Comparison

Universalis vs Square Note

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

Head to head
About

Universalis

This app provides the Liturgy of the Hours and Mass readings for every day, along with additional spiritual content. It offers offline access, customizable display options, and optional spoken audio. It's designed for daily prayer and spiritual enrichment.

Highlights
  • Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office)
  • Daily Mass readings and prayers
  • Offline access
  • Customizable display (fonts, themes)
  • Spiritual reading and commentaries
  • Optional spoken audio add-on
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Universalis is a missal and a breviary, and more besides. It gives you the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) and the Mass for every day; plus valuable additional material. Tens of thousands of people use Universalis daily. Come and join them! • Single purchase: the app lasts for ever. It does not need a subscription to make it work. • No Internet needed: everything you need is already built in. • No cleverness needed: each day, Universalis works out exactly what you need to see. • View any date: past, present and future. • Use your own local calendar: USA, Canada, Singapore, Ireland, and every diocese in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. • Easy to read and use: a choice of fonts; big or small type; dark or light theme; page-turning or scrolling. • Optional add-on: spoken audio read by real human beings (this needs a subscription: see below). • Latin if you want it: by itself or alongside the English. • Help and support: tips and instructions are included; or press “Contact Us” to send us a message, and we will reply. EXTRA MATERIAL • The “About Today” page tells you what saints are being celebrated today, worldwide. It includes reflections, biographies and illustrations. • “Mass Today” gives you the Order of Mass and today’s readings and prayers, all in one page. Bishops have been known to use it to say Mass from their iPads! • “Spiritual Reading” gathers the patristic and hagiographic readings for all the saints and feasts of the day. • “The Rosary” has a verse of Scripture for every Hail Mary of every Mystery. Spoken audio is included. • Daily Books takes selected spiritual classics and presents them in daily instalments to focus and enrich your prayer life. • Commentaries on the day’s Mass readings from a leading biblical scholar. And more – Home Screen widgets; liturgical events for your iOS calendar; daily email service; copy and paste into other apps; reminders and alarms; Mass readings on your Apple Watch. LITURGY OF THE HOURS (Divine Office) The complete official Liturgy of the Hours of the Catholic Church, as used worldwide. Morning (Lauds), daytime (Terce, Sext and None), evening (Vespers), night (Compline) and the deeply reflective Office of Readings. Do as many or as few of them as you like. • The psalms and canticles match the official English and American books. Scripture readings – United States: RSV. Elsewhere: Jerusalem Bible (with RSV as an optional add-on). READINGS AT MASS The exact prayers and readings at Mass for each day. • England, Wales, Scotland: the official ESV version. • United States: the official NAB version. • Elsewhere: Jerusalem Bible readings and Grail psalms, as used at Mass in most of the English-speaking world. OPTIONAL ADD-ON AUDIO (in-app purchase required) Just press the button and listen! If you want to see what you are hearing, the text is highlighted to follow the sound. After an initial download, no Internet is required. Works with CarPlay too. • Spoken English Liturgy of the Hours: every Hour of every day of every year. Monthly or annual subscription. • Spoken English Mass Readings: First and Second Reading and the Gospel. Jerusalem Bible translation only. Monthly or annual subscription. (You can listen to a sample before subscribing. Following App Store rules, subscriptions renew automatically but you can cancel auto-renewal at any time.) • Sung Latin Compline (Night Prayer): by the boys of the Schola Cantorum of the London Oratory School. Single purchase. -- Privacy policy and terms of service: universalis.com/n-ios-privacy.htm

About

Square Note

Access a vast library of Gregorian Chant scores with over 800 unique chants. Learn to read square note notation and hear melodies with adjustable speed and pitch. Ideal for choirs, scholas, or personal study.

Highlights
  • Extensive library of Gregorian Chant scores
  • Learn square note notation
  • Adjustable melody playback (speed, pitch)
  • Customizable chant viewing settings
  • Bookmark favorite chants
  • Search by name or full text
  • Includes Mass Propers, Commons, and Kyriale
Features
Read full description

Gregorian Chant for the Masses! Square Note puts a huge library of Gregorian Chant scores—over 800 unique chants and counting—right at your fingertips. Always wanted to learn how to read square note notation? Always wanted to have the amazing Gregorian Chants of the Catholic Church on your iPhone and iPad? Square Note brings the ancient music of the Church to your mobile devices, ready for you to utilize in your schola, your choir, or your home. * Beautifully rendered chant that automatically formats itself to fit nicely on your screen. * Hear the melodies of the chants, adjusting speed and pitch, to learn how the chants are sung. * Easily adjust chant viewing settings, including zooming in, zooming out, and toggling certain chant markings. * Bookmark your favorite chants or the ones you'll be practicing in your schola. * Search and find chants by name or even by searching through the full text of the chant. * Automatically include Gloria Patri paradigms to your Introit and Communion antiphons. CURRENT CHANTS: Mass Propers for the Proper of Seasons (Ordinary Form and Extraordinary Form); some propers for major Feasts and Solemnities; most commons for both the OF and EF; Latin Kyriale, including all traditional 18 Masses and 6 Creeds; some Marian antiphons (simple and solemn forms) and a smattering of other antiphons and hymns. More chants to come--let us know what you'd like to see included!

