# Mary vs Ember

The clearest difference is update cadence: Ember at daily against Mary's every 3 months. Ember also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Mary's advantage is ratings volume (509 vs 2) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

Ember holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mary has 509 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of Mary's written reviews are positive against 100% of Ember's.

Mary ships an update every 3 months, Ember daily. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mary | Ember |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (509 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mary/id483256944/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ember-catholic-daily-prayer/id6794415708/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **509** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 92.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 43 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception](https://appshunter.io/developer/410696369) | [Perry Hampton](https://appshunter.io/developer/1826133992) |

## What reviewers say

### Mary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mary/id483256944)

Explore comprehensive information on the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus. This free app provides resources on her doctrine, devotions like the interactive Rosary, and details on apparitions and pilgrimage sites. Deepen your understanding and devotion to Mary to grow closer to Jesus.

**Highlights:** Interactive Rosary with audio, Marian Dogmas and Titles, Marian Feasts and Prayers, Images and Apparitions of Mary, Pilgrimage Sites information, Information on Marian Fathers

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🙏 Helpful for prayer life
- 🌟 Excellent app for learning about Mary
- 🎨 Beautiful design and visuals
- 🔊 Soothing narration voice

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Audio issues (cutting out, repeating)
- 🔍 Difficulty navigating/tracking progress
- 🔌 Compatibility issues with iOS 11 and newer
- 🔇 Lack of customization options (volume, speed)

**Reported bugs**

- Rosary prayers not proceeding correctly after Luminous Mysteries
- App not compatible with latest iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Add Latin audio/text option for rosary
- Include Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Implement vibration patterns to distinguish rosary mysteries
- Add ability to pause/resume rosary without losing progress


### Ember

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ember-catholic-daily-prayer/id6794415708)

This app offers a minute-long daily prayer rooted in Scripture, with guided breaths and Scripture citations. It also includes the full Rosary, liturgical calendar integration, and customizable prayer reminders. Designed for privacy, it collects no user data and is completely free.

**Highlights:** Minute-long daily Scripture prayer, Full Rosary and decade prayers, Liturgical calendar integration, Home and Lock Screen widgets, Customizable prayer reminders, Private by design, no data collection

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mary free?

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

### Is Ember free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Mary or Ember?

Ember is rated higher. Mary averages 4.7 out of 5 from 509 ratings, while Ember averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Mary or Ember have ads?

Neither Mary nor Ember shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mary or Ember?

Mary ships an update every 3 months, and Ember daily. Most recently, Mary was updated on October 6, 2026 and Ember on October 1, 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.*