Comparison

Sophiq vs Liminal

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

Head to head
About

Sophiq

Features
Read full description

Sophiq is a native iOS reader for the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP), a free, open-access academic reference published by Stanford University at plato.stanford.edu. The app solves the problem of the SEP being difficult to read comfortably on mobile devices by providing a clean, distraction-free native reading experience with progress tracking, bookmarks, notes, and adjustable typography. The intended audience is philosophy students, academics, and curious general readers.

About

Liminal

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
Read full description

Explore Western philosophy through 104 lessons arranged into 23 courses and four year-groupings. Start with philosophical questions and ancient thinkers, then move through medieval, early modern, modern and contemporary thought. Study at your own pace. START WITH 10 FREE LESSONS The first 10 lessons are free. One optional, non-subscription in-app purchase unlocks the remaining 94. The reference and practice features below are available without that purchase. FOLLOW A STRUCTURED PATH Year 1: Foundations and ancient philosophy. Year 2: Medieval and early modern philosophy, including a course on Islamic and Jewish thinkers. Year 3: Modern philosophy, from Kant to pragmatism. Year 4: Contemporary philosophy, including language, mind, ethics, political philosophy and science. READ, QUESTION AND REVIEW - 48 philosopher profiles and an 82-term glossary. - 23 practice quizzes with 319 questions and answer explanations. - 16 thought experiments and 10 branches to explore. - Spaced review of glossary terms. - Search across lessons, courses, profiles and glossary entries. - Bookmarks, personal notes and study-progress views. - Lesson read-aloud using your device's system voice. - Home Screen widgets for a daily philosophical idea, term and thinker. STUDY INTERPRETATIONS WITH REFERENCES Dedicated source cards, daily ideas and profile passages present Liminal's original paraphrases with citations. They are interpretations for study, not verbatim translations of the cited works. READ WITHOUT A CONNECTION Lesson and reference text is bundled for offline reading, subject to the lesson unlock. Buying, restoring, checking changed purchase access and opening external links may require a connection. Narration uses the voices available on your device.

Screenshots

Sophiq3 screens
Liminal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sophiq at none against Liminal's 1. Sophiq also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Liminal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Sophiq asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sophiq ships an update every 10 days, Liminal every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Sophiq versus Liminal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSophiqLiminal
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.8 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—5 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB3 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperAqib AhmedOMAR DANIEL GRAZIANO

In-app purchases

None

Sophiq

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Liminal

One-time1
  • Liminal Full Access$9.99

Questions

Is Sophiq free?
Sophiq is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Liminal free?
Liminal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Sophiq or Liminal have ads?
Neither Sophiq nor Liminal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sophiq or Liminal?
Sophiq ships an update every 10 days, and Liminal every 2 weeks. Most recently, Sophiq was updated on October 6, 2026 and Liminal on October 19, 2026.

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