# Hymnal vs ELS Hymnbook

The clearest difference is rating: ELS Hymnbook at 5.0 against Hymnal's 4.3. ELS Hymnbook also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 72%) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 14 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ELS Hymnbook holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 26 and 34 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Hymnal's written reviews are positive against 100% of ELS Hymnbook's.

Hymnal ships an update every 14 months, ELS Hymnbook every 4 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hymnal | ELS Hymnbook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (26 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hymnal/id872755663/reviews) | **[5.0 (34 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/els-hymnbook/id982201669/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 26 | **34** |
| Positive reviews | 72.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 14 months | **Every 4 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 22 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **12.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [United Church of God](https://appshunter.io/developer/520535520) | [Joseph Gellenbeck](https://appshunter.io/developer/982201667) |

## What reviewers say

### Hymnal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hymnal/id872755663)

Access the United Church of God hymnal with this application. Search for songs by title and listen to piano recordings to aid in worship and musical practice.

**Highlights:** Searchable song titles, Piano recordings, United Church of God hymnal, Worship aid, Musical practice tool

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### ELS Hymnbook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/els-hymnbook/id982201669)

Access and search a comprehensive collection of hymns. View songs in sheet music or lyrics-only format, with options to browse by topic, author, or composer. Find specific hymns quickly through powerful search capabilities.

**Highlights:** View sheet music, Lyrics only mode, Search by title, lyrics, topic, author, composer, Browse by number, alphabet, topic, Offline access

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hymnal free?

Hymnal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ELS Hymnbook free?

ELS Hymnbook is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Hymnal or ELS Hymnbook?

ELS Hymnbook is rated higher. Hymnal averages 4.3 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while ELS Hymnbook averages 5.0 from 34 ratings.

### Do Hymnal or ELS Hymnbook have ads?

Neither Hymnal nor ELS Hymnbook shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hymnal or ELS Hymnbook?

Hymnal ships an update every 14 months, and ELS Hymnbook every 4 months. Most recently, Hymnal was updated on November 1, 2026 and ELS Hymnbook on November 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*