# Saint Charbel vs Padre Pio

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Saint Charbel at none against Padre Pio's 1. Saint Charbel also leads on iOS requirement (9.3 vs 11.0). Padre Pio's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (298 vs 25). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Padre Pio sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Saint Charbel asks for nothing beyond the download.

Padre Pio holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Padre Pio has 298 ratings behind it against 25, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 57% of Saint Charbel's written reviews are positive against 55% of Padre Pio's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Saint Charbel ships an update every 2 months, Padre Pio every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Saint Charbel | Padre Pio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/saint-charbel/id597859872/reviews) | **[4.8 (298 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/padre-pio/id1506115568/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 25 | **298** |
| Positive reviews | **57.1% of reviews** | 54.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 28 MB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.3** | 11.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Christophe Gibran](https://appshunter.io/developer/533750335) | [Jose Ignacio Gonzalez Rivera](https://appshunter.io/developer/1453409528) |

## What reviewers say

### Saint Charbel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/saint-charbel/id597859872)

Explore the life and biography of Saint Charbel and learn about the history of the convent where he lived. Submit your prayers directly within the app and read or share prayers from users worldwide. Access a map to the monastery and enjoy devotional content.

**Highlights:** Saint Charbel biography and history, Submit and share prayers, Read global user prayers, Map to Saint Maron Monastery, Devotional music with option to disable, Sunday Gospel readings

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Padre Pio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/padre-pio/id1506115568)

This app provides a guided experience for praying the Novena, Chaplet, and Rosary to Padre Pio. It features auto-playing audio with highlighted text, progress tracking, and customizable reminders to help users establish a daily prayer habit. Users can also save personal prayers with photos.

**Highlights:** Daily Novena prayer with progress tracking, Auto-play audio with highlighted text, Programmable daily prayer reminders, Save personal prayers with photos, Audio player for prayers, Novena completion alerts

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Version - Lifetime Access | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🙏 Powerful prayers and spiritual connection
- 💖 Deeply appreciated for healing and guidance
- ✨ Easy to use and navigate
- 👍 Highly valued app for daily prayers
- 🌟 Offers comfort and a sense of love

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤖 Robotic and unnatural computer voice
- 💰 Paid features inaccessible or disappointing
- 💸 Users feel ripped off by premium version
- 💻 App not optimized for larger screens (iPad)
- 🤏 Tiny font size, difficult to read

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes frequently
- Lost progress after crashes
- Paid premium features not unlocked

**Requested features**

- Human voice for prayers
- Option to change voice
- Improve font size and readability
- Better functionality for upgraded version
- Vertical orientation optimization for tablets


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Saint Charbel free?

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

### Is Padre Pio free?

Padre Pio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Saint Charbel or Padre Pio?

Padre Pio is rated higher. Saint Charbel averages 4.4 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while Padre Pio averages 4.8 from 298 ratings.

### Do Saint Charbel or Padre Pio have ads?

Neither Saint Charbel nor Padre Pio shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Saint Charbel or Padre Pio?

Saint Charbel ships an update every 2 months, and Padre Pio every 3 months. Most recently, Saint Charbel was updated on November 1, 2026 and Padre Pio on November 3, 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.*