ポケット手帳 vs The Buddha Today
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ポケット手帳
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ポケットに入れられる手帳です。
The Buddha Today
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“Why me?” “I keep comparing myself to them.” People were troubled by worries like these 2,500 years ago, and the early Buddhist texts still record them. The Buddha Today brings you one of those scenes each morning: a short story of the Buddha from the Pali suttas, in a public-domain English translation, shortened where needed but never reworded. A story takes a few minutes to read. No background in Buddhism is needed. This is not a course in religion. It is a small tool for ordinary days. EACH STORY IN SIX PARTS 1. Today's story, in the translator's own words 2. The Buddha's perspective 3. In daily life 4. Today's question, with no right answer 5. One-minute practice 6. Source and translation used The app does not tell you what to do. It gives you something to hold your own situation up against. BRING YOUR WORRY Write what is on your mind, and an AI picks the one story in the app that fits it, with a short note connecting the two. That is all the AI does: it never writes the Buddha's words, and it does not give advice. A consent screen explains what leaves your device before anything is sent. The note is marked as written by AI. You get 3 free consults a month. HEART A STORY, WRITE A NOTE When a story stays with you, give it a heart. If you want, write a few words about it. There are no scores and no streaks, and nothing happens on the days you do not write. The Journey tab shows the themes you have been drawn to and your notes. Hearts mark what moved you; Favorites keep stories to reread. Share the ones you like. 16 THEMES They range from anger, anxiety, attachment, and comparison to loss, regret, overdoing it, aging, being present, and contentment. When you first open the app, pick what weighs on you; your first story comes from there. ONE STORY A DAY, AT A TIME YOU CHOOSE Set the time your morning story arrives. One notification a day for the story, so nothing piles up. You can also turn on an evening reminder for the one-minute practice. ABOUT THE STORIES The English edition begins with 32 stories, all from the Pali suttas, in Bhikkhu Sujato's translation (SuttaCentral, CC0). After the last one, they start over. Every omission is marked. The Buddha's perspective, In daily life, Today's question, and One-minute practice are the editors' own reading of the story, not scripture. The app is not affiliated with any school or organization, and it does not ask you to believe anything. The Japanese edition (きょうの仏教) is in the same app; switch languages in Settings. PRIVACY - No ads, no account, no sign-in. We never ask for your name or email - Hearts and notes stay on your device and are never sent anywhere, including to the AI - Everything except “Bring your worry” and the subscription check works offline - What you write in “Bring your worry” is sent to our server (on Cloudflare) and to OpenAI, only to choose a story and write the note. Nothing is sent unless you agree on the consent screen CONSULT PLAN (AUTO-RENEWING SUBSCRIPTION) - Monthly or annual. The price for your country is shown in the app before you buy - Adds more uses of “Bring your worry”: up to 100 consults a month (3 a month without a subscription). Daily stories, hearts, and notes are free for everyone - Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase - Renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period - Manage or cancel in your device's Settings under Subscriptions, or from Settings in the app Terms of use: https://seiya-sugimoto.github.io/kyou-no-buddha-site/en/terms.html Privacy policy: https://seiya-sugimoto.github.io/kyou-no-buddha-site/en/privacy.html PLEASE NOTE This app is not a substitute for medical care, psychotherapy, counseling, or religious guidance. If you are struggling with your health or mood, please talk to a doctor or another professional. Let go, stop comparing, be here. Things you already know, remembered once each morning.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ポケット手帳 at none against The Buddha Today's 2. ポケット手帳 also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. The Buddha Today sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. ポケット手帳 asks for nothing beyond the download.
ポケット手帳 ships an update weekly, The Buddha Today every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ポケット手帳 | The Buddha Today |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 50 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Kento Takise | seiya sugimoto |
In-app purchases
ポケット手帳
No in-app purchases
The Buddha Today
- Consult plan · Monthly$2.991 Month
- Consult plan · Annual$29.991 Year
Questions
Is ポケット手帳 free?
Is The Buddha Today free?
Do ポケット手帳 or The Buddha Today have ads?
Which is updated more often, ポケット手帳 or The Buddha Today?
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