# ArtScroll Digital Library vs Shalom

The clearest difference is rating: Shalom at 5.0 against ArtScroll Digital Library's 3.9. Shalom also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 23) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). ArtScroll Digital Library's advantage is ratings volume (147 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Shalom holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArtScroll Digital Library has 147 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

ArtScroll Digital Library ships an update fortnightly, Shalom every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ArtScroll Digital Library | Shalom |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.9 (147 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/artscroll-digital-library/id536661409/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shalom-torah-portion-app/id6778036914/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **147** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 57.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 108 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | [ArtScroll Mesorah Publications](https://appshunter.io/developer/536661412) | [NewCulture Co](https://appshunter.io/developer/6772216529) |

## What reviewers say

### 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, iPhone Duo 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


### Shalom

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shalom-torah-portion-app/id6778036914)

This app provides weekly Torah readings, including Haftarah and Brit Hadashah portions, for a focused and enriching spiritual experience. It offers a clean reading interface with links to external Bible resources and supports traditional annual cycles with customizable translations.

**Highlights:** Weekly Torah readings, Haftarah and Brit Hadashah portions, Distraction-free reading, Links to Sefaria and Bible App, Traditional annual cycle, Customizable translations

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ArtScroll Digital Library free?

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

### Is Shalom free?

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

### Which has better reviews, ArtScroll Digital Library or Shalom?

Shalom is rated higher. ArtScroll Digital Library averages 3.9 out of 5 from 147 ratings, while Shalom averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do ArtScroll Digital Library or Shalom have ads?

Neither ArtScroll Digital Library nor Shalom shows ads.

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

ArtScroll Digital Library ships an update fortnightly, and Shalom every 3 weeks. Most recently, ArtScroll Digital Library was updated on November 1, 2026 and Shalom on October 31, 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.*