# Kol Yaakob vs ArtScroll Digital Library

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Kol Yaakob at none against ArtScroll Digital Library's 23. Kol Yaakob also leads on rating (4.3 vs 3.9). ArtScroll Digital Library's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.6). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ArtScroll Digital Library sells 23 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Kol Yaakob asks for nothing beyond the download.

Kol Yaakob holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 115 and 144 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Kol Yaakob's written reviews are positive against 57% of ArtScroll Digital Library's.

Kol Yaakob ships an update every 3 months, ArtScroll Digital Library every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Kol Yaakob | ArtScroll Digital Library |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (115 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kol-yaakob/id405278063/reviews)** | [3.9 (144 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/artscroll-digital-library/id536661409/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 115 | **144** |
| Positive reviews | **63.8% of reviews** | 56.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 11 MB | 108 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sephardic Heritage Foundation Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/405278066) | [ArtScroll Mesorah Publications](https://appshunter.io/developer/536661412) |

## What reviewers say

### Kol Yaakob

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kol-yaakob/id405278063)

This app provides an official Sephardic daily Siddur based on Syrian customs. It includes a full table of contents with prayers for the entire year, weekdays, holidays, and special occasions. Features GPS location services to orient prayer direction and display sunrise/sunset times.

**Highlights:** Official Sephardic Siddur, GPS prayer orientation, Sunrise & sunset times, Full table of contents, Prayers for all occasions, Aleppo, Syria customs

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app for Sephardim
- 👍 Useful for travel
- 👍 Daily use
- 👍 Community service
- 👍 Familiar layout

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashing frequently
- 🐛 New UI not user-friendly
- 🐛 Old UI was better
- 🐛 Losing place after swipe
- 🐛 Text too small

**Reported bugs**

- New update crashes
- New update loses place
- Bookmark issues
- Added pages not available
- Missing words in birchat hamazon

**Requested features**

- Add Tehilim
- Open amida at designated time
- Use microphone for live cursor
- Add tefillah times
- List of shuls and prayer times


### ArtScroll Digital Library

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/artscroll-digital-library/id536661409)

Access a vast digital library of religious texts, including Talmud, Chumashim, Mishnah, and Siddurim. Features like page-syncing, floating translations, and customizable views enhance your study and prayer experience. Offline access and flexible purchasing options are available.

**Highlights:** Offline access, Page-syncing, Floating translation, Split screen view, Customizable popovers, Interactive commentaries, Resizable text

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

**In-app purchases (23)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Schottenstein Talmud Digital English Monthly Daf Yomi Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Complete Digital Library | $9.99 | per month |
| All Library Yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| RustyBrick Siddur to ArtScroll Smart Siddur Upgrade | $1.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #15 Succah 1 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #64 Chullin 4 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #63 Chullin 3 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #62 Chullin 2 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #61 Chullin 1 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #57 Zevachim 3 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #56 Zevachim 2 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #22 Chagigah Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #55 Zevachim 1 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #53 Avodah Zarah 2 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #51 Shevuos Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #02 Berachos 2 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #03 Shabbos 1 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #20 Megillah Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #41 Bava Metzia 1 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #01 Berachos 1 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Tanach - Edition | $9.99 | one-time |
| ArtScroll Smart Siddur Wasserman Edition | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #44 Bava Basra 1 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 📚 Comprehensive digital library with extensive content
- 🔗 Useful hyperlinks and cross-references for studying
- 💡 Innovative popup features for translations and footnotes
- 🎯 Helpful highlighting and note-taking capabilities
- 🔍 Powerful search functionality across texts

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐢 Extremely slow performance and loading times
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and app instability
- 😤 Clunky, outdated user interface design
- 🎯 Easy to accidentally click wrong elements
- ❌ No PC/desktop application available

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on startup
- Password authentication not working despite correct credentials
- App crashes when accessing store
- Crashes in airplane mode
- Crashes when using table of contents links

**Requested features**

- Complete app redesign with modern, minimalistic interface
- Desktop/PC application version
- Faster performance optimization
- One-time purchase option instead of subscription only
- Discount for users who own physical copies


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Kol Yaakob free?

Kol Yaakob is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ArtScroll Digital Library free?

ArtScroll Digital Library is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Kol Yaakob or ArtScroll Digital Library?

Kol Yaakob is rated higher. Kol Yaakob averages 4.3 out of 5 from 115 ratings, while ArtScroll Digital Library averages 3.9 from 144 ratings.

### Do Kol Yaakob or ArtScroll Digital Library have ads?

Neither Kol Yaakob nor ArtScroll Digital Library shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Kol Yaakob or ArtScroll Digital Library?

Kol Yaakob ships an update every 3 months, and ArtScroll Digital Library every 3 weeks. Most recently, Kol Yaakob was updated on September 18, 2026 and ArtScroll Digital Library on September 21, 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.*