Comparison

Catholic Encyclopedia vs Catholic Answers

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

Head to head
About

Catholic Encyclopedia

Access a comprehensive Catholic Encyclopedia with over 16,000 articles optimized for mobile. Enjoy offline access, intuitive navigation, and powerful search capabilities to explore religious, historical, and geographical topics.

Highlights
  • Offline access to 16,000+ articles
  • Intuitive user interface
  • Enhanced search functionality
  • Alphabetical article listing
  • Bookmarks for favorite articles
  • Adjustable font size
  • Interlinking for cross-referencing
Features
Read full description

This app brings you the famous Catholic Encyclopedia book with an optimization for mobile devices. More than 16 000 articles are accessible through a very simple and intuitive user interface. After installation no Internet connection is required and all readings are available offline. The original Catholic Encyclopedia contains various important information about the history, geography and religion topics. The encyclopedia is highly appreciated and recommended by the experts and general public. The work with the app is very easy. You can list all articles alphabetically or use our enhanced search feature to find only articles what you are interested in. What our customers are saying: "This app helps me so much when I'm reading the Bible. Its such a great reference tool. Every Catholic should own this app." - Tansey214, USA "So much great info in this app. Well worth the very humble price" - Fusionarts, USA "Interface is easy to use, tons of information inside. Searching for specific information is really easy a very solid app." - Jopesta, USA The application features: - Offline access - no Internet connection is needed - Search ability - simply find the topic what you are interested in - Bookmarks - mark your favorite articles - Accessibility - font size selection - Interlinks - easy and smart cross reference among the articles Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Catholic Answers

Access comprehensive Catholic teachings, articles, and Q&As in a user-friendly interface. Stream or download audio and video content, and engage with popular Catholic apologetics podcasts. This app helps users deepen their understanding and confidence in explaining and defending the Catholic faith.

Highlights
  • Stream and download audio/video
  • Searchable articles and Q&As
  • Catholic apologetics podcasts
  • Offline playback
  • Content saving and tagging
  • Live call-in for radio show
Features
Read full description

Explore the fullness of the Catholic faith, all in one place. The Catholic Answers app is your trusted source for sound Catholic teaching, wherever you are. And now, it’s better than ever. New: • Brand new design, easier to use audio and video for a richer media experience. • Additional content from Catholic.com, Q&As and articles, fully integrated and searchable. • Create Account to save progress, previously viewed. You’ll also enjoy the best podcasts in Catholic apologetics and evangelization: • Catholic Answers Live • The Counsel of Trent • Shameless Popery • The Jimmy Akin Podcast • The Cy Kellett Show • Daily Defense Podcast App features include: • Stream audio and video, or download audio for offline access • Search by guest, topic, or keyword • Call in live during Catholic Answers Live • Bluetooth support • Playback speed control • Stay up to date with upcoming topics and guests • Favorite & tag your content Whether you’re a lifelong Catholic or just curious, the Catholic Answers app helps you grow in knowledge, clarity, and confidence—so you can explain and defend the faith with love.

Screenshots

Catholic Encyclopedia4 screens
Catholic Answers4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Catholic Answers at none against Catholic Encyclopedia's 1. Catholic Answers also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (86% vs 64%). Catholic Encyclopedia's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.1). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Catholic Encyclopedia sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.49 per 7 days. Catholic Answers asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Catholic Answers holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Catholic Answers has 2.3K ratings behind it against 52, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Catholic Encyclopedia's written reviews are positive against 86% of Catholic Answers's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Catholic Encyclopedia ships an update every 3 months, Catholic Answers monthly. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Catholic Encyclopedia versus Catholic Answers: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCatholic EncyclopediaCatholic Answers
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (52 ratings)4.9 (2.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.6% of reviews86.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings522.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size220 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMartin VcelakCatholic Answers

Customer experience

Catholic Encyclopedia

All ratings52 ratings
Positive86.5%
Neutral5.8%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive63.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative36.4%

Catholic Answers

All ratings2,256 ratings
Positive97.7%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews107 reviews
Positive86.0%
Neutral3.7%
Negative10.3%

Bugs and requests

Catholic Encyclopedia

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Catholic Answers

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashing on iOS 14 update
  • Inability to delete downloaded episodes
  • Inconsistent behavior when sorting by date
  • App not working on some devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add Bible Navigator feature
  • Ability to view articles like website
  • Improved search and filtering options
  • Better download management and deletion
  • CarPlay support

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Catholic Encyclopedia

Subscriptions1
  • Encyclopedia Subscription3 Days trial$0.497 Days
None

Catholic Answers

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Catholic Encyclopedia free?
Catholic Encyclopedia is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Catholic Answers free?
Catholic Answers is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Catholic Encyclopedia or Catholic Answers?
Catholic Answers is rated higher. Catholic Encyclopedia averages 4.5 out of 5 from 52 ratings, while Catholic Answers averages 4.9 from 2.3K ratings.
Do Catholic Encyclopedia or Catholic Answers have ads?
Neither Catholic Encyclopedia nor Catholic Answers shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Catholic Encyclopedia or Catholic Answers?
Catholic Encyclopedia ships an update every 3 months, and Catholic Answers monthly. Most recently, Catholic Encyclopedia was updated on November 1, 2026 and Catholic Answers on November 1, 2026.

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