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 a silent prayer practice designed to foster a deeper relationship with God. It features an adjustable timer, customizable sounds, and opening/closing prayer options to create a peaceful environment for contemplation. Learn the ancient method of Centering Prayer adapted for modern times.
- Adjustable prayer timer
- Opening and closing prayer options
- Customizable sounds and backgrounds
- Instructions for Centering Prayer
- Peaceful user interface
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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, 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 that fosters 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 app helps you stay committed to your daily prayer practice. Beautiful and peaceful, the app includes an adjustable timer, as well as opening and closing prayer options that you can read before and after your silent prayer time. A selection of sounds and backgrounds allows you to create the environment you prefer for your prayer time. Brief instructions for learning Centering Prayer are also included. To begin with, it is recommended that you practice being in relationship with God through Centering Prayer twice a day for 20 minutes.
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 10. LifeData also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). Centering Prayer's advantage is ratings volume (18K vs 1). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. Centering Prayer sells 10 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 November 9, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Centering Prayer | LifeData |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (18K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 97.6% 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 — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 10 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
- Centering Prayer, Prayer of Consent$9.99
- Practicing the Holy Spirit$9.99
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- 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
- Faith: An Advent Companion$9.99
- Three Main Practices$23.99
- Complete Contemplative Life Program$109.99
LifeData
No in-app purchases
