Comparison

Fathom vs Hearken

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

Head to head
About

Fathom

Explore great thinkers and philosophies with bite-sized lessons. Understand complex ideas with elegant visuals and build a daily habit of learning. Access over 50 learning paths on diverse philosophical topics.

Highlights
  • Daily philosophy habit building
  • Bite-sized lessons (under 2 minutes)
  • Elegant visual explanations
  • 50+ learning paths
  • Save and review insights
  • Set learning goals
Features
Read full description

Fathom is your guide to the world's most great thinkers and philosophies. - Build your foundational knowledge in one of humanity’s original disciplines. From Socrates to Descartes and from Buddhism to Existentialism take the time to truly understand how some of the world’s wisest people think. - Understand complex concepts quickly, with elegant visuals that clarify key ideas and help you stay focused. - Learn on your schedule. Knock out a lesson in two minutes or less, in bite-sized sessions designed to fit into your week no matter what life throws your way. - Set a learning goal and embark on a multi lesson learning paths into specific philosophies and philosophers - Actually refer back to wisdom when you need it most. Save and review the insights and visuals that matter most to you Explore our rapidly expanding catalog, featuring 50+ learning paths such as: -Buddhist Wisdom for Anxious Minds -Socrates and Plato -Aristotle -Hedonism, Cynicism, Stoicism -Utilitarianism and Kantian Ethics -Kant’s Epistemology -Kierkegaard -Feminist Philosophy and Perspectives on Power -Camus ...and much more! -- SUBSCRIPTION PRICING AND TERMS: Fathom offers an auto-renewing yearly subscription and an auto-renewing monthly subscription which allows you full access to all of the content in our catalog for as long as you maintain an active subscription. These prices are for United States customers. Pricing in other countries may vary and actual charges may be converted to your local currency depending on your country. Payment will be charged to the credit card connected to your iTunes account at the time of initial subscription purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current subscription period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period end date, and the cost of the renewal will be listed. You can manage your subscription and auto-renewal can be turned off by going to your Account Settings after the purchase. Read more about our Privacy Policy here: https://tinyurl.com/4a5p4z8b Read more about our Terms of Service here: https://tinyurl.com/xnmcrbvp

About

Hearken

Read full description

Unwind lectures crafted for you. Hearken turns any topic into a beautiful, multi-chapter spoken lecture you can actually relax to. No more scrolling — just press Generate and enjoy. Pick a subject (or tap “Today’s News”), choose your duration (15–180 minutes), and customize everything: voice, language, depth, and listening style. In seconds you’ll have a polished lecture with natural narration, clear chapters, and thoughtful pacing. Three ways to listen: • Generate a fresh lecture tailored to you • Instantly play popular lectures from the shared community catalog • Replay anything you’ve saved in your personal library Fully customizable experience: • Choose from premium voices or clone your own (Premium) • Switch between solo narration, lively two-host podcast, or balanced debate formats (Premium) • Adjust depth from soothing to stimulating • Repeat key facts for better retention (Premium) • Variable speed, sleep timer and full transcripts you can export Background audio support means you can listen while driving, working out, cooking, or winding down at night. Your library lives on your device — private, offline, and always ready. Whether you’re expanding your knowledge on history, science, philosophy, productivity, or current events, Hearken makes learning effortless and enjoyable. Start free with a trial of Premium features. Upgrade anytime for unlimited generations, voice cloning, advanced modes, and more. Download Hearken and start your perfect listening session today. Terms of Service & EULA: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/severin12am/hearken-legal/main/index.html

Screenshots

Fathom4 screens
Hearken4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Hearken at none against Fathom's shown. Hearken also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). Fathom's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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. Fathom sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Hearken sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fathom ships an update weekly, Hearken every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Fathom versus Hearken: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFathomHearken
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (507 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews69.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings507 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size191 MB40 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperPolywise, Inc.Magomedsaip Omarov

Bugs and requests

Fathom

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Unexpected charges during free trial period
  • Potential issues with app functionality and compatibility

Requested features

3 requests
  • Option to customize or revisit philosopher selections
  • More information about the app's algorithm and learning progression
  • Ability to explore a wider range of philosophical perspectives

Hearken

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Fathom

Subscriptions8
  • Monthly Subscription$6.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly Subscription$12.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription (no trial)$49.991 Year
Show 5 more
  • Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription (Premium)7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Yearly Access Premium No Trial$59.991 Year
  • Yearly Sub Premium No Trial$69.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription Premium7 Days trial$69.991 Year
7 purchases

Hearken

Subscriptions4
  • Basic Monthly$12.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly$29.991 Month
  • Basic Yearly$99.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Premium Yearly$239.001 Year
One-time3
  • 100 minutes of generated lectures$7.99
  • 500 minutes of generated lectures$24.99
  • 1000 minutes of generated lectures$39.99

Questions

Is Fathom free?
Fathom is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hearken free?
Hearken is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Fathom or Hearken have ads?
Fathom shows ads; Hearken does not.
Which is updated more often, Fathom or Hearken?
Fathom ships an update weekly, and Hearken every 3 months. Most recently, Fathom was updated on October 24, 2026 and Hearken on October 18, 2026.

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