Study Gateway vs Encountering Peace
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Study Gateway
Access a vast library of on-demand video Bible studies from renowned Christian teachers and authors. Explore topics like discipleship, healing, and Christian living through engaging video content. This service is available as part of a subscription.
- On-demand video Bible studies
- World-renowned Bible teachers
- Thousands of study videos
- Discipleship and Christian living topics
- Overcoming and healing content
- Bible discussion resources
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Study Gateway is the streaming video Bible study service from Zondervan and Thomas Nelson, featuring the world’s most-trusted Bible teachers, authors and pastors, including Max Lucado, Anne Graham Lotz, Louie Giglio, Rick Warren, Derwin Gray, Lysa TerKeurst, Jennie Allen, Andy Stanley, Chrystal Evans Hurst, John Ortberg, Ann Voskamp, Christine Caine, Jada Edwards, Bob Goff, and Jim Cymbala. Watch thousands of Bible study videos on subjects like discipleship, overcoming and healing, Christian living, and Bible discussion. Get the app as a part of your Study Gateway subscription. Terms of Service: https://watch.studygateway.com/tos Privacy Policy: https://watch.studygateway.com/privacy
Encountering Peace
Discover God's peace with guided audio meditations rooted in scripture. Search by theme to find meditations for sleep, anxiety, hope, and more. Daily new meditations and a large library are available to help you grow in mindfulness and connect with God's presence.
- Over 300 hours of guided audio meditations
- Meditations rooted in Holy Scripture
- Search meditations by theme (Sleep, Anxiety, Love, etc.)
- Daily new biblical meditations
- Library of 500+ Christian meditations
- Journal prayers and reflections
- Connect with a prayerful community
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Encounter God’s Peace… Encountering Peace is your daily companion on the journey to discover the peace of God you’ve been longing for—featuring over 300 hours of guided audio meditations rooted in Holy Scripture. Best of all, every meditation is entirely free—just as peace should be. Whatever you’re feeling today, you can effortlessly search by theme to find a meditation that meets you where you are. Topics include: Sleep, Insomnia, Anxiety, Love, Healing, Hope, Wisdom, Purpose, and many more. A brand-new biblical meditation is added each day—crafted just for you. Plus, you’ll have unlimited access to our growing library of 500+ free Christian meditations to help you find the sacred in the everyday and grow in mindfulness. Why choose Encountering Peace? To journal your prayers and reflections in your own private space. To explore meditations tailored to your season of life. To connect with a prayerful community through shared thoughts and encouragement. Whether you’re wrestling with anxiety, struggling to sleep, or seeking to deepen your spiritual walk, Encountering Peace offers a gentle guide to God’s presence. Download the app today—and begin experiencing the stillness your soul craves.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Encountering Peace at free against Study Gateway's subscription. Encountering Peace also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.2) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 16.6). Study Gateway's advantage is ratings volume (967 vs 176) and review sentiment (76% vs 67%). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Encountering Peace holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Study Gateway has 967 ratings behind it against 176, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of Study Gateway's written reviews are positive against 67% of Encountering Peace's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Study Gateway ships an update every 5 months, Encountering Peace every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Study Gateway | Encountering Peace |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (967 ratings) | 4.6 (176 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.9% of reviews — better | 67.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 967 — better | 176 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 4 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 13.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 68 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc. | Encountering Peace |
Customer experience
Study Gateway
Encountering Peace
User reviews
Study Gateway
From 967 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🙏🏻 Blessed by the studies
- 👍 Helpful for personal and group study
- 📚 Extensive Bible study content
- 🤗 Enjoyable and engaging teaching
- ⚓️ Strengthens faith and relationship with God
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy app with login and access issues
- 🤯 Difficult to navigate and find content
- 🔒 Lack of customer support and account management
- 💰 Frustrating subscription and cancellation process
Encountering Peace
From 176 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✨ Scripture-based Christian meditation content
- 🎙️ Soothing narrator voice (Drew) with calming delivery
- 🎵 High-quality background music and sound design
- 💰 Completely free access to all meditations
- 📱 User-friendly interface and intuitive navigation
Room to improve
- 🐛 Major app redesign broke core functionality
- 📉 Bible readings removed in recent update
- 🤖 Some meditations now use AI-generated voices
- 🔋 Severe battery drain issues
- 🔐 Login and account synchronization problems
Bugs and requests
Study Gateway
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes frequently
- Unable to access purchased content
- Login and password issues
- Compatibility problems on various devices
Requested features
3 requests- Improve app stability and user experience
- Provide better customer service and account management
- Simplify subscription and cancellation process
Encountering Peace
Reported bugs
13 issues- Login credentials not recognized after update
- Saved favorites disappearing or inaccessible
- App stuck displaying meditations from June 4th
- Battery drain even with background refresh disabled
- Audio playback stops when screen locks
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- iPad showing blank white screen
- App freezing and requiring reinstallation
- iPhone audio not working while email version works
- Inconsistent meditation availability between app and email
- Search filters not scrolling past certain letters
- Account data loss after logout
- App not compatible with VoiceOver accessibility
- Meditations not updating to current date
Requested features
12 requests- Restore previous app version or features
- Bring back Bible readings functionality
- Sleep timer feature
- Landscape orientation support
- Longer meditation durations with extended silence
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- Better search and filter functionality
- Persistent login sessions
- Complete favorites list visibility
- Daily meditation rotation instead of repeats
- VoiceOver accessibility support for blind users
- Ability to disable background app refresh
- Improved notification system
In-app purchases
Study Gateway
No in-app purchases
Encountering Peace
No in-app purchases
