Comparison

Universalis vs Inner Monk

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 daily Catholic Mass readings and the Liturgy of the Hours. It offers offline access to prayers, saints' biographies, and commentaries, with customizable display options and optional spoken audio add-ons.

Highlights
  • Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office)
  • Daily Mass readings and prayers
  • Offline access
  • Customizable display (fonts, themes)
  • Saints' biographies and reflections
  • Optional spoken audio add-on
  • Latin and English options
Features
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

Inner Monk

This app helps you establish a daily prayer routine with morning and evening prayers composed by monks. It tracks your progress, offers text-to-speech for prayers, and provides access to monastery news, podcasts, and live streams.

Highlights
  • Morning and evening prayers
  • Prayer progress tracking
  • Text-to-speech prayer reader
  • Access to monastery news and events
  • Live Mass and Vespers streams
  • Prayer request submission
Features
Read full description

At Saint Meinrad Archabbey, we believe all Christians have an "inner monk": the part of each of us that wants to develop a deep, intense and personal relationship with God. Inner Monk offers a simple rhythm for that life, created by the Benedictine monks of Saint Meinrad in southern Indiana. MORNING AND EVENING PRAYER A new prayer for every morning and every evening of the year, written by the monks of Saint Meinrad. The app knows the time of day and opens to the prayer you need. THE RULE OF ST. BENEDICT A short daily reading from the Rule, following the traditional Benedictine practice of reading the whole Rule three times each year. GUIDED LECTIO DIVINA Pray with Scripture step by step through the ancient practice of lectio divina: reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation. LIVE FROM THE ARCHABBEY CHURCH Join the monastic community in prayer through live streams from the Archabbey Church of Our Lady of Einsiedeln. A GENTLE HABIT Create a free account to keep a history of your prayers, save favorites, and set optional morning and evening reminders on your phone. Quiet milestones mark your faithfulness along the way. They never count missed days against you, and you can turn them off entirely. NEWS FROM SAINT MEINRAD Stay connected with news, events, the podcast and the blog from Saint Meinrad Archabbey. Inner Monk is free, with no ads.

Screenshots

Universalis4 screens
Inner Monk4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Inner Monk at Free against Universalis's $9.99. Inner Monk also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 11). Universalis's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 38 months) and rating (4.9 vs 4.5). On ads, 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Universalis holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Universalis has 9.7K ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of Universalis's written reviews are positive against 75% of Inner Monk's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Universalis ships an update every 3 weeks, Inner Monk every 38 months. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Universalis versus Inner Monk: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUniversalisInner Monk
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (9.7K ratings) — better4.5 (15 ratings)
Positive reviews94.3% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings9.7K — better15
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 38 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#6 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size78 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUniversalis PublishingAbbey Press Publications

Customer experience

Universalis

All ratings9,729 ratings
Positive98.5%
Neutral0.6%
Negative0.9%
Written reviews653 reviews
Positive94.3%
Neutral3.1%
Negative2.6%

Inner Monk

All ratings15 ratings
Positive86.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Inner Monk

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

Inner Monk

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Universalis free?
Universalis costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Inner Monk free?
Inner Monk is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Universalis or Inner Monk?
Universalis is rated higher. Universalis averages 4.9 out of 5 from 9.7K ratings, while Inner Monk averages 4.5 from 15 ratings.
Do Universalis or Inner Monk have ads?
Neither Universalis nor Inner Monk shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Universalis or Inner Monk?
Universalis ships an update every 3 weeks, and Inner Monk every 38 months. Most recently, Universalis was updated on October 31, 2026 and Inner Monk on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons