# Fathom vs Liminal

The clearest difference is monetization model: Liminal at free against Fathom's subscription. Liminal also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 69%). Fathom's advantage is ratings volume (508 vs 5). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Fathom sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Liminal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Fathom against 4.8 for Liminal. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Fathom has 508 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 69% of Fathom's written reviews are positive against 100% of Liminal's.

Fathom ships an update weekly, Liminal every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Fathom | Liminal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (508 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fathom-learn-philosophy/id6742149252/reviews) | **[4.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/liminal-learn-philosophy/id6770075835/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **508** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 69.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 11 days |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free** |
| Size | 191 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Polywise, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1437286958) | [OMAR DANIEL GRAZIANO](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896485759) |

## What reviewers say

### Fathom

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fathom-learn-philosophy/id6742149252)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $6.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly Subscription | $12.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription (no trial) | $49.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription (Premium) | $59.99 | per year |
| Yearly Access Premium No Trial | $59.99 | per year |
| Yearly Sub Premium No Trial | $69.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription Premium | $69.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Engaging and interactive lessons
- 🎨 Visually appealing and informative
- 🧠 Helps develop critical thinking skills
- 🔍 Broad range of philosophical topics covered

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription-based model with limited free trial
- 🤔 Some questions felt leading rather than open-ended
- 🕰️ Lack of flexibility to revisit initial philosopher selections

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Liminal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/liminal-learn-philosophy/id6770075835)

Explore Western philosophy with a comprehensive, self-paced curriculum. Access lessons, philosopher profiles, key terms, and quizzes offline. Learn at your own pace with audio narration and interactive features.

**Highlights:** Comprehensive 4-year philosophy curriculum, 104 lessons and 48 philosopher profiles, Searchable glossary of 82 key terms, Interactive quizzes with explanations, Spaced-repetition flashcards, On-device audio narration, Offline access, no network required

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Liminal Full Access | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Fathom free?

Fathom is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Liminal free?

Liminal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Fathom or Liminal?

Liminal is rated higher. Fathom averages 4.8 out of 5 from 508 ratings, while Liminal averages 4.8 from 5 ratings.

### Do Fathom or Liminal have ads?

Fathom shows ads; Liminal does not.

### Which is updated more often, Fathom or Liminal?

Fathom ships an update weekly, and Liminal every 11 days. Most recently, Fathom was updated on October 30, 2026 and Liminal on October 31, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*