Comparison

Lion's Roar vs Source Magazine

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

Head to head
About

Lion's Roar

Access Buddhist teachings and insights on modern life through a digital magazine. Explore practical wisdom, philosophy, and meditation techniques from renowned teachers and writers. Enjoy enhanced readability and social sharing features.

Highlights
  • Digital magazine edition
  • Easy-to-read design
  • Social sharing functionality
  • Integrated website content
  • Buddhist teachings
  • Practical life insights
Features
Read full description

The Lion's Roar digital edition delivers all the same great content from the print edition, now enhanced with an easy-to-read design, social sharing functionality, and integrated with must-reads from the website. Today’s most widely-read Buddhist magazine, Lion's Roar offers accessible, practical, and profound teachings from across the Buddhist spectrum. Lion's Roar applies Buddhist insight, philosophy, and meditation techniques to all the important issues in life today—from livelihood, parenting, and relationships to politics, social action, and the arts. In the pages of Lion's Roar, ancient wisdom shares the stage with some of today’s finest writers, thinkers, and teachers, including Pema Chödrön, Thich Nhat Hanh, the Dalai Lama, Sylvia Boorstein, bell hooks, Pico Iyer, Diane Ackerman, George Saunders, Charles Johnson—and many others. Lion's Roar Pricing: • Subscription 6 Month - USD 12.99* • Subscription 1 Year - USD 24.99* * For non-US app stores, the equivalent currency charges will apply. Please note: App subscriptions do not include access to subscription-only content on our website. Additional Subscription Information: • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. • No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Privacy Policy - https://bit.ly/2J5Ujfh Terms of Use - https://bit.ly/2J1YZqL • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable.

About

Source Magazine

Access a digital edition of a magazine dedicated to Scientologists, featuring stories about services, the spiritual headquarters, and community events. Enjoy exclusive videos and stay updated on the latest content.

Highlights
  • Digital magazine edition
  • Exclusive videos
  • IAS membership login
  • Notifications for new content
  • Bookmark articles and videos
  • Explore spiritual headquarters
Features
Read full description

A magazine for Scientologists from Flag, spiritual headquarters of the Scientology religion. Experience the magic of Flag at your fingertips with the Source magazine app. It’s the center of the universe for Scientologists, the pinnacle of technical perfection and the friendliest place on Earth. Now you can access all the stories about the services, the setting and the scene with a digital edition of Source magazine. Available in 17 languages. • Download and read anytime, anywhere. It’s Source magazine enhanced and optimized for viewing on your phone or tablet. • Log on with your IAS membership number to gain access to content. • Access exclusive videos. Exciting and inspiring videos take you inside Flag, giving you a glimpse into our delivery space and introducing you to people who share their life-changing wins. • Stay plugged in. As soon as a new issue or new video drops, you’ll be notified, so you’re always in the know. • Save your favorites. Bookmark any article or video for easy viewing anytime you open the app. • You are virtually there. Explore the Flag-only Rundowns, get a flavor of the restaurants, a look at the retreats, meet the community of Scientologists and stay up-to-date on all that’s happening at Flag with the Source magazine app. Tap into the inspiration Tap into the excitement Tap into Source

Screenshots

Lion's Roar4 screens
Source Magazine4 screens

Verdict

The call

Lion's Roar and Source Magazine both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 96% of Source Magazine's written reviews are positive against 51% of Lion's Roar's. Source Magazine also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 19) and ads (none vs shown). Lion's Roar's advantage is ratings volume (1.6K vs 342) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, rating 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Lion's Roar sells 19 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per 6 months. Source Magazine 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 Lion's Roar against 4.9 for Source Magazine. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.6K and 342 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 51% of Lion's Roar's written reviews are positive against 96% of Source Magazine's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lion's Roar ships an update every 6 months, Source Magazine every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Lion's Roar versus Source Magazine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLion's RoarSource Magazine
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (1.6K ratings)4.9 (342 ratings)
Positive reviews51.3% of reviews95.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.6K — better342
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
Best chart rank—#200 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB139 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLion's Roar FoundationChurch of Scientology International

Customer experience

Lion's Roar

All ratings1,627 ratings
Positive97.6%
Neutral0.7%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews39 reviews
Positive51.3%
Neutral10.3%
Negative38.5%

Source Magazine

All ratings342 ratings
Positive98.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive95.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.3%

Bugs and requests

Lion's Roar

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App not functioning or loading content
  • Subscription issues and inability to access past issues
  • Login problems and app crashes

Requested features

3 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Highlighting and dictionary features
  • Improved accessibility for visually impaired users

Source Magazine

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

19 purchases

Lion's Roar

Subscriptions2
  • 6 Months Subscription$12.996 Months
  • Lion's Roar magazine1 Month trial$24.991 Year
One-time17
  • November 2015$7.99
  • January 2016$7.99
  • March 2016$7.99
Show 14 more
  • May 2016$7.99
  • July 2016$7.99
  • September 2016$7.99
  • November 2016$7.99
  • January 2017$7.99
  • Lion's Roar Feed 72$7.99
  • Lion's Roar Feed 67$7.99
  • Lion's Roar Feed 70$7.99
  • Lion's Roar Feed 71$7.99
  • Lion's Roar Feed 65$7.99
  • Lion's Roar Feed 63$7.99
  • Lion's Roar Feed 64$7.99
  • Lion's Roar Feed 62$7.99
  • Lion's Roar Feed 60$7.99
None

Source Magazine

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Lion's Roar free?
Lion's Roar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Source Magazine free?
Source Magazine is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Lion's Roar or Source Magazine?
Lion's Roar and Source Magazine are both rated 4.9 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1.6K and 342 ratings respectively.
Do Lion's Roar or Source Magazine have ads?
Lion's Roar shows ads; Source Magazine does not.
Which is updated more often, Lion's Roar or Source Magazine?
Lion's Roar ships an update every 6 months, and Source Magazine every 6 weeks. Most recently, Lion's Roar was updated on September 22, 2026 and Source Magazine on September 25, 2026.

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