Apps
Best Catholic Apps: An Honest Comparison (2026)
Hallow, Laudate, iBreviary, Universalis, Amen, Divinum Officium: what the best-known Catholic apps actually offer, what they cost, which rite they follow, and where the traditional 1962 liturgy is found.
The best-known Catholic apps are Hallow, Laudate, iBreviary, Universalis and Amen, and each does one thing best: Hallow guided audio prayer, Laudate a free all-in-one library, iBreviary and Universalis the Liturgy of the Hours, Amen free audio meditation. All five are built on the modern, post-conciliar books. A Catholic who follows the traditional Roman rite — the 1962 Mass and Office — needs to choose with that in mind. Below is a factual comparison, checked against each app's own listing in October 2026, followed by the questions worth asking before you install anything.
How to judge a Catholic app
An app is a bookshelf, not a devotion. The Church's daily prayer rests on fixed things: the Mass of the day, the Divine Office, the Rosary, the litanies, the examination of conscience, the round of the liturgical year. A good Catholic app puts those in your pocket faithfully — the right texts, on the right calendar. Four questions sort the field quickly:
- Which liturgy does it serve? The modern Missal and Liturgy of the Hours, or the 1962 Missal and Roman Breviary? If you assist at the Tridentine Mass, an app on the reformed calendar will disagree with your missal on most days of the year.
- Which calendar does it follow? The traditional liturgical calendar, with Septuagesima, the Ember days and the octaves, or the reformed one?
- Where do its texts come from? The Church's handed-down prayers in their approved wording, or content composed for the app?
- What does it cost, and what does it collect? Subscription, one-off purchase, or free; and what it does with your data.
Hallow: guided audio prayer
What it offers. Hallow is the largest Catholic prayer app: thousands of guided audio sessions — lectio divina on the day's Gospel, the Rosary (including a Latin Rosary), the Divine Mercy Chaplet, night prayer, Bible stories, a Bible-in-a-Year programme, chant and other music, sleep sessions — in seven languages, on iOS and Android.
Cost. A free tier plus a subscription; the US App Store listed $9.99 a month or $69.99 a year in October 2026, with a free trial.
Rite. Modern. Its readings, Hours and calendar follow the post-conciliar books. Its register is that of meditation and calm, and it is often described as a "Calm for Catholics." We answer the common question in detail in is Hallow a Catholic app? (it is).
Laudate: the free all-in-one Catholic app
What it offers. Laudate, published by Aycka Soft, is the best-known free Catholic app: daily Mass readings with the saint of the day, the Liturgy of the Hours in English and in Latin, a Latin Mass section, interactive Rosaries and chaplets, the Stations of the Cross, confession guides, two Bibles (the New American Bible and the Douay-Rheims), Church documents, a large searchable library of prayers with Latin texts, and podcasts. Its App Store listing names nineteen languages.
Cost. Free, with no in-app purchases listed, and the developer declares that it collects no data.
Rite. Mostly modern: its daily readings and Hours follow the reformed books, though its prayer library and Latin sections reach further back. It is a compendium rather than a rule of prayer. We review it on its own in our Laudate app guide.
iBreviary: the free breviary app
What it offers. iBreviary, created by Fr. Paolo Padrini, an Italian priest, carries the Breviary, the Missal and the Lectionary of the current Roman rite in several languages, with the daily prayers, the Mass texts of the day and a collection of rites. Its Latin settings also include a Vetus Ordo section with hours of the 1962 Breviary and some texts of the older Missal, which its developers describe as still being expanded.
Cost. Free, on iOS and Android.
Rite. Modern in its main body and in its English texts; a Latin-only window onto the 1962 books. Details in our iBreviary review.
Universalis: the Liturgy of the Hours, done carefully
What it offers. Universalis gives every hour of the Liturgy of the Hours — the Office of Readings, Morning, Daytime, Evening and Night Prayer — with the readings and prayers for Mass and the calendar of saints, for any date. The Hours can be shown in English, in Latin, or both, and the app works without an internet connection.
Cost. The website is free to use; the iPhone and iPad app is a one-off purchase ($9.99 in the US), with optional audio sold as a subscription.
Rite. Modern: the reformed Office and calendar. See our Universalis guide.
Amen: free audio meditations
What it offers. Amen, from the Augustine Institute, offers short Catholic meditations, the daily Mass readings with guided lectio divina, a Bible-in-a-Year audio companion, the Rosary, examinations of conscience, evening psalms, sleep stories and family content. Its readings use the RSV-2CE translation.
Cost. Free, on iOS and Android.
Rite. Modern, in a sober, catechetical tone.
Divinum Officium: the traditional Office on the web
What it offers. Divinum Officium is a long-running volunteer website that sets out the traditional Roman Office, and the Mass, for any date, in Latin with a translation alongside, according to several historical editions of the rubrics, including those of 1960–1962.
Cost. Free.
Rite. Traditional — it is the standard online reference for the old Office, though it is a website rather than a phone app. We explain how to use it in what is Divinum Officium?
Rosary apps and Bible apps
Two kinds of Catholic app deserve their own comparison. For praying the beads with a guide, see our review of the best rosary apps; for reading Scripture, see the best Catholic Bible app guide, which compares translations as well as features — the first question for a Catholic Bible app is whether it carries the full canon, deuterocanonical books included.
Comparison at a glance
| App | Main use | Price | Rite and calendar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hallow | Guided audio prayer, meditation | Free tier + subscription | Modern |
| Laudate | All-in-one library | Free | Modern (with Latin sections) |
| iBreviary | Breviary and Missal | Free | Modern (Latin Vetus Ordo section) |
| Universalis | Liturgy of the Hours | Free website; paid app | Modern |
| Amen | Audio meditation, readings | Free | Modern |
| Divinum Officium | Traditional Office and Mass (website) | Free | Traditional |
| Iter Fidei | Traditional Mass, Office, prayers | Free early access | Traditional 1962 |
Where Iter Fidei stands
We built Iter Fidei for the gap the table shows: the traditional Roman rite, whole, in a phone app. It carries the Mass of the day according to the 1962 Missal and the 1962 Divine Office, on the traditional calendar; the Church's prayers, litanies, chaplets and novenas in their unchanged wording; Latin and English side by side, with audio to pray along. Each part has its own page: the 1962 Latin Mass missal, the examination of conscience for confession, the Divine Office, the Rosary, the novenas and the Catholic Bible, all gathered on the Iter Fidei app page. It is coming soon to iOS and Android, with free early access open now.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best Catholic apps?
The best-known are Hallow (guided audio prayer), Laudate (a free all-in-one library), iBreviary and Universalis (the Liturgy of the Hours), and Amen (free audio meditations). All follow the modern rite. For the traditional 1962 Office, the reference has long been the Divinum Officium website; Iter Fidei brings the 1962 Mass and Office to a phone app.
What is the best Catholic prayer app?
It depends on what you pray. For guided audio, Hallow; for a free library of prayers, Laudate; for the modern Liturgy of the Hours, iBreviary or Universalis. For the traditional Mass and Breviary of 1962, choose an app built on those books.
What are the best free Catholic apps?
Laudate, iBreviary and Amen are free; the Universalis website is free, though its app is a one-off purchase; Hallow has a free tier but most of its content is in its subscription. Iter Fidei's early access is free.
Are there traditional Catholic apps for the Latin Mass?
Yes, though fewer. iBreviary has a Latