# Alan Watts vs C5.now

The clearest difference is update cadence: C5.now at fortnightly against Alan Watts's every 4 months. C5.now also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and review sentiment (99% vs 87%). Alan Watts's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.4). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Alan Watts sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and C5.now sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

C5.now holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 152 and 215 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Alan Watts's written reviews are positive against 99% of C5.now's.

Alan Watts ships an update every 4 months, C5.now fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Alan Watts | C5.now |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (152 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alan-watts/id6446987890/reviews) | **[5.0 (215 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/c5now/id6751903400/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 152 | **215** |
| Positive reviews | 87.4% of reviews | **98.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Subscription | Subscription |
| Size | 60 MB | 50 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 17.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Electronic Educational Programs Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1679927720) | [Fourthwall, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1464239151) |

## What reviewers say

### Alan Watts

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alan-watts/id6446987890)

Explore the profound wisdom of a renowned philosopher and spiritual teacher. Access a vast, curated collection of remastered talks, lectures, and exclusive content for personal growth and self-discovery. Listen offline and track your progress through a comprehensive library.

**Highlights:** Remastered audio talks, Extensive streaming collection, Exclusive content access, Offline listening, Mark talks as completed

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Alan Watts Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Alan Watts Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Alan Watts - 199 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Alan Watts - 799 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Alan Watts - 1599 | $15.99 | one-time |
| Alan Watts - 2299 | $22.99 | one-time |
| Alan Watts - 3399 | $33.99 | one-time |
| Alan Watts - 5999 | $59.99 | one-time |
| Alan Watts - 6499 | $64.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🙌 Excellent collection of Alan Watts content
- 👍 User-friendly app design
- 🔍 Genuine, non-AI recordings
- 💾 Ability to download talks for offline listening
- 🗓️ Tracking of listened content

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription-based model, some users prefer one-time purchase
- 🔍 Confusing UI for favoriting/downloading talks
- 🔧 Lack of customer support responsiveness
- 🔀 Automatic playback of next talk not working
- 🔒 Locked access to previously purchased content

**Reported bugs**

- App stops working when phone is locked
- Issues with account access and renewal

**Requested features**

- Add search by summary/topic functionality
- Implement a queue system for playlisting
- Provide an annual subscription plan
- Improve UI cues for played/unplayed content


### C5.now

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/c5now/id6751903400)

This app offers a curated selection of real documentaries, featuring a variety of genres without studio interference. Enjoy unfiltered stories, field reporting, and first-person access across politics, culture, crime, and more. Watch on any device and support independent creators.

**Highlights:** Curated documentary library, Multiple genres available, Unfiltered stories and field reporting, Cross-device compatibility, Human curation by experts, Support for independent creators, New releases and deep dives

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Stream Membership | $7.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Alan Watts free?

Alan Watts is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is C5.now free?

C5.now is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Alan Watts or C5.now?

C5.now is rated higher. Alan Watts averages 4.7 out of 5 from 152 ratings, while C5.now averages 5.0 from 215 ratings.

### Do Alan Watts or C5.now have ads?

Neither Alan Watts nor C5.now shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Alan Watts or C5.now?

Alan Watts ships an update every 4 months, and C5.now fortnightly. Most recently, Alan Watts was updated on October 17, 2026 and C5.now on October 18, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*