# Lion's Roar vs Advance! LA

Lion's Roar and Advance! LA both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Advance! LA's written reviews are positive against 51% of Lion's Roar's. Advance! LA also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). Lion's Roar's advantage is ratings volume (1.6K vs 42) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, rating and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Lion's Roar sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per 6 months. Advance! LA asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Lion's Roar against 5.0 for Advance! LA. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lion's Roar has 1.6K ratings behind it against 42, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 51% of Lion's Roar's written reviews are positive against 100% of Advance! LA's.

Lion's Roar ships an update every 6 months, Advance! LA every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Lion's Roar | Advance! LA |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lions-roar/id950297065/reviews) | **[5.0 (42 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/advance-la/id1598706189/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.6K** | 42 |
| Positive reviews | 51.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free** |
| Size | 63 MB | 139 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Lion's Roar Foundation](https://appshunter.io/developer/950297064) | [Church of Scientology International](https://appshunter.io/developer/412117484) |

## What reviewers say

### Lion's Roar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lions-roar/id950297065)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 6 Months Subscription | $12.99 | per 6 months |
| Lion's Roar magazine | $24.99 | per year |
| November 2015 | $7.99 | one-time |
| January 2016 | $7.99 | one-time |
| March 2016 | $7.99 | one-time |
| May 2016 | $7.99 | one-time |
| July 2016 | $7.99 | one-time |
| September 2016 | $7.99 | one-time |
| November 2016 | $7.99 | one-time |
| January 2017 | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent publication and app
- 🤗 Insightful, accessible, and user-friendly
- 🙏 Wisdom and authentic words
- 💻 Great content and format

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app and login issues
- 🔒 Subscription and access problems
- 🖥️ Lack of dark mode and accessibility features

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Highlighting and dictionary features
- Improved accessibility for visually impaired users


### Advance! LA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/advance-la/id1598706189)

Access exclusive content from the Advanced Organization Los Angeles, including success stories and spiritual insights. This digital magazine is optimized for mobile devices and provides notifications for new issues and videos.

**Highlights:** Exclusive content from AOLA, Digital magazine optimized for mobile, Save favorite articles and videos, Exclusive video access, Notifications for new issues, Access with IAS membership number

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lion's Roar free?

Lion's Roar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Advance! LA free?

Advance! LA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Lion's Roar or Advance! LA?

Advance! LA is rated higher. Lion's Roar averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while Advance! LA averages 5.0 from 42 ratings.

### Do Lion's Roar or Advance! LA have ads?

Lion's Roar shows ads; Advance! LA does not.

### Which is updated more often, Lion's Roar or Advance! LA?

Lion's Roar ships an update every 6 months, and Advance! LA every 2 months. Most recently, Lion's Roar was updated on November 1, 2026 and Advance! LA on November 3, 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.*