Shepherd vs SermonNote
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Shepherd
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Shepherd is a pastoral care dashboard to help you manage the work of ministry—specifically all the people stuff at the core of leading a faith community. Like ministry itself, Shepherd is a bit of a hybrid. It’s part database, part event manager. It’s part prayer journal and part task list. But at its heart, it’s about people, and about centering the care you want to offer to the people you serve. We think you’re going to love using the event management tools, and the way the task manager is integrated into Reminders is going to be helpful too. But what we’re most excited about is how this tool might help you reconnect with somebody on the fringe, and nudge you to reach out to that new visitor who is still trying to find their place in the community. We're excited about the way it prompts you to pray. Subscription offered under terms of Apple's standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
SermonNote
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Hear a sermon in English, get notes in your own language. Choose the sermon's language and yours when you start, and every summary and main point appears in both — translated on your device. SermonNote turns Sunday's message into clear, structured notes — a summary, the main points, and personal applications — and it all runs on your device. Tap record as the sermon begins, put your phone down, and be present. PRIVATE BY DESIGN - Recording, transcription, and notes run entirely on your device - No servers, no account — nothing is uploaded - Your recordings and notes stay yours FROM SERMON TO NOTES - A live transcript scrolls as the preacher speaks - Every message becomes a summary, main points, and applications - Scripture references are detected automatically and become tappable chips - Tap a verse to read the passage — six Bibles are built in, bible.com one tap away - Import a sermon from Voice Memos or Files - Mark moments while it is being preached; correct any line of the transcript STUDY EVERY MESSAGE - Turn any sermon into an expository outline, small-group discussion questions, a five-day devotional, prayer points, or a personal reflection - Search every word across all of your notes - Organize a sermon series with colorful folders BUILT FOR BILINGUAL CHURCHES - Choose the sermon's language and yours once — 14 languages for your notes - Read your notes side by side in a second language, translated on your device - Verse references appear in each language's own book names - Made for bilingual and diaspora congregations STAY IN THE HABIT - A gentle Sunday reminder and a week-by-week streak - Share a quote card from the message with your group Whether you take notes in the pew or lead a small group by Wednesday, SermonNote helps Sunday's message stay with you all week. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Shepherd at every 2 days against SermonNote's every 3 weeks. SermonNote's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.2). 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
Both are free to download. Shepherd sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per year and SermonNote sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Shepherd ships an update every 2 days, SermonNote every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Shepherd | SermonNote |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.2 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Steven Hovater | Neobile LLC |
In-app purchases
Shepherd
- Shepherd Annual7 Days trial$7.991 Year
- Shepherd Lifetime$14.99
SermonNote
- Monthly$2.991 Month
- Annual$9.991 Year
- Pro access lifetime$24.99









