Comparison

Orthodox Fasting Guide vs Tsom Guide

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

Head to head
About

Orthodox Fasting Guide

Features
Read full description

A daily Orthodox calendar and fasting companion for the entire liturgical year. Know exactly what you can eat today โ€” according to traditional Orthodox fasting rules. Whether you follow the Old (Julian) or New (Revised Julian) calendar, the app adapts to your Church tradition. DAILY ORTHODOX FASTING GUIDANCE - Accurate fasting rules for every day of the year - Major fasts, feast days, and fast-free periods - Clear guidance on permitted foods - Instant clarity: "What can I eat today?" FASTING RECIPES ALIGNED WITH TRADITION - Daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner ideas - Recipes generated according to Orthodox fasting rules - Regional fasting cuisine options - Practical meal inspiration for both strict and regular days SCRIPTURE, SAINTS & ORTHODOX INSIGHT - Daily New Testament verse - Saint of the Day - Orthodox Bible Chat โ€” ask questions about fasting, prayer, and faith Designed to support your spiritual life โ€” not replace your priest. PERSONAL PRACTICE - Simple daily fasting check-ins - Clean, distraction-free interface - No ads. No algorithms. No noise. PRIVACY-FOCUSED - No account required - No personal data collected - Minimal, anonymous analytics only IMPORTANT This app provides religious fasting guidance based on Orthodox Christian tradition. It does not provide medical or nutritional advice. Fasting practices may vary by jurisdiction and personal circumstances. Always consult your priest or spiritual father for guidance. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Tsom Guide

Features
Read full description

What may you eat today? Tsom Guide answers the question every fasting member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church asks each morning โ€” not just "is today a fast?", but exactly which foods are permitted: strict vegan, fish permitted, or no restriction at all. A TRUE FASTING-RULE ENGINE, NOT A DATE LIST At the heart of Tsom Guide is a genuine per-day engine for the Ge'ez calendar. It computes the moveable feasts and fasts from first principles โ€” Fasika (Easter) and everything that hangs from it: the Great Lent (Hudadi), the Fast of Nineveh, the Apostles' Fast, Peraklitos โ€” alongside the fixed observances: Advent, Genna, Timkat, Meskel, Filseta (the Fast of the Assumption), the weekly Wednesday and Friday fasts, Gahad, and the great feasts of the year. Because every day is computed by the same engine, the calendar, the season countdowns and the daily verdict can never disagree. YOUR OBSERVANCE, YOUR RULING Choose Strict or Standard observance in Settings, and every ruling follows it โ€” including the contested question of fish on the Wednesday and Friday fasts. Switch observance and watch the same day re-rule itself. EVERYTHING THE FAITHFUL NEED, IN ONE PLACE โ€ข Today โ€” this morning's ruling at a glance: the fasting level, the reason the day is kept, and plain lists of what is permitted and what to avoid. โ€ข Day Detail โ€” every fast explained: its meaning, its hours (one meal after 3 p.m. where the canons ask it), and the foods that belong on the table. โ€ข Calendar โ€” the whole Ge'ez month at a glance, every day colour-coded: green for no restriction, ochre for fish permitted, crimson for strict fast, gold for the great feasts. โ€ข Seasons โ€” the year ahead in order, counting down the days to each coming fast and feast, from Enkutatash to Fasika. โ€ข Daily reminder โ€” a quiet morning notification carrying the day's ruling, at the hour you choose. โ€ข English and Amharic together โ€” every observance named in both tongues, as it is in the life of the Church. Tsom Guide is dressed as a page from a Ge'ez manuscript: parchment, ox-blood and gold, serif lettering, and the hand-drawn cross of the Ethiopian tradition. Reverent, calm, and made to be opened every morning. The fasting rules encoded here are drawn from public sources on the Tewahedo tradition. Where practice varies between parishes and households, follow the counsel of your priest.

Screenshots

Orthodox Fasting Guide4 screens
Tsom Guide4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tsom Guide at none against Orthodox Fasting Guide's 2. Tsom Guide also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). Orthodox Fasting Guide's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Orthodox Fasting Guide sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Tsom Guide asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 2 level
Orthodox Fasting Guide versus Tsom Guide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOrthodox Fasting GuideTsom Guide
PriceFreeFree
AdsNo โ€” betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.113.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size44 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSorin CiorneiVahan Dag

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Orthodox Fasting Guide

Subscriptions2
  • Orthodox Fasting Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Orthodox Fasting Yearly7 Days trial$44.991 Year
None

Tsom Guide

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Orthodox Fasting Guide free?
Orthodox Fasting Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tsom Guide free?
Tsom Guide is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Orthodox Fasting Guide or Tsom Guide have ads?
Tsom Guide shows ads; Orthodox Fasting Guide does not.

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