Comparison

Cockburn Libraries vs Ask Aurelius

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

Head to head
About

Cockburn Libraries

Features
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Access Cockburn Libraries from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Manage your account, search the catalogue, renew and reserve books.

About

Ask Aurelius

Features
Read full description

Ask Aurelius is a calm, citation-grounded reflection companion sourced from Marcus Aurelius' Meditations. Every answer points to the specific passage that shaped it โ€” never an inference, never invention. Choose a question. Type what's troubling you, or pick a starting prompt: anger, fear, mortality, judgment, duty, anxiety, discipline. Aurelius answers in calm, direct prose grounded in passages from the Meditations (George Long, 1862, public domain). Each citation links to the source, so you can read the full passage in its original context. THE PRACTICE โ€ข Discourse โ€” open chat with Aurelius. Cite at most 3 passages per answer. โ€ข Today โ€” a single passage selected for daily reflection. โ€ข Library โ€” browse the full Meditations by book or by theme. โ€ข Journal โ€” record reflections, end-to-end encrypted. The server only sees ciphertext. โ€ข Saved Passages โ€” bookmark the passages that speak to you. WHAT IT WON'T DO โ€ข Won't invent quotes or attributions โ€ข Won't speak on medical, legal, financial, or crisis decisions โ€ข Won't pretend to be the historical Marcus Aurelius โ€” it's an AI inspired by him FREE โ€ข 5 reflections per day โ€ข Daily passage, library, journal, and saved passages MARCUS PREMIUM โ€ข Up to 100 reflections a day, 1,000 a month โ€ข Conversation export to Markdown โ€ข Early access to upcoming features โ€” voice mode, search, multiple translations โ€ข $4.99/month or $39.99/year (33% saving) PRIVACY โ€ข Sign in with Apple โ€” no email or password โ€ข Journal entries are end-to-end encrypted on your device with a key in your iCloud Keychain. Your reflections stay private. โ€ข No third-party trackers, no advertising Aurelius died in 180 CE. The Meditations is his private notebook โ€” not advice for others, but lessons to himself, written in the field. This app is a way to read it slowly, in conversation with the question you carry today. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Cockburn Libraries4 screens
Ask Aurelius4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cockburn Libraries at none against Ask Aurelius's 2. Cockburn Libraries also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Ask Aurelius sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Cockburn Libraries asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cockburn Libraries ships an update every 5 weeks, Ask Aurelius every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Cockburn Libraries versus Ask Aurelius: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCockburn LibrariesAsk Aurelius
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 4 weeks โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 โ€” better18.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size51 MB8 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperCity of CockburnMATTHEW EARL ALVARO

In-app purchases

None

Cockburn Libraries

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Ask Aurelius

Subscriptions2
  • Marcus Premium ยท Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Marcus Premium ยท Annual$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Cockburn Libraries free?
Cockburn Libraries is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ask Aurelius free?
Ask Aurelius is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Cockburn Libraries or Ask Aurelius have ads?
Neither Cockburn Libraries nor Ask Aurelius shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cockburn Libraries or Ask Aurelius?
Cockburn Libraries ships an update every 5 weeks, and Ask Aurelius every 4 weeks. Most recently, Cockburn Libraries was updated on September 28, 2026 and Ask Aurelius on October 2, 2026.

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