Centering Prayer vs The Pause App
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Centering Prayer
This app guides users through Centering Prayer, a silent contemplative prayer practice. It offers a customizable timer, opening and closing prayers, and a selection of sounds and backgrounds to create a peaceful environment for deepening one's relationship with God. Includes instructions for learning the method.
- Adjustable prayer timer
- Opening and closing prayer options
- Customizable sounds and backgrounds
- Instructions for learning Centering Prayer
- Support for daily prayer practice
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“God’s first word is silence.” -Thomas Keating Centering Prayer is a method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, prayer in which we experience God's presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. This method of prayer is both a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship. Centering Prayer is not meant to replace other kinds of prayer; rather it casts a new light and depth of meaning on them. Centering Prayer is an ancient method of Christian prayer adapted for modern times by Fathers Thomas Keating, William Meninger and Basil Pennington. The Centering Prayer application will support your daily prayer practice commitment. Beautiful and peaceful, the app includes an adjustable timer, as well as opening and closing prayer options that you may read before and after your silent prayer time. An assortment of sounds and backgrounds allow you to choose the type of environment you want to create for your prayer time. Brief instructions for learning Centering Prayer are also included. It is recommended you practice being in relationship with God through Centering Prayer twice a day for 20 minutes to begin with.
The Pause App
This application guides users through a practice designed to offer closure to medical teams and loved ones after a patient's death. It supports a movement aimed at providing a moment of reflection and respect in challenging times.
- Guided practice for The Pause
- Supports closure for medical teams
- Aids loved ones in finding closure
- Facilitates reflection and respect
- Promotes a movement for mindful practice
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The medical Pause is a practice implemented after the death of a patient. This practice offers closure to the medical team and in the patient's loved ones. This practice, which has now become a movement, was introduced by Jonathan Bartels, RN. This app helps in practicing The Pause.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Pause App at none against Centering Prayer's 18. The Pause App also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.1). Centering Prayer's advantage is ratings volume (18K vs 11) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. Centering Prayer sells 18 one-off in-app purchases. The Pause App asks for nothing beyond the download.
Centering Prayer holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Centering Prayer has 18K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 98% of Centering Prayer's written reviews are positive against 100% of The Pause App's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Centering Prayer ships an update every 3 months, The Pause App every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Centering Prayer | The Pause App |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (18K ratings) — better | 4.6 (11 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 97.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 18K — better | 11 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 88 MB | 75 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Contemplative Outreach Ltd. | Roundglass |
Customer experience
Centering Prayer
The Pause App
Bugs and requests
Centering Prayer
Reported bugs
2 issues- Compatibility issues with iOS 13
- Occasional crashes or freezes
Requested features
3 requests- Add ability to save custom prayers
- Include option to track meditation history
- Integrate with health/fitness apps
The Pause App
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Centering Prayer
- Active Prayer: Pray Without Ceasing$9.99
- Attention/Intention, the One Thing Needed$9.99
- Centering Prayer, Prayer of Consent$9.99
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- Practicing the Holy Spirit$9.99
- Discipline of Prayer, Intimacy with God$9.99
- Lectio Divina: The Ancient Practice of Praying the Scriptures$9.99
- Simplicity: Let Your Eye Be Single$9.99
- Spirituality of Money: In God We Trust$9.99
- Welcoming Prayer: Consent on the Go$9.99
- Paschal Mystery, A Journey into Redemption and Grace$9.99
- Contemplative Service, Prayer in Action$9.99
- Faith: An Advent Companion$9.99
- Hospitality: The Dance Between Guest and Host$9.99
- Silence & Solitude: Wherein Wisdom Dwells$9.99
- Forgiveness: A Growth in Love$11.99
- Three Main Practices$23.99
- Life as Practice$54.99
- Complete Contemplative Life Program$109.99
The Pause App
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Centering Prayer free?
Is The Pause App free?
Which has better reviews, Centering Prayer or The Pause App?
Do Centering Prayer or The Pause App have ads?
Which is updated more often, Centering Prayer or The Pause App?
Other comparisons
