# Zen Wisdom vs Stoic Thoughts

The clearest difference is rating: Stoic Thoughts at 4.8 against Zen Wisdom's 4.3. Stoic Thoughts also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (592 vs 23). Zen Wisdom's advantage is review sentiment (93% vs 71%). On price, update cadence, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Zen Wisdom sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Stoic Thoughts asks for nothing beyond the download.

Stoic Thoughts holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stoic Thoughts has 592 ratings behind it against 23, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 93% of Zen Wisdom's written reviews are positive against 71% of Stoic Thoughts's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Zen Wisdom ships an update monthly, Stoic Thoughts every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Zen Wisdom | Stoic Thoughts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (23 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zen-wisdom/id414329570/reviews) | **[4.8 (592 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stoic-thoughts/id1529596834/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 23 | **592** |
| Positive reviews | **93.1% of reviews** | 70.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 51 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tom Lewis](https://appshunter.io/developer/413388113) | [Antonio Casero Palmero](https://appshunter.io/developer/532997197) |

## What reviewers say

### Zen Wisdom

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zen-wisdom/id414329570)

Access a vast collection of Zen wisdom quotes on the go. Enjoy daily inspiration, browse randomly, or explore the entire library. Easily share your favorite quotes via email and social media, and save them for later.

**Highlights:** Daily quotes, Random quote browsing, Full quote collection, Favorite quote saving, Social media sharing, Email sharing

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Zen Wisdom Premium Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Zen Wisdom Premium Annual | $29.99 | per year |
| Zen Wisdom Lifetime | $79.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app
- 👍 Excellent selection of quotes
- 👍 Thought-provoking and inspiring
- 👍 Helpful for daily reflection
- 👍 Simple and easy to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Quotes get stuck on the same daily quote
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or glitches
- 🐛 Some fake or misattributed quotes
- 🔍 Lack of ability to search or navigate through past quotes

**Reported bugs**

- Daily quote getting stuck on the same quote for weeks
- Crashes when trying to share quotes
- Incompatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- More frequent quote updates
- Ability to remove duplicate quotes from favorites
- Search or browse through past quotes
- Sorting options for favorites
- More Confucius, Sun Tzu, and Tao quotes


### Stoic Thoughts

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stoic-thoughts/id1529596834)

Explore the principles of Stoicism to cultivate resilience, happiness, virtue, and wisdom. This app helps you live a more fulfilling life by applying ancient philosophical teachings to modern challenges.

**Highlights:** Explore Stoic philosophy, Cultivate resilience, Enhance happiness, Develop virtue, Increase wisdom

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to read
- 👍 Daily inspiration
- 👍 Attractive backgrounds
- 👍 Readable font
- 👍 Useful and inspiring

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Formatting issues causing quotes to be cut off
- 🐛 App sticking and not changing pages
- 🐛 Needs updating
- 🐛 Cutoffs
- 🐛 No variety of authors

**Reported bugs**

- App stopped working
- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices

**Requested features**

- Random quote option
- Widget or iOS 16 Lock Screen widget
- Option to scroll down on quotes
- Ability to copy or share quotes


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Zen Wisdom free?

Zen Wisdom is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Stoic Thoughts free?

Stoic Thoughts is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Zen Wisdom or Stoic Thoughts?

Stoic Thoughts is rated higher. Zen Wisdom averages 4.3 out of 5 from 23 ratings, while Stoic Thoughts averages 4.8 from 592 ratings.

### Do Zen Wisdom or Stoic Thoughts have ads?

Neither Zen Wisdom nor Stoic Thoughts shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Zen Wisdom or Stoic Thoughts?

Zen Wisdom ships an update monthly, and Stoic Thoughts every 3 weeks. Most recently, Zen Wisdom was updated on October 15, 2026 and Stoic Thoughts on October 16, 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.*