Comparison

Universalis vs iConfess

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

iConfess

This app guides users through the Sacrament of Confession with detailed examinations of conscience, prayers, and educational resources. It also offers guided Rosary and Litany prayers with professional narration and progress tracking.

Highlights
  • Guided Rosary and Litany with audio narration
  • Comprehensive examination of conscience
  • Collection of Catholic prayers
  • Educational resources on confession
  • Progress tracking for prayers
  • Smart search for examination topics
Features
Read full description

Prepare for a good confession, pray the Rosary, and keep a private record of your spiritual life — all in one calm, beautiful app. Your confession stays between you and God. Everything you write in iConfess is kept only on your device, encrypted. Never uploaded, never shared, never seen by anyone else. No account, no cloud, no tracking, no ads. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • All data stays on your iPhone or iPad, encrypted • Face ID / Touch ID lock, asked when you open the app or return after 30 seconds • Optional app password • Passphrase-protected backup file that you save wherever you choose — iConfess never uploads it • No accounts, no analytics, no tracking EXAMINE YOUR CONSCIENCE • My Focus Areas — the struggles you chose to watch, always first • Daily Examination — a few honest questions for each day, with Confess and Focus buttons • Ten Commandments — a thorough examination, commandment by commandment • Other Examinations — capital sins, precepts of the Church, theological virtues, sins of omission • Add your own in your own words — it goes straight to My list • Personal notes on any question CONFESS • My list gathers everything you want to confess • Step-by-step Guide: what to say and what to expect • Finish confession to log the priest's advice, your penance and resolutions — your list clears itself • Penance reminder with links to the prayers you were given PRAY • Guided Holy Rosary with audio — all four mystery sets, today's mysteries suggested • Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary with audio • Background audio with lock screen controls • Prayers before, during and after confession, and everyday prayers • Favorites at the top for the prayers you bookmark JOURNAL • Confession log with dates, advice and penance • Resolutions — grouped into Working on and Kept • My Notes and Saved prayers and readings LEARN • What confession is, how to go, and how to make a good examination • Clear, faithful explanations of mortal and venial sin DESIGNED FOR YOU • Soft, readable design in light and dark mode • iPad sidebar layout • Works fully offline Free. No ads. Made with love for the faithful. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins." — 1 John 1:9

Screenshots

Universalis4 screens
iConfess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Universalis at 95% against iConfess's 0%. Universalis also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (9.8K vs 1). iConfess's advantage is price (Free vs $9.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Universalis holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Universalis has 9.8K ratings behind it against 1, 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 0% of iConfess's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Universalis ships an update every 3 weeks, iConfess every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Universalis versus iConfess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUniversalisiConfess
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (9.8K ratings) — better3.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews94.5% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings9.8K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#7 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size78 MB50 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperUniversalis PublishingBlueinstinct App Solutions

Customer experience

Universalis

All ratings9,729 ratings
Positive98.5%
Neutral0.6%
Negative0.9%
Written reviews660 reviews
Positive94.5%
Neutral3.0%
Negative2.4%

iConfess

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
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

iConfess

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

iConfess

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Universalis free?
Universalis costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is iConfess free?
iConfess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Universalis or iConfess?
Universalis is rated higher. Universalis averages 4.9 out of 5 from 9.8K ratings, while iConfess averages 3.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Universalis or iConfess have ads?
Neither Universalis nor iConfess shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Universalis or iConfess?
Universalis ships an update every 3 weeks, and iConfess every 3 months. Most recently, Universalis was updated on November 11, 2026 and iConfess on October 30, 2026.

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