Screenshots

Universalis4 screens
Square Note4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Square Note at Free against Universalis's $9.99. Square Note also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 11) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). Universalis's advantage is ratings volume (9.7K vs 70) and rating (4.9 vs 4.7). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads 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

Square Note is free to download; Universalis costs $9.99 up front. Universalis sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Square Note asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Universalis holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Universalis has 9.7K ratings behind it against 70, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of Universalis's written reviews are positive against 93% of Square Note's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Universalis ships an update every 3 weeks, Square Note every 4 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Universalis versus Square Note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUniversalisSquare Note
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (9.7K ratings) — better4.7 (70 ratings)
Positive reviews94.6% of reviews — better92.6% of reviews
Number of ratings9.7K — better70
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#9 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size78 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUniversalis PublishingOblates of St. Joseph

Customer experience

Universalis

All ratings9,680 ratings
Positive98.5%
Neutral0.6%
Negative0.9%
Written reviews649 reviews
Positive94.6%
Neutral2.9%
Negative2.5%

Square Note

All ratings67 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral6.0%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews54 reviews
Positive92.6%
Neutral5.6%
Negative1.9%

User reviews

Universalis

From 9.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🙏 Wonderful Catholic app
  • 🙌 Great app for Catholic devotions
  • 📚 This is a wonderful app for the laity
  • 🙏 Excellent resource for Mass and Liturgy of the Hours
  • 🌟 Comprehensive and easy to use

Room to improve

  • 🤔 Hymns selection could be improved
  • 🤔 Navigation can be confusing
  • 🤔 Kenyan version text does not match book
  • 🤔 Difficult to navigate, missing menu buttons

Square Note

From 70 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 User-friendly interface
  • 🎶 Great for learning chant
  • 🎵 Excellent for choir practice
  • 💡 Helpful for beginners
  • ✨ Beautifully laid out

Room to improve

  • ❓ Playback issues on iPhone
  • 🎵 Missing punctuation on notes
  • 🎵 Some chants are missing
  • 🎵 Missing Epiphany season
  • 🎵 Missing traditional nuptial propers

Bugs and requests

Universalis

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Gospel readings sometimes incorrect
  • App crashes when trying to change hymns or readings

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add Salesian saints and young saints
  • Include NAB translation for US users
  • Add option for 1962 liturgical calendar
  • Improve hymn selection, especially for seasons
  • Implement more inclusive language in prayers

Square Note

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Cannot get music to play on iPhone
  • Playback won't work after iOS 14 update
  • Sundays of paschaltide enumerated differently in OF & EF

Requested features

25 requests
  • Add liturgical calendar for 1962 missal
  • Add traditional nuptial propers (deus Israel)
  • Include psalm tones for singing psalms
  • Add common chants of the Divine Office
  • Add different tones of the Te Lucis hymn
Show 20 more
  • Add the antiennes des Vêpres
  • Include parts of the Divine office (e.g., compline)
  • Add the Exultet
  • Add chants from the breviary (Roman Breviary hymns)
  • Add Mass XVIIII and Feast of All Saints Introit, Gradual, Alleluia, Offertory, Communion
  • Add the Benedicamus Domino for Masses
  • Separate Marian antiphons from other Marian chants
  • Add a keyboard for playing notes
  • Add the Jubilate Deo sequence (beginners compilation)
  • Provide alternate chant sounds
  • Allow transposition into other octaves
  • Include English translations of each chant
  • Add sung chants, not just notes
  • Offer a crisper sound option for chant tone
  • Provide a choice of different types of chant tones
  • Add notation for punctums or scalici
  • Add notation for the Exultet
  • Add notation for breviary hymns
  • Add notation for Mass XVIIII and Feast of All Saints
  • Add notation for Benedicamus Domino

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Universalis

Subscriptions6
  • Daily Mass Readings1 Month trial$1.991 Month
  • Daytime Hours1 Month trial$2.991 Month
  • All Hours1 Month trial$2.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Daily Mass Readings1 Month trial$19.991 Year
  • Daytime Hours1 Month trial$29.991 Year
  • All Hours1 Month trial$29.991 Year
One-time4
  • Add-on translation: RSV Hours$1.99
  • Sung Latin Compline$3.99
  • Revelations of Divine Love$5.99
Show 1 more
  • Journey into Light$5.99
None

Square Note

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Universalis free?
Universalis costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Square Note free?
Square Note is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Universalis or Square Note?
Universalis is rated higher. Universalis averages 4.9 out of 5 from 9.7K ratings, while Square Note averages 4.7 from 70 ratings.
Do Universalis or Square Note have ads?
Neither Universalis nor Square Note shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Universalis or Square Note?
Universalis ships an update every 3 weeks, and Square Note every 4 weeks. Most recently, Universalis was updated on October 24, 2026 and Square Note on October 24, 2026.

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