# Universalis vs Holy Rosary

The clearest difference is price: Holy Rosary at Free against Universalis's $9.99. Holy Rosary also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 11) and iOS requirement (9.1 vs 15.6). Universalis's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (9.6K vs 598). On rating, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Universalis against 4.9 for Holy Rosary. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Universalis has 9.6K ratings behind it against 598, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 95% of Universalis's written reviews are positive against 99% of Holy Rosary's.

Universalis ships an update every 3 weeks, Holy Rosary every 5 months. Both last shipped on October 20, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Universalis | Holy Rosary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.9 (9.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/universalis/id284942719/reviews)** | [4.9 (598 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/holy-rosary-scriptural-edition/id976855379/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **9.6K** | 598 |
| Positive reviews | 94.6% of reviews | **98.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#12** | — |
| Size | 78 MB | 67 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **9.1** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Universalis Publishing](https://appshunter.io/developer/284942722) | [Joe Meineke](https://appshunter.io/developer/976855378) |

## What reviewers say

### Universalis

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/universalis/id284942719)

**Currently charting:** #12 Top Paid · Lifestyle (US App Store)

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:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Daily Mass Readings | $1.99 | per month |
| Daytime Hours | $2.99 | per month |
| All Hours | $2.99 | per month |
| Daily Mass Readings | $19.99 | per year |
| Daytime Hours | $29.99 | per year |
| All Hours | $29.99 | per year |
| Add-on translation: RSV Hours | $1.99 | one-time |
| Sung Latin Compline | $3.99 | one-time |
| Revelations of Divine Love | $5.99 | one-time |
| Journey into Light | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🙏 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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- Gospel readings sometimes incorrect
- App crashes when trying to change hymns or readings

**Requested features**

- 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


### Holy Rosary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/holy-rosary-scriptural-edition/id976855379)

This app guides users through praying the Holy Rosary with scriptural passages read before each Hail Mary. It automatically loads the correct mysteries for the day, including seasonal variations for Sundays, and allows manual selection. Audio recordings from Catholic University students enhance the prayer experience.

**Highlights:** Scriptural passages before each Hail Mary, Automatic daily mystery loading, Seasonal mystery selection for Sundays, Manual mystery selection, Audio recordings by Catholic University students, Pray on-the-go functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Meaningful meditation on the mysteries
- 🙏 Helpful for daily prayer routine
- 🎨 Beautiful imagery
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 🎙️ Pleasant and soothing narration

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional technical issues like freezing or jumping back in the prayer
- 🎨 Some users desire more racially inclusive imagery
- 🔍 Difficulty skipping ahead or going to a specific mystery

**Reported bugs**

- Inconsistent wording in some prayers
- Background noise distracting in certain mysteries

**Requested features**

- Add the traditional concluding prayer
- Offer the rosary in additional languages
- Provide an option to display the current bead/decade


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Universalis free?

Universalis costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Holy Rosary free?

Holy Rosary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Universalis or Holy Rosary?

Universalis is rated higher. Universalis averages 4.9 out of 5 from 9.6K ratings, while Holy Rosary averages 4.9 from 598 ratings.

### Do Universalis or Holy Rosary have ads?

Neither Universalis nor Holy Rosary shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Universalis or Holy Rosary?

Universalis ships an update every 3 weeks, and Holy Rosary every 5 months. Most recently, Universalis was updated on October 20, 2026 and Holy Rosary on October 20, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*