Comparison

Centering Prayer vs LifeData

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Adjustable prayer timer
  • Opening and closing prayer options
  • Customizable sounds and backgrounds
  • Instructions for learning Centering Prayer
  • Support for daily prayer practice
Features
Read full description

“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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Participate in research studies
  • Experience sampling
  • Track patient-reported outcomes
  • Personal growth studies
  • Interact with study content daily
Features
Read full description

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

Centering Prayer4 screens
LifeData4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Centering Prayer sells 18 one-off in-app purchases. LifeData asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Centering Prayer versus LifeData: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCentering PrayerLifeData
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (18K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews97.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings18K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size88 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperContemplative Outreach Ltd.LifeData, LLC

Customer experience

Centering Prayer

All ratings17,668 ratings
Positive98.6%
Neutral0.9%
Negative0.5%
Written reviews276 reviews
Positive97.5%
Neutral1.1%
Negative1.4%

LifeData

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

18 purchases

Centering Prayer

One-time18
  • Active Prayer: Pray Without Ceasing$9.99
  • Attention/Intention, the One Thing Needed$9.99
  • Centering Prayer, Prayer of Consent$9.99
Show 15 more
  • 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
None

LifeData

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Centering Prayer free?
Centering Prayer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is LifeData free?
LifeData is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Centering Prayer or LifeData?
LifeData is rated higher. Centering Prayer averages 4.9 out of 5 from 18K ratings, while LifeData averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Centering Prayer or LifeData have ads?
Neither Centering Prayer nor LifeData shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Centering Prayer or LifeData?
Centering Prayer ships an update every 3 months, and LifeData every 3 weeks. Most recently, Centering Prayer was updated on September 24, 2026 and LifeData on August 30, 2026.

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