Universalis vs iCatholicRadio
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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
iCatholicRadio
Access Catholic talk radio and faithful Catholic music in a single application. Explore Scripture, devotionals, Church history, and apologetics. Enjoy live streams and on-demand podcasts featuring international and local affiliate stations, plus a dedicated music stream.
- Catholic talk radio streams
- Catholic music streams
- Live and on-demand content
- Scripture and devotional content
- Church history and apologetics
- English and Spanish streams
- Local affiliate station broadcasts
Read full descriptionHide full description
Catholic talk radio and quality Catholic music –all in one app! ICatholicMusic is now easily accessible within the updated iCatholicRadio app! Tune in and witness the treasures of the Catholic faith. Learn about Scripture, pray along with devotionals and the Mass, delve into Church history and get answers from the top Catholic Apologists on how to give a reason for the Catholic faith. Listen to reverent and faithful Catholic music, from medieval Gregorian chant to today’s newest songs by top Catholic artists -on the go, wherever you go! Listen live to our great shows and music or access podcasts on demand. Choose between our two international streams: 1. iCatholicRadio –English 2. iCatholicRadio –Spanish Our seven local affiliate stations: 3. WLOF -Buffalo, NY 4. WQOM -Boston, MA 5. WHIC -Rochester, NY 6. WTMI -Syracuse, NY 7. WMTQ -Elmira/Corning, NY 8. WMIH -Erie, PA/NE Ohio 9. WQHE -Oil City, PA And our iCatholicMusic stream As featured in Laudate!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: iCatholicRadio at Free against Universalis's $9.99. iCatholicRadio also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 11) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). Universalis's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (9.7K vs 236). On 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
iCatholicRadio is free to download; Universalis costs $9.99 up front. Universalis sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. iCatholicRadio asks for nothing beyond the download.
Universalis holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Universalis has 9.7K ratings behind it against 236, 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 87% of iCatholicRadio's.
Universalis ships an update every 3 weeks, iCatholicRadio every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Universalis | iCatholicRadio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.9 (9.7K ratings) — better | 4.6 (236 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 94.6% of reviews — better | 86.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 9.7K — better | 236 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #6 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 78 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Universalis Publishing | The Station of the Cross Catholic Radio Network |
Customer experience
Universalis
iCatholicRadio
User reviews
Universalis
From 9.7K App Store ratingsWhat 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
iCatholicRadio
From 236 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📻 Comprehensive Catholic radio programming and content
- 👍 User-friendly and easy-to-navigate interface
- 🆓 Free app with no subscription requirements
- 📱 Portable access to Catholic content anytime, anywhere
- 🎙️ High-quality programming with engaging hosts and priests
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes and stops working unexpectedly
- 📡 Audio streaming cuts out or drops connection
- 🔤 Font size too small and difficult to read
- 🎵 No song/artist information displayed during music playback
- 🔄 Navigation issues between live broadcast and podcasts
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
iCatholicRadio
Reported bugs
9 issues- App stops working after extended use or randomly
- Audio playback fails to start or play
- Streaming disconnects during long listening sessions
- App crashes on certain device models (iPhone 5, etc.)
- Live feed unavailable while podcasts still work
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Connection drops when moving between locations
- App deletion on device tap (older iOS versions)
- Buffering and lag issues during playback
- Missing content (prayers, podcasts, rosary removed from app)
Requested features
8 requests- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility
- Song and artist metadata display for music content
- Chromecast support for casting to other devices
- Ability to remember last-played stream on app restart
- Improved commercial break transitions
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Dark mode option for nighttime viewing
- Generic internet radio app compatibility (TuneIn Radio)
- Better time slot allocation for popular shows
In-app purchases
Universalis
- Daily Mass Readings1 Month trial$1.991 Month
- Daytime Hours1 Month trial$2.991 Month
- All Hours1 Month trial$2.991 Month
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Daily Mass Readings1 Month trial$19.991 Year
- Daytime Hours1 Month trial$29.991 Year
- All Hours1 Month trial$29.991 Year
- Add-on translation: RSV Hours$1.99
- Sung Latin Compline$3.99
- Revelations of Divine Love$5.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Journey into Light$5.99
iCatholicRadio
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Universalis free?
Is iCatholicRadio free?
Which has better reviews, Universalis or iCatholicRadio?
Do Universalis or iCatholicRadio have ads?
Which is updated more often, Universalis or iCatholicRadio?
Other comparisons















