Comparison

Shemanu vs ActivePray

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

Head to head
About

Shemanu

This app helps users learn and connect with Hebrew prayer through interactive tools. Features include read-along audio, pronunciation feedback, and a digital siddur. Users can also journal their spiritual journey and access daily connection features.

Highlights
  • Read-along audio with word highlighting
  • Pronunciation tutor with feedback
  • Transliteration and English translation
  • Siddur scanning and audio playback
  • Voice and text journaling
  • Daily prayer and Torah verses
  • Shabbat candle-lighting times
Features
Read full description

Shemanu helps Jews of all backgrounds learn, understand, and connect with Hebrew prayer through interactive tools designed to build confidence, consistency, and spiritual connection. LEARN & PRACTICE • Read-along audio with each Hebrew word highlighted as it's spoken • Pronunciation Tutor that listens as you pray and provides personalized feedback • Transliteration and English translation for every prayer • Choose your tradition (Ashkenazi or Sephardic) to personalize your experience • Build confidence reading and speaking Hebrew at your own pace YOUR SIDDUR, ANYWHERE • Scan any Hebrew prayer directly from your physical siddur • Instantly view transliteration and English translation • Hear prayers read aloud with synchronized highlighting • Practice speaking what you scan and improve your pronunciation KOL KAVANAH JOURNAL • Capture prayers, intentions, gratitude, and reflections by voice or text • Create a personal record of your spiritual journey • Revisit meaningful moments and track your growth over time DAILY CONNECTION • Daily Aliyah read-along with Hebrew and English • Daily Torah verse notifications for inspiration throughout the week • Musar Moment reflections to encourage personal growth and mindful living • Daily Aliyah reminders to help build a consistent learning practice • Shabbat candle-lighting times customized to your location • Weekly Hafrashat Challah reminders and baking streaks • Women's Circle for community, inspiration, and guidance • Gematria explorer for discovering the numerical meaning of Hebrew words SHEMANU PRO Unlock unlimited Pronunciation Tutor sessions, Siddur Scanning, Kol Kavanah voice journaling, Gematria exploration, and additional premium features with a Shemanu Pro subscription (monthly or annual). Free members can access the prayer library, Daily Aliyah, Torah verses, reminders, and daily connection features. Shemanu is a learning and enrichment tool. Prayer texts and translations are provided for study and personal practice. Terms of Use (EULA): https://shemanu.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://shemanu.com/privacy

About

ActivePray

Features
Read full description

ActivePray is a prayer app for daily religious practice. Prayer times, the right calendar, the appointed days, and the scripture to read — set to the branch you follow, and working whether or not you have a signal. THREE FAITHS. EIGHT BRANCHES. Judaism (Karaite, Conservative / Masorti, Reform) Islam (Sunni, Shia (Twelver)) Christianity (Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant) The layout is shared. Nothing else is. Each branch keeps its own calendar — its own months, its own leap years, its own hour at which a day begins — and its own prayers, fasts and dates. Where two branches disagree, each is followed on its own terms rather than averaged into one. THE FIVE SCREENS Today — the next prayer, the window you are in, and what today is in your own calendar: ordinary, a fast, or a day set apart. Prayer — the services, the readings, the psalms and the prayers appointed for the day, in the original script alongside the English. With a guided washing flow when your branch asks for one. Calendar — your branch's own calendar with its appointed dates inline, and the detail behind any day. Active — the daily ring, streaks, mercy days and badges, for showing up. Profile — the branch you follow, reminders, bookmarks and settings. Plus a compass pointing where your branch faces, a Live Activity counting down to the next prayer, Home and Lock Screen widgets, and reminders built per branch. RECKONED ON YOUR PHONE Every time in this app is calculated from where you are and where the sun is — nothing is fetched, so nothing breaks when you are offline. The dates have been checked one by one against outside authorities, and where the app disagrees with a published table, the disagreement is recorded rather than quietly smoothed over. PRIVATE BY BUILD, NOT BY PROMISE No analytics. No advertising. No tracking. Your name, streaks, history, saved verses and photo stay on your device and in your own iCloud, which we cannot read. Your location is used on your device to work out your times and is never sent to us. The single exception is your username, which has to be unique and so lives in a database we keep — and the privacy policy says exactly what is in it. ACTIVE+ (OPTIONAL) The core is free and stays free: every prayer time, the sun and moon times yourccalendar turns on, the calendar itself, the compass, reminders, and the Home Screen widget. Active+ adds a private prayer journal, end-to-end encrypted in your iCloud; custom reminder timing, a morning prayer alarm that rings even on silent, Lock Screen widgets, the Year in Prayer (your year month by month, your most-kept prayers and every streak), Quiet Progress for practising without the numbers, a supporter star, places of worship near you, the fasting planner, alternate app icons, and the pilgrimage planner. €2.99 a month, auto-renewing until cancelled. Payment is charged to your Apple Account on confirmation of purchase, and renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel it in Settings, under your Apple Account. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://activepray.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

Shemanu4 screens
ActivePray4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Shemanu at 3 against ActivePray's 1. Shemanu also leads on iOS requirement (14.0.0 vs 26.1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Shemanu sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and ActivePray sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Shemanu versus ActivePray: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShemanuActivePray
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (8 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0.0 — better26.1
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVNV Hospitality LLCBenjamin Weberink

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Shemanu

Subscriptions2
  • Shemanu Pro Monthly$6.991 Month
  • Shemanu Pro Annual$72.001 Year
1 purchases

ActivePray

Subscriptions1
  • Active+14 Days trial$2.991 Month

Questions

Is Shemanu free?
Shemanu is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ActivePray free?
ActivePray is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Shemanu or ActivePray have ads?
Neither Shemanu nor ActivePray shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shemanu or ActivePray?
Shemanu ships an update weekly, and ActivePray weekly. Most recently, Shemanu was updated on September 21, 2026 and ActivePray on October 26, 2026.

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