Comparison

The Church App vs Study Gateway

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

The Church App

Stay connected with your church community. Access sermons, resources, and updates directly on your mobile device. Engage with content, manage events, and support ministry.

Highlights
  • Offline sermon downloads
  • Cross-device note-taking
  • Bible reading plans
  • Event registration
  • Secure in-app giving
  • Shareable content
Features
Read full description

Connect to your church and get the latest sermons, resources, updates, and more delivered right to your mobile device. With The Church App, you can easily watch and listen to sermons on-the-go, download media for offline listening, find and register for events, read blog articles, read the Bible, donate to your ministry, take notes in church, and much more. Additionally, you can browse thousands of leading ministries within the app for quick access to gospel-centered content. The Church App® Features: • Download your favorite sermons for offline listening • Take notes and access them across all your devices • Look up Bible passages and follow along with Bible reading plans • Sign up for events • Be the first to receive updates from your church • Easily share content with your friends and family • Fuel the mission of ministries around the globe with quick, secure giving Mobile app version: 6.23.8

About

Study Gateway

Access a vast library of on-demand video Bible studies from renowned Christian teachers and authors. Explore topics like discipleship, healing, and Christian living through engaging video content. This service is available as part of a subscription.

Highlights
  • On-demand video Bible studies
  • World-renowned Bible teachers
  • Thousands of study videos
  • Discipleship and Christian living topics
  • Overcoming and healing content
  • Bible discussion resources
Features
Read full description

Study Gateway is the streaming video Bible study service from Zondervan and Thomas Nelson, featuring the world’s most-trusted Bible teachers, authors and pastors, including Max Lucado, Anne Graham Lotz, Louie Giglio, Rick Warren, Derwin Gray, Lysa TerKeurst, Jennie Allen, Andy Stanley, Chrystal Evans Hurst, John Ortberg, Ann Voskamp, Christine Caine, Jada Edwards, Bob Goff, and Jim Cymbala. Watch thousands of Bible study videos on subjects like discipleship, overcoming and healing, Christian living, and Bible discussion. Get the app as a part of your Study Gateway subscription. Terms of Service: https://watch.studygateway.com/tos Privacy Policy: https://watch.studygateway.com/privacy

Screenshots

The Church App4 screens
Study Gateway4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: The Church App at free against Study Gateway's subscription. The Church App also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). Study Gateway's advantage is review sentiment (76% vs 59%) and ratings volume (967 vs 96). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for The Church App against 4.2 for Study Gateway. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Study Gateway has 967 ratings behind it against 96, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 59% of The Church App's written reviews are positive against 76% of Study Gateway's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Church App ships an update every 2 months, Study Gateway every 5 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
The Church App versus Study Gateway: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Church AppStudy Gateway
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (96 ratings)4.2 (967 ratings) — better
Positive reviews59.1% of reviews75.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings96967 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB68 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSubsplash IncHarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Customer experience

The Church App

All ratings95 ratings
Positive76.8%
Neutral4.2%
Negative18.9%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive59.1%
Neutral4.5%
Negative36.4%

Study Gateway

All ratings900 ratings
Positive77.7%
Neutral2.2%
Negative20.1%
Written reviews295 reviews
Positive75.9%
Neutral2.7%
Negative21.4%

Bugs and requests

The Church App

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Study Gateway

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Unable to access purchased content
  • Login and password issues
  • Compatibility problems on various devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • Improve app stability and user experience
  • Provide better customer service and account management
  • Simplify subscription and cancellation process

In-app purchases

None

The Church App

No in-app purchases

None

Study Gateway

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Church App free?
The Church App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Study Gateway free?
Study Gateway is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Church App or Study Gateway?
Study Gateway is rated higher. The Church App averages 4.1 out of 5 from 96 ratings, while Study Gateway averages 4.2 from 967 ratings.
Do The Church App or Study Gateway have ads?
Neither The Church App nor Study Gateway shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Church App or Study Gateway?
The Church App ships an update every 2 months, and Study Gateway every 5 months. Most recently, The Church App was updated on November 6, 2026 and Study Gateway on November 6, 2026.

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