Comparison

Al vs BigCode

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

Head to head
About

Al

This app offers a comprehensive suite of Islamic resources, including accurate prayer times, a full Quran with recitation options, and tools for learning Arabic script. It features unique modes for travelers and those needing prayer reminders, along with customizable Quran study features.

Highlights
  • Accurate prayer times with notifications
  • Full Quran with recitation and translation
  • Traveling and prayer reminder modes
  • Arabic script learning aid
  • Quran search and note-taking
  • Islamic calendar and event notifications
  • Tasbih counter and 99 Names of Allah
Features
Read full description

Al-Islam is your complete companion for practicing Islam, whether you are a lifelong believer, a new convert, or exploring the faith. The Quran, the major Hadith collections, tafsir, prayer times, a prayer tracker, and on-device AI search in one simple app: completely free, ad free, and private. ON-DEVICE AI SEARCH - Search the Quran and Hadith by meaning, not keywords: "patience in hardship" finds ayahs about sabr. - It runs everywhere: the Quran, any hadith book, the 99 Names, duas, adhkar, and even Settings. - Fully on-device: private, offline, and free. With Apple Intelligence, Ask AI answers from the ayahs and hadiths it cites, never with a religious ruling. PRAYER TRACKER - Mark each prayer with a tap: streaks, perfect days, and a calendar heatmap. - Jumuah and combined traveling prayers count correctly, and a menstruation and postpartum pause protects your streak. - Nagging Mode reminds you every 15 minutes until you pray, and answer right from the notification. UNIQUE FEATURES - Traveling Mode: shorten prayers while traveling, automatically or manually, synced to your Watch. - Arabic Beginner Mode: spaces out letters so they are easier to recognize as you learn. - Verse Sharing: share any verse as clean text or a beautiful image. - Siri Shortcuts: play any surah, resume your last listen, or ask "When is Maghrib?" in English or Arabic. THE COMPLETE QURAN - Read by Surah, Juz, or page, with dividers and a marker that always shows where you are. - Arabic, transliteration, and translation side by side, with optional color coded tajweed and a reference. - Tafsir for any ayah: Ibn Kathir, Maarif Ul Quran, and Tazkirul Quran in English, plus Ibn Kathir, al-Tabari, and as-Sa'di in Arabic, saved offline. - Find any verse by Surah:Ayah (like 5:27), page, Juz, or keyword. - Listen to over 60 reciters, with full Surah and verse by verse playback, offline. THE MAJOR HADITH COLLECTIONS - All the major books: the Nine (Bukhari, Muslim, an-Nasa'i, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Muwatta Malik, ad-Darimi, Musnad Ahmad), the forty-hadith collections, and classics like Riyad as-Salihin. - Arabic with English translation and narrator chains, a Hadith of the Day, bookmarks, favorites, and lookups like "Bukhari 5". - Search one book or all 50,000+ hadiths at once. Every collection is built in and works offline. PRAYER TIMES AND QIBLA - Accurate prayer times calculated privately on your device, with a method suggested for your region. - A living sky above your prayer times: a real sun arc, night stars, and the true moon phase. Drag to preview any moment. - Qibla compass, adhan sounds, pre alerts, and an At a Glance board with distance to Makkah, daylight, and your fasting window. - A full widget gallery: every prayer widget in a standard look and a Sky twin, plus Solar Arc, Moon Phase, and Day & Night, with full Apple Watch support. - A Rakaah Guide with every prayer's fard and sunnah counts. ESSENTIAL TOOLS AND LEARNING - Hijri date and Islamic calendar with events like Ramadan and Eid, plus date notifications. - Authenticated adhkar and dua collections, with Listen buttons that read the Arabic aloud. - Tasbih counter, the 99 Names of Allah, Masjid and Halal Food locators, a Hijri converter, and Islamic wallpapers. - Learn the Arabic alphabet, the Five Pillars, the Six Pillars of Faith, and core beliefs, explained simply for beginners. MADE YOUR WAY - Customize text sizes, Arabic fonts, accent and sky colors. Settings search jumps to any option. FREE, AD FREE, AND PRIVATE Al-Islam is completely free. No ads, no fees, and no subscriptions. Your data never leaves your device. Whether you seek prayer times, the Quran, the Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), or a deeper understanding of Islam, download Al-Islam today.

About

BigCode

Read full description

With all of the door codes, combinations, PIN codes you have that are hard to read on small watch screens. This app allows you to store these codes on the watch in a simple easy to access place and display them in a large, easy to read font.

Screenshots

Al4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Al at weekly against BigCode's fortnightly. Al also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Al ships an update weekly, BigCode fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Al versus BigCode: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAlBigCode
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (57 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews90.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings57 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size170 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAbubakr ElmallahObjects & Objectives

In-app purchases

None

Al

No in-app purchases

None

BigCode

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Al free?
Al is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BigCode free?
BigCode is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Al or BigCode have ads?
Neither Al nor BigCode shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Al or BigCode?
Al ships an update weekly, and BigCode fortnightly. Most recently, Al was updated on October 12, 2026 and BigCode on October 7, 2026.

Other comparisons