# Member Tools vs Maker Journal

The clearest difference is price: Member Tools at Free against Maker Journal's $1.99. Maker Journal's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Member Tools is free to download; Maker Journal costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Member Tools ships an update monthly, Maker Journal every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Member Tools | Maker Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | **[4.9 (100K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/member-tools/id391093033/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **100K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 59.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 128 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints](https://appshunter.io/developer/319828224) | [James Armstrong](https://appshunter.io/developer/1840691031) |

## What reviewers say

### Member Tools

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/member-tools/id391093033)

This app helps members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints connect with their local congregations. It offers a directory, event calendars, meetinghouse and temple locators, and tools for leaders to manage membership information and reports. Members can also manage their contact details and access temple resources.

**Highlights:** Ward and stake member directory, Event calendar access, Meetinghouse and temple locator, Membership reports for leaders, Record management for bishops, Temple ordinance schedules, Custom member groups

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Helpful tool
- 👍 Great app when it works
- 💡 Useful for callings

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
- 🔁 Constant sync issues
- 🔒 Login problems
- 💤 Slow and laggy

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when accessing directory
- Sync failures and data not updating
- Blank screens and login issues
- Incompatibility with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Ability to update member information
- Integration with other church apps
- Improved calendar functionality
- Expanded directory access beyond ward/stake


### Maker Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/maker-journal/id6756631515)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Member Tools free?

Member Tools is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Maker Journal free?

Maker Journal costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Member Tools or Maker Journal have ads?

Neither Member Tools nor Maker Journal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Member Tools or Maker Journal?

Member Tools ships an update monthly, and Maker Journal every 3 days. Most recently, Member Tools was updated on October 16, 2026 and Maker Journal on October 8, 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.*