Tao te Ching Lite vs Friends Library
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tao te Ching Lite
Explore the wisdom of Lao Tzu's Tao te Ching with this app. It offers contemporary translations and allows for linear reading or random selections. Enhance your experience with additional content and emailing features via an in-app purchase.
- Complete odd-numbered passages
- Contemporary translations
- Linear reading mode
- Random reading selections
- Email selections to friends
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The Tao te Ching of Lao Tzu is among the wisest books ever written and one of the greatest gifts ever given to humankind. In the handful of pages that make up the Tao te Ching, there is an answer to each of life’s questions, a solution to every predicament, a balm for any wound. It is less a book than a living, breathing angel. This lite version contains the complete odd-numbered passages. Additional content and emailing feature is available through an In App Purchase. Brian Browne Walker’s contemporary translations of Taoist classics have received high marks for their simplicity, clarity, and accessibility. This beautiful and functional app, which you can read in a linear fashion like a book or receive random readings from, and which allows you to email any selection to a friend with the click of a button, will be a beloved friend for years.
Friends Library
Access a collection of writings from early members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). This app shares Christian texts believed to powerfully illustrate the gospel's soul-transforming impact.
- Early Quaker writings
- Christian texts
- Gospel illustrations
- Soul-transforming power
- Free access
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Friends Library exists to freely share the writings of early members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), believing that no other collection of Christian writings more accurately communicates or powerfully illustrates the soul-transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Friends Library at none against Tao te Ching Lite's 1. Friends Library also leads on review sentiment (86% vs 73%) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 13.0). Tao te Ching Lite's advantage is ratings volume (92 vs 23). On price, rating, update cadence 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. Tao te Ching Lite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Friends Library asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Tao te Ching Lite against 4.9 for Friends Library. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 92 and 23 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 73% of Tao te Ching Lite's written reviews are positive against 86% of Friends Library's.
Tao te Ching Lite ships an update every 4 months, Friends Library every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Tao te Ching Lite | Friends Library |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (92 ratings) | 4.9 (23 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 73.1% of reviews | 85.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 92 — better | 23 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 10.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Brian Walker | Jared Henderson |
Customer experience
Tao te Ching Lite
Friends Library
Bugs and requests
Tao te Ching Lite
Reported bugs
11 issues- Font too small
- Random passage feature removed
- Swiping is hard
- User interface outdated and confusing
- No instructions
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- Not the full text
- Misleading introduction
- Charged unexpectedly
- Horrible translation
- Soliciting to buy more content
- Lite version not in German
Requested features
3 requests- Add German language option
- Include classical texts
- Bilingual (Chinese/English) display
Friends Library
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Tao te Ching Lite
- Tao Te Ching$5.99
Friends Library
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Tao te Ching Lite free?
Is Friends Library free?
Which has better reviews, Tao te Ching Lite or Friends Library?
Do Tao te Ching Lite or Friends Library have ads?
Which is updated more often, Tao te Ching Lite or Friends Library?
Other comparisons
