Hand Sutra vs Buddha Library
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hand Sutra
Read the Thousand-Hand Sutra in Hanja and Korean. This app offers offline access without requiring registration, making it convenient for all users.
- Hanja and Korean text
- Offline reading
- No registration required
- User-friendly interface
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천수경을 한자독음과 한국어로 읽습니다. 회원가입이 없고 네트워크 없이도 읽을 수 있습니다.
Buddha Library
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Buddha - Your Complete Buddhist Texts Library Immerse yourself in the profound teachings of Buddhism with Buddha, a beautifully designed app that brings ancient wisdom to your fingertips. Whether you're a practitioner, scholar, or simply curious about Buddhist philosophy, this app provides an authentic and comprehensive reading experience. Complete Buddhist Text Collection Access a curated library of essential Buddhist texts, including: • Heart Sutra (心經) - The Heart of Perfect Wisdom • Diamond Sutra (金剛般若波羅蜜經) - Complete 32 chapters with Triple Refuge and Dedication • The Four Noble Truths • The Noble Eightfold Path • Samadhi Water Repentance (慈悲三昧水懺科儀) - Complete liturgy with 9 chapters Bilingual Reading Experience Read each text in multiple formats for deeper understanding: • English translations for clarity • Pinyin transliteration for pronunciation • Traditional Chinese characters for authenticity • Rhythm notation for liturgical texts Powerful Study Tools Enhance your study and practice with built-in features: • Notes - Add personal reflections and insights to any verse • Highlights - Mark important passages with 5 color options (yellow, green, blue, pink, purple) • Bookmarks - Save your favorite chapters for quick access • Reading History - Track your progress and continue where you left off • Search - Find specific verses, chapters, or concepts across all texts Beautiful Reading Experience Enjoy a distraction-free reading environment: • Customizable font sizes for comfortable reading • Dark mode support for evening study • Clean, elegant interface designed for contemplation • Chapter navigation for easy browsing • Verse-by-verse reading with clear formatting Daily Inspiration Start each day with wisdom: • Daily verse feature that rotates through all texts • Quick access to your recent reading • Statistics showing your reading progress Organized Library Browse and discover texts easily: • Categorized by type (Sutra, Teaching, Liturgy) • Search functionality across all content • Chapter listings with verse counts • Author information and descriptions Perfect For: •Buddhist practitioners seeking authentic texts •Students of Buddhist philosophy and religion •Chinese language learners studying Buddhist texts •Anyone interested in mindfulness and wisdom teachings •Meditation practitioners looking for daily inspiration Key Features: Complete Heart Sutra with English, Pinyin, and Chinese Full Diamond Sutra (32 chapters) with bilingual support Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path teachings Complete Samadhi Water Repentance liturgy Personal notes and annotations Multi-color highlighting system Bookmark favorite passages Reading progress tracking Powerful search across all texts Daily verse inspiration Customizable reading settings Dark mode support Offline access to all content Experience the timeless wisdom of Buddhist teachings in a modern, accessible format. Download Buddha today and begin your journey of discovery and practice.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Buddha Library at every 4 days against Hand Sutra's every 3 weeks. Hand Sutra's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Hand Sutra holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively.
Hand Sutra ships an update every 3 weeks, Buddha Library every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hand Sutra | Buddha Library |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (3 ratings) — better | 4.5 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 73.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 131 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Gyuhyeon Jeon | Lyndsay Goldfarb |
In-app purchases
Hand Sutra
No in-app purchases
Buddha Library
No in-app purchases
