Comparison

The Upper Room vs Local River Flows

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

The Upper Room

This app provides daily Christian devotions and scripture readings to foster prayer and reflection. It offers two distinct devotional experiences, allowing users to connect with a global community of believers through shared meditations and lectionary-based studies.

Highlights
  • Daily meditations and prayers
  • Scripture readings
  • Audio recordings of devotions
  • Lectionary-based readings
  • Global community connection
  • Author insights and bonus content
Features
Read full description

Join millions of Christians around the world in prayer, reflection, and scripture reading each day. The Upper Room app offers access to two beloved devotional experiences—The Upper Room daily devotional and The Upper Room Disciplines, our year-long lectionary-based devotional. Each subscription can be enjoyed on its own or together in one convenient app. Grow closer to God through daily meditations, scripture readings, prayers, and thoughtful reflections written by believers from around the world. Every day, readers of The Upper Room share in the same story, scripture, and prayer—uniting a global community of faith. And with Disciplines, you can engage the Revised Common Lectionary through weekly themes and daily readings from trusted Christian writers and leaders. With your digital subscriptions, you’ll enjoy: • The Upper Room daily devotional – Daily meditations, prayers, audio recordings, and author insights. • The Upper Room Disciplines – Weekly and daily readings based on the Revised Common Lectionary, plus audio lectio recordings of each week’s Gospel. • Access your devotionals anytime via app, website, or daily email delivery. • Explore author bios, bonus content, and audio reflections to deepen your time with God. Whether you subscribe to one or both devotionals, The Upper Room app helps you stay grounded in prayer and connected to a worldwide community seeking daily life with God.

About

Local River Flows

Access real-time river flow and depth data from USGS stream gauges across the US. View 7-day trends to understand recent river behavior, conditions, and upstream releases. Always prioritize personal safety and environmental awareness.

Highlights
  • USGS stream gauge data
  • Current flow and depth
  • 7-day trend view
  • River behavior analysis
  • Upstream release information
Features
Read full description

This app lets the user pick one or more USGS stream gauges throughout the United States to review the most current flow and depth data. There is also a 7 day trend view which can help recreational users understand recent river behavior, conditions, and upstream releases. NEVER use this app as a safety device. Dams can create hazardous flows and other hazards without warning. Know your surroundings and plan accordingly!!! If you have feature requests or questions, please submit them by email or on our support page. We love adding features, but users should ultimately drive these changes to help create a better product. We are always working to add new features, fix bugs, and create a better experience for our users!

Screenshots

The Upper Room4 screens
Local River Flows3 screens

Verdict

The call

The Upper Room and Local River Flows both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Local River Flows's written reviews are positive against 38% of The Upper Room's. Local River Flows also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 12). The Upper Room's advantage is price (Free vs $1.99) and ratings volume (2.5K vs 4). On rating, update cadence, ads and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

The Upper Room is free to download; Local River Flows costs $1.99 up front. The Upper Room sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Local River Flows asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for The Upper Room against 4.8 for Local River Flows. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Upper Room has 2.5K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 38% of The Upper Room's written reviews are positive against 100% of Local River Flows's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
The Upper Room versus Local River Flows: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Upper RoomLocal River Flows
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.7 (2.5K ratings)4.8 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews37.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.5K — better4
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#150 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUpper Room MinistriesEdward Mitchell

Customer experience

The Upper Room

All ratings2,219 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral1.9%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews111 reviews
Positive37.8%
Neutral7.2%
Negative55.0%

Local River Flows

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

The Upper Room

Reported bugs

40 issues
  • App crashes
  • Login issues after updates
  • Subscription not recognized
  • App does not open
  • Incorrect date display
Show 35 more
  • X button difficult to close
  • App is unreliable
  • Notifications not working
  • App freezes
  • Login screen issues
  • Cannot access content after subscription
  • App closes after opening
  • White screen before crashing
  • Subscription renewal problems
  • App forgets subscription
  • Cannot open any day's devotional
  • Article list missing dates
  • Navigation arrows not functioning
  • Scripture links not working
  • Landscape mode not working
  • App requires account and password
  • App is slow to load
  • App locks sideways on iPad
  • App shows blank pages
  • App requires online access
  • App doesn't remember last read place
  • Icons do not respond
  • Current issue devotional not opening
  • App asks to pay again after subscription
  • No response from technical support
  • Cannot download new issues
  • Email account not associated
  • App not syncing with iTunes purchase
  • App not recognizing subscription
  • Login with Facebook or Apple not working
  • App not working after update
  • App not working for months
  • App not working on iPad
  • App not working on iPhone X
  • App not working on iPhone 5

Requested features

26 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Schedule notification for daily devotion
  • Ability to like or agree with comments
  • Select preferred Bible translation
  • Ability to read in landscape view
Show 21 more
  • Sign in with Apple option
  • Allow user to select Bible translation
  • Ability to read any content in the current magazine
  • Include upcoming devotionals
  • Use questions in the back for group discussion
  • Sync subscription between iTunes and website
  • Ability to read offline
  • Save last read location
  • Access daily verse via link
  • Improve user-friendliness
  • Add Kindle format option
  • Provide date on article listing
  • Improve navigation arrows
  • Fix scripture links
  • Enable landscape viewing
  • Make app free or clearer pricing
  • Allow access to prior downloaded editions
  • Restore lost bookmarks
  • Download issues without Wi-Fi
  • Show date for each article
  • Allow access to current day's devotional automatically

Local River Flows

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

12 purchases

The Upper Room

Subscriptions2
  • Upper Room Daily Devotional$1.991 Month
  • Upper Room Daily Devotional$14.991 Year
One-time10
  • The Upper Room - July/August 2012$2.99
  • The Upper Room - July/August 2013$2.99
  • The Upper Room - September/October 2014$2.99
Show 7 more
  • The Upper Room: 20151130111351$2.99
  • The Upper Room: 20151130111352$2.99
  • The Upper Room: 20151130111353$2.99
  • The Upper Room: 20151130111355$2.99
  • The Upper Room: 20151130111356$2.99
  • The Upper Room - March/April 2013$2.99
  • The Upper Room: 20151130111354$2.99
None

Local River Flows

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Upper Room free?
The Upper Room is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Local River Flows free?
Local River Flows costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Upper Room or Local River Flows?
Local River Flows is rated higher. The Upper Room averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.5K ratings, while Local River Flows averages 4.8 from 4 ratings.
Do The Upper Room or Local River Flows have ads?
Neither The Upper Room nor Local River Flows shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Upper Room or Local River Flows?
The Upper Room ships an update every 2 months, and Local River Flows every 2 months. Most recently, The Upper Room was updated on October 26, 2026 and Local River Flows on October 24, 2026.

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