# Coptic Reader vs St. John Smyrna Deacons

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Coptic Reader at 10K against St. John Smyrna Deacons's 4. Coptic Reader also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). St. John Smyrna Deacons's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 92%). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Coptic Reader against 5.0 for St. John Smyrna Deacons. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Coptic Reader has 10K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of Coptic Reader's written reviews are positive against 100% of St. John Smyrna Deacons's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Coptic Reader | St. John Smyrna Deacons |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (10K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/coptic-reader/id649434138/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/st-john-smyrna-deacons/id6757244330/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **10K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 91.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 218 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern USA](https://appshunter.io/developer/649434141) | [St. John The Beloved Coptic Orthodox Church](https://appshunter.io/developer/1794242129) |

## What reviewers say

### Coptic Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/coptic-reader/id649434138)

This app provides the liturgical texts, rites, hymns, and sacraments of the Coptic Orthodox Church. It dynamically generates services based on the current or selected day, offering customizable content and presentation modes.

**Highlights:** Liturgical text and rites, Dynamic service generation, Multilingual support (English, Arabic, Coptic), Customizable liturgical roles, Adjustable themes and text size, Presentation mode for projection, Complete Bible and Coptic texts

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🙏 God-given effort
- 🙌 Comprehensive coverage of prayers and services
- 🤩 Excellent resource for Coptic Orthodox Christians
- 🙏 Blessed service
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤔 Missing Coptic transliteration to English
- 🤔 Some issues with Arabic spelling and translation
- 🤔 Lack of copy/paste and bookmark features

**Reported bugs**

- Incorrect handling of feast day readings on Sundays
- Removal of portions of the Creed during Holy Week

**Requested features**

- Add Coptic transliteration to English and Arabic
- Improve Arabic translation accuracy
- Implement copy/paste and bookmark features
- Add audio playback for readings and hymns
- Improve search functionality


### St. John Smyrna Deacons

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/st-john-smyrna-deacons/id6757244330)

This app helps organize deacons' service within the Coptic Orthodox Church. It enhances liturgical education and communication among deacons, instructors, and clergy for more effective and spiritually enriching services.

**Highlights:** Deacon service management, Liturgical hymn review, Spiritual discipline tracking, Enhanced communication tools, Attendance tracking, Educational notes

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Coptic Reader free?

Coptic Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is St. John Smyrna Deacons free?

St. John Smyrna Deacons is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Coptic Reader or St. John Smyrna Deacons?

St. John Smyrna Deacons is rated higher. Coptic Reader averages 4.9 out of 5 from 10K ratings, while St. John Smyrna Deacons averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Coptic Reader or St. John Smyrna Deacons have ads?

Neither Coptic Reader nor St. John Smyrna Deacons shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Coptic Reader or St. John Smyrna Deacons?

Coptic Reader ships an update fortnightly, and St. John Smyrna Deacons fortnightly. Most recently, Coptic Reader was updated on October 18, 2026 and St. John Smyrna Deacons on October 7, 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.*