhist Electronic Texts Association, latest open release), grounded in the Taishō Tripitaka. Translations by Kumārajīva, Xuanzang, Yijing and others — organized for daily reading. ■ 35 scriptures The Dharma-Drum daily-recital selection: Heart Sutra, Diamond Sutra, Amitābha Sutra, Universal Gate of Avalokiteśvara, Samantabhadra's Vows, 42 Sections, Medicine Buddha, Earth Treasury, Śūraṅgama, Perfect Enlightenment … Four major repentance liturgies: Liang Emperor, Threefold Samādhi Water, Great Compassion, Earth Treasury Jeweled, 88 Buddhas, Ten Small Mantras. Oldest-stratum short collections: Dhammapada, Aṭṭhakavagga, Itivuttaka, Saṃyukta-āgama selections (including Pabhassara Sutta, Mahāparinibbāna verse). ■ Four-language parallel reading Four core scriptures carry four reading modes:  Chinese — Classical Chinese translation (Xuanzang, Kumārajīva …)  Sanskrit — IAST + Devanāgarī, the original sound  English — translation, opening the meaning  English→Chinese — modern Mandarin transcribed from the English An in-app "Reading Languages" essay explains why each mode exists. ■ Traditional vertical ↔ modern horizontal One tap to switch. Vertical preserves the handwritten-sutra ritual feel; horizontal suits commuting and night reading. Four font sizes (S/M/L/XL); the size stays put when TTS playback is on. ■ Cinnabar-stamp aesthetic, sprinkled-gold paper Visual identity drawn from Song-Yuan sutra manuscripts: cream cotton-paper texture in light mode, royal navy with sprinkled gold in dark mode. Restrained palette designed to be easy on the eyes during long readings. ■ Recitation TTS Built-in Mandarin voices (Tingting / Meijia / Sinji) read along with you — useful when driving or eyes closed. ■ Six reflective essays  • Textual Strata — what layer of "the Buddha's word" we are reading  • Three Buddhas — the three shapes the Buddha takes in text  • Path of Deification — the five stages from man to god  • "Are all sentient beings originally Buddha?" — tracing the lineage of a Chan koan  • Reading Languages — positioning the four modes  • Sources & Attribution — CBETA license + acknowledgements ■ Reminders Daily passage push at 06:00; 16 major Buddhist holidays (Buddha's bath day, Avalokiteśvara's anniversary, Earth-Treasury Bodhisattva's anniversary …) push at 09:00. Optional integration with the system Reminders app. ■ Privacy Zero data collection. No tracking, no analytics, no upload. The sutra database ships with the app; your reading progress and bookmarks stay on your device. No ads, no IAP, no subscription, free forever. — Sutra text © CBETA (Chinese Buddhist Electronic Texts Association), latest open release. Base: Taishō Tripitaka © Daizo Shuppan K.K. (CBETA holds input and publication permissions). License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 Taiwan — https://www.cbeta.org/copyright.php This app is non-commercial. Sutra texts are unaltered in substance, with CBETA attribution and version noted.

Screenshots

如是我聞(Thus have I heard)4 screens
Sutra4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: 如是我聞(Thus have I heard) at 13.0 against Sutra's 15.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference · 5 level
如是我聞(Thus have I heard) versus Sutra: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter如是我聞(Thus have I heard)Sutra
PriceFreeFree
Update frequency—Every 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZetaSoft Co.ltd.一創系統有限公司

In-app purchases

None

如是我聞(Thus have I heard)

No in-app purchases

None

Sutra

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is 如是我聞(Thus have I heard) free?
如是我聞(Thus have I heard) is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sutra free?
Sutra is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do 如是我聞(Thus have I heard) or Sutra have ads?
Neither 如是我聞(Thus have I heard) nor Sutra shows ads.

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