SPI Catholic vs & Altar
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SPI Catholic
This app fosters a devoted community of missionary disciples and stewards of creation, guided by Catholic teachings. It focuses on hospitality, prayer, formation, and service to live out the discipleship and stewardship way of life.
- Missionary disciple community
- Stewardship of creation
- Four Pillars: Hospitality, Prayer, Formation, Service
- Catholic teachings and scripture
- Faith-based community building
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Our mission is to build a fervent community of intentional and dedicated missionary disciples of the Risen Lord and steadfast stewards of God’s creation who seek to become saints. Accordingly, the community of Catholic faithful in this diocese is committed to the discipleship and stewardship way of life as commanded by Christ Our Savior and as revealed by Sacred Scripture and Tradition. To further this mission, the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is committed to implementing the Four Pillars of Discipleship and Stewardship, namely: Hospitality, Prayer, Formation, and Service
& Altar
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& Altar brings daily Catholic prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to every member of your household - with content paths personalized for families, men, women, teens, young adults, elders, and Spanish-speaking Catholic families. Each day begins with Scripture, ends with prayer, and invites you into a small concrete practice for the hours between. All shaped for the state of life you're actually in. DAILY REFLECTIONS Start each day with Scripture-based reflections written for your stage of life and vocation. Each reflection includes the day's readings, a Gospel-centered meditation, a concrete way to live it today, and a closing prayer. EIGHT PRAYER PATHS Choose the formation paths that fit you or your family: - Hearth & Altar - for families with children at home - Iron & Altar - for men - Vessel & Altar - for women - Eventide & Altar - for elders and those in the second half of life - Ostium Catholic - for young adults - Young Disciples - for teens En español: - Hogar y Altar - para familias - Ocaso y Altar - para adultos mayores PATRON SAINTS FOR EACH PATH Every path is paired with a specific patron saint who walks with you as an intercessor. Meet Saint Joseph the Worker in Iron, Saints Louis and Zélie Martin in Hearth, Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati in Ostium, Saint Carlo Acutis in Young Disciples, and more. Ancient Catholic devotion, in the palm of your hand. FAST AND GIVE - THE FULL SPIRITUAL PRACTICE Alongside daily prayer, & Altar now includes Fast and Give - completing the three-fold spiritual practice from Matthew 6. Warm invitations to fast on Fridays, Ember Days, and days the Church has always kept as penitential. Daily invitations to almsgiving that connect to the saints and the liturgical year. Your practice is private to you. FAMILY SHARING One household membership covers up to 6 family members. Each person has their own profile, chooses their own paths, and tracks their own progress. Family features include: - See how your family has been praying this week - Plan and observe feast days together - Share prayer intentions within your family - Keep a family record of shared Catholic formation GROUPS Beyond your household, form and join Groups - voluntary Catholic associations of adult subscribers walking together in prayer. Men's groups, women's groups, parish groups, workplace groups. Each Group chooses its own patron saint from a library of over thirty saints. Iron & Altar and Vessel & Altar Small Groups also access weekly discussion guides directly in the app. MONTHLY PATRONAL LETTER On the first day of each month, receive a personalized letter from Deacon Michael Halbrook with the Church's monthly devotion, upcoming feasts, and a note from each of your patron saints. AUDIO REFLECTIONS Listen to daily reflections when reading isn't an option. Available for select content paths. PARISH COMMUNITIES Your parish may provide free access to & Altar for all parishioners. Enter your parish code during setup to connect. Full access requires a Domus Formation membership. --- From Domus Formation - forming Catholic households, one day at a time. Terms of Use: https://wearedomus.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://wearedomus.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SPI Catholic at none against & Altar's 2. & Altar's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months). 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. & Altar sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $39.99 per year. SPI Catholic asks for nothing beyond the download.
SPI Catholic ships an update every 6 months, & Altar every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SPI Catholic | & Altar |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 53 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois Trustee Corporation | Domus Formation |
In-app purchases
SPI Catholic
No in-app purchases
& Altar
- Individual Annual$39.991 Year
- Household Annual$59.991 Year









