Centering Prayer vs LifeData
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.
LifeData
This app allows users to participate in research studies by interacting with content throughout their day. It's designed to gather data on daily experiences, patient-reported outcomes for healthcare, and personal growth.
- Participate in research studies
- Experience sampling
- Track patient-reported outcomes
- Personal growth studies
- Interact with study content daily
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The LifeData app is part of the new LifeData platform released in 2025 designed to interact with you throughout the day. Be sure that this is the correct app for the study you wish to participate in. Use it to download Studies created by experts using the LifeData web application and then begin interacting with the content throughout your day. Studies are used for a variety of purposes. Some involve experience sampling so that researchers can better understand your daily experiences. Others gather patient reported outcomes for healthcare providers who want to track how you are doing. And in some cases, Studies are designed to help you grow in a particular area. The underlying technology for this app was designed by behavioral scientists, and opens up new possibilities for understanding and change.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: LifeData at none against Centering Prayer's 18. LifeData also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). Centering Prayer's advantage is ratings volume (18K vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating 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. LifeData asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Centering Prayer against 5.0 for LifeData. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Centering Prayer has 18K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Centering Prayer ships an update every 3 months, LifeData every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and August 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Centering Prayer | LifeData |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (18K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 97.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 18K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 88 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Contemplative Outreach Ltd. | LifeData, LLC |
Customer experience
Centering Prayer
LifeData
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
LifeData
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
LifeData
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Centering Prayer free?
Is LifeData free?
Which has better reviews, Centering Prayer or LifeData?
Do Centering Prayer or LifeData have ads?
Which is updated more often, Centering Prayer or LifeData?
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