Comparison

Catholic Confession Journal vs Holy Steps

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

Head to head
About

Catholic Confession Journal

Prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation with a guided examination of conscience. Record your sins, organize them for confession, and access prayers for before and after the sacrament. Offers local or cloud storage with privacy controls.

Highlights
  • Guided conscience examination
  • Customizable confession lists
  • Confession mode with step-by-step guidance
  • In-app prayers for confession
  • Local or cloud sync storage
  • Face ID app lock
  • Customizable reminders
Features
Read full description

Catholic Confession Journal helps you prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Examine your conscience, keep a list of what you want to confess, and walk into the confessional knowing what to say. Use it before every confession, or the first time you go back after years away. EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE Pick the guide that fits your life: general, married, single and young adult, or children. Go through the Ten Commandments one question at a time and tick what applies. Each answer becomes a line on your list, written the way you would say it to the priest. YOUR LIST FOR THE CONFESSIONAL Write something down when it comes to mind, so you don't have to remember it all on Saturday night. Before you go, CCJ puts your list in order. In the confessional, read from it and tick each item off. CONFESSION MODE Step by step: the Act of Contrition, your list, then a short note after confession. CCJ remembers when you last went, and a Saturday morning reminder can nudge you to go again. PRAYERS FOR CONFESSION Prayer Before Confession, the Act of Contrition and Prayer After Confession, in the order you need them. Also the Confiteor, Psalm 51 (Miserere), Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, Memorare, Anima Christi, Prayer to St. Michael, Prayer of the Prodigal Son and the Daily Examen. YOUR PRIVACY You choose where your journal is kept: - On this iPhone: entries are encrypted on your phone, with no copy of your journal on our servers. - Cloud sync: entries are stored with Google Firebase, so they're there when you sign in on a new phone. Lock the app with Face ID. Delete your account and journal from Settings at any time. Your entries are never sold or shared with advertisers. Titles and summaries for your entries are written by Google Gemini, guided by the Catechism, so each entry's text is sent to Google in both storage modes. Gemini never gets your name or email. CCJ PREMIUM CCJ is a subscription app. Start with a 3-day free trial, then pay $39.99 a year or $2.99 a week (U.S. prices; other countries vary). The trial is for new subscribers. Payment is charged to your Apple ID when you confirm. Your subscription renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://redbridgenetwork.com/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://redbridgenetwork.com/terms/ Apple's standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Holy Steps

Features
Read full description

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” — Philippians 4:13 Every day is a beautiful opportunity to walk closer with God. Welcome to Holy Steps, a premium, minimalist space designed to help you visualize, track, and deepen your Catholic faith. In a noisy world, cultivating a daily habit of prayer, reflection, and sacramental life can feel challenging. Holy Steps brings quiet clarity to your spiritual routine, turning your daily devotions into a beautiful visual record of your walk with Christ. Commit to showing up for Him, one day at a time, and watch your calendar fill with holy steps. Custom Spiritual Widgets Bring your faith directly to your device. Holy Steps features a suite of elegant Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets designed to keep scripture, weekly progress loops, and lifetime devotion milestones always in sight. Never forget to pause, breathe, and reflect throughout your busy day. Deep Sacred Typography & Design Built with a timeless, monastic design philosophy, Holy Steps respects the sanctity of your devotional time. Experience premium typography architectures, soft palettes, and zero digital clutter. It’s not just a tracker; it’s an digital sanctuary for your daily reflections. Key Features: Sacred Habit Tracking: Seamlessly log daily prayers, Rosaries, Bible study, and Mass attendance. Dynamic Home & Lock Screen Widgets: Access the daily gospel acclamation, habit matrices, and spiritual heatmaps at a glance. Commitment Canvas: Seal your daily intentions with a personalized prayer promise on our dedicated drawing canvas. Privacy-First Sanctuary: Your spiritual journey is sacred. Your personal entries and reflection logs remain strictly private. Whether you are seeking to build consistency in praying the Rosary, track your sacramental life, or simply anchor your day in the Word of God, Holy Steps is here to guide your path. Begin your walk today. Fill your life with Holy Steps. Holy Steps offers an optional auto-renewing subscription (Holy Steps Premium) to unlock full access to daily reflections, unlimited step logging, and advanced widgets. New users are invited to try the app with a 1-month free trial. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase or after the free trial period ends. Subscription automatically renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions in your App Store account settings after purchase. Privacy Policy: https://www.freeprivacypolicy.com/live/7457b498-5732-4a20-9760-a049d2f5e023 Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.freeprivacypolicy.com/live/6975babe-1491-453e-8053-03b6af7adf85

Screenshots

Catholic Confession Journal4 screens
Holy Steps4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Catholic Confession Journal at fortnightly against Holy Steps's every 2 months. Catholic Confession Journal also leads on chart position (#156 vs unranked). On price, ads, 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. Catholic Confession Journal sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Holy Steps sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Catholic Confession Journal ships an update fortnightly, Holy Steps every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
Catholic Confession Journal versus Holy Steps: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCatholic Confession JournalHoly Steps
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (103 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews76.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings103 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscription—
Best chart rank#156 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size64 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRed Bridge Network IncCristian Canceal

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Catholic Confession Journal

Subscriptions5
  • Confession Premium3 Days trial$2.997 Days
  • Weekly Subscription$2.997 Days
  • Monthly Subscription3 Days trial$6.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Confession Yearly Premium3 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription$39.991 Year
2 purchases

Holy Steps

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly1 Month trial$1.991 Month
  • Holy Steps1 Month trial$8.991 Year

Questions

Is Catholic Confession Journal free?
Catholic Confession Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Holy Steps free?
Holy Steps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Catholic Confession Journal or Holy Steps have ads?
Neither Catholic Confession Journal nor Holy Steps shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Catholic Confession Journal or Holy Steps?
Catholic Confession Journal ships an update fortnightly, and Holy Steps every 2 months. Most recently, Catholic Confession Journal was updated on November 6, 2026 and Holy Steps on October 31, 2026.

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