Universalis vs electronic Common Prayer
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
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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
electronic Common Prayer
This app offers a digital version of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer for the Episcopal Church, providing access to liturgies, daily offices, and lectionaries. It includes searchable indices for prayers and psalms, with features like bookmarking, sharing, and offline usability. It also offers pastoral care resources for those on the go.
- Interactive 1979 Book of Common Prayer
- Daily Office and Lectionaries
- Searchable Indices (Psalms, Collects, etc.)
- Offline Usability
- Bookmarking and Sharing
- Adjustable Font Size & Dark Mode
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eCP provides everything you need for personal devotion and worship planning in the Episcopal Church. This interactive version of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer includes access to the liturgies, Daily Office, and associated lectionaries used in the Episcopal Church, along with calendars of Propers and Holy Days for all three lectionary cycles and Lesser Feasts and Fasts. Fully searchable indices of the Psalms, Canticles, Collects, Prefaces, and Prayers allow you to find content you are looking for quickly, and new in-app purchases will be added throughout the year. Features: •Quick and easy navigation for all texts •Bookmarking and printing functionality for meaningful passages •Social media and email sharing •Font size adjustability for easy reading •Dark Mode •Offline usability—no internet access required The app can also be an aid in pastoral care when on the road, with resources for Ministration to the Sick or Reconciliation of a Penitent. Download the app today and carry the Book of Common Prayer everywhere you go. A subscription is required to access the app. Additional in-app purchasable content is available in the Library menu. Terms of Use: https://www.cpg.org/global/privacy-policies/terms-and-conditions/ Privacy Policy: https://www.cpg.org/global/about-us/privacy-policies/website-privacy-statement/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Universalis at 95% against electronic Common Prayer's 24%. Universalis also leads on rating (4.9 vs 2.3) and ratings volume (9.4K vs 91). electronic Common Prayer's advantage is price (Free vs $9.99). On update cadence, 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
electronic Common Prayer is free to download; Universalis costs $9.99 up front. Universalis sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and electronic Common Prayer sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Universalis holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Universalis has 9.4K ratings behind it against 91, 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 24% of electronic Common Prayer's.
Universalis ships an update every 3 weeks, electronic Common Prayer every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and July 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Universalis | electronic Common Prayer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.9 (9.4K ratings) — better | 2.3 (91 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 94.6% of reviews — better | 23.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 9.4K — better | 91 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | #4 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 79 MB | 111 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Universalis Publishing | Church Publishing Incorporated (NY) |
Customer experience
Universalis
electronic Common Prayer
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
electronic Common Prayer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
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
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- 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
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- Journey into Light$5.99
electronic Common Prayer
- Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$0.991 Month
- Annual Subscription7 Days trial$9.991 Year
- All My Words Have Holes...$9.99
- Daily Prayer for All Seasons$12.99
- Ordination Rites. . .$12.99
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- Enriching Our Worship 3$18.99
- Enriching Our Worship 1$19.99
- Enriching Our Worship 2$21.99
- 2022 Book of Occasional Ser...$38.99
- Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018$38.99
- Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2024$48.99
Questions
Is Universalis free?
Is electronic Common Prayer free?
Which has better reviews, Universalis or electronic Common Prayer?
Do Universalis or electronic Common Prayer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Universalis or electronic Common Prayer?
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