Comparison

Buddha Library vs Sutra

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

Head to head
About

Buddha Library

Features
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Buddha - Your Complete Buddhist Texts Library Immerse yourself in the profound teachings of Buddhism with Buddha, a beautifully designed app that brings ancient wisdom to your fingertips. Whether you're a practitioner, scholar, or simply curious about Buddhist philosophy, this app provides an authentic and comprehensive reading experience. Complete Buddhist Text Collection Access a curated library of essential Buddhist texts, including: • Heart Sutra (心經) - The Heart of Perfect Wisdom • Diamond Sutra (金剛般若波羅蜜經) - Complete 32 chapters with Triple Refuge and Dedication • The Four Noble Truths • The Noble Eightfold Path • Samadhi Water Repentance (慈悲三昧水懺科儀) - Complete liturgy with 9 chapters Bilingual Reading Experience Read each text in multiple formats for deeper understanding: • English translations for clarity • Pinyin transliteration for pronunciation • Traditional Chinese characters for authenticity • Rhythm notation for liturgical texts Powerful Study Tools Enhance your study and practice with built-in features: • Notes - Add personal reflections and insights to any verse • Highlights - Mark important passages with 5 color options (yellow, green, blue, pink, purple) • Bookmarks - Save your favorite chapters for quick access • Reading History - Track your progress and continue where you left off • Search - Find specific verses, chapters, or concepts across all texts Beautiful Reading Experience Enjoy a distraction-free reading environment: • Customizable font sizes for comfortable reading • Dark mode support for evening study • Clean, elegant interface designed for contemplation • Chapter navigation for easy browsing • Verse-by-verse reading with clear formatting Daily Inspiration Start each day with wisdom: • Daily verse feature that rotates through all texts • Quick access to your recent reading • Statistics showing your reading progress Organized Library Browse and discover texts easily: • Categorized by type (Sutra, Teaching, Liturgy) • Search functionality across all content • Chapter listings with verse counts • Author information and descriptions Perfect For: •Buddhist practitioners seeking authentic texts •Students of Buddhist philosophy and religion •Chinese language learners studying Buddhist texts •Anyone interested in mindfulness and wisdom teachings •Meditation practitioners looking for daily inspiration Key Features: Complete Heart Sutra with English, Pinyin, and Chinese Full Diamond Sutra (32 chapters) with bilingual support Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path teachings Complete Samadhi Water Repentance liturgy Personal notes and annotations Multi-color highlighting system Bookmark favorite passages Reading progress tracking Powerful search across all texts Daily verse inspiration Customizable reading settings Dark mode support Offline access to all content Experience the timeless wisdom of Buddhist teachings in a modern, accessible format. Download Buddha today and begin your journey of discovery and practice.

About

Sutra

Features
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Sutra — A pocket Tripitaka. An offline, distraction-free reader for the Chinese-Buddhist canon, with text sourced from CBETA (Chinese Buddhist Electronic Texts Association, latest open release), grounded in the Taishō Tripitaka. Translations by Kumārajīva, Xuanzang, Yijing and others — organized for daily reading. ■ 35 scriptures The Dharma-Drum daily-recital selection: Heart Sutra, Diamond Sutra, Amitābha Sutra, Universal Gate of Avalokiteśvara, Samantabhadra's Vows, 42 Sections, Medicine Buddha, Earth Treasury, Śūraṅgama, Perfect Enlightenment … Four major repentance liturgies: Liang Emperor, Threefold Samādhi Water, Great Compassion, Earth Treasury Jeweled, 88 Buddhas, Ten Small Mantras. Oldest-stratum short collections: Dhammapada, Aṭṭhakavagga, Itivuttaka, Saṃyukta-āgama selections (including Pabhassara Sutta, Mahāparinibbāna verse). ■ Four-language parallel reading Four core scriptures carry four reading modes:  Chinese — Classical Chinese translation (Xuanzang, Kumārajīva …)  Sanskrit — IAST + Devanāgarī, the original sound  English — translation, opening the meaning  English→Chinese — modern Mandarin transcribed from the English An in-app "Reading Languages" essay explains why each mode exists. ■ Traditional vertical ↔ modern horizontal One tap to switch. Vertical preserves the handwritten-sutra ritual feel; horizontal suits commuting and night reading. Four font sizes (S/M/L/XL); the size stays put when TTS playback is on. ■ Cinnabar-stamp aesthetic, sprinkled-gold paper Visual identity drawn from Song-Yuan sutra manuscripts: cream cotton-paper texture in light mode, royal navy with sprinkled gold in dark mode. Restrained palette designed to be easy on the eyes during long readings. ■ Recitation TTS Built-in Mandarin voices (Tingting / Meijia / Sinji) read along with you — useful when driving or eyes closed. ■ Six reflective essays  • Textual Strata — what layer of "the Buddha's word" we are reading  • Three Buddhas — the three shapes the Buddha takes in text  • Path of Deification — the five stages from man to god  • "Are all sentient beings originally Buddha?" — tracing the lineage of a Chan koan  • Reading Languages — positioning the four modes  • Sources & Attribution — CBETA license + acknowledgements ■ Reminders Daily passage push at 06:00; 16 major Buddhist holidays (Buddha's bath day, Avalokiteśvara's anniversary, Earth-Treasury Bodhisattva's anniversary …) push at 09:00. Optional integration with the system Reminders app. ■ Privacy Zero data collection. No tracking, no analytics, no upload. The sutra database ships with the app; your reading progress and bookmarks stay on your device. No ads, no IAP, no subscription, free forever. — Sutra text © CBETA (Chinese Buddhist Electronic Texts Association), latest open release. Base: Taishō Tripitaka © Daizo Shuppan K.K. (CBETA holds input and publication permissions). License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 Taiwan — https://www.cbeta.org/copyright.php This app is non-commercial. Sutra texts are unaltered in substance, with CBETA attribution and version noted.

Screenshots

Buddha Library4 screens
Sutra4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Buddha Library at every 4 days against Sutra's every 3 weeks. Sutra's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Buddha Library ships an update every 4 days, Sutra every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 11, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Buddha Library versus Sutra: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBuddha LibrarySutra
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size131 MB36 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperLyndsay Goldfarb一創系統有限公司

In-app purchases

None

Buddha Library

No in-app purchases

None

Sutra

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Buddha Library free?
Buddha Library is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sutra free?
Sutra is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Buddha Library or Sutra have ads?
Neither Buddha Library nor Sutra shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Buddha Library or Sutra?
Buddha Library ships an update every 4 days, and Sutra every 3 weeks. Most recently, Buddha Library was updated on September 11, 2026 and Sutra on September 12, 2026.

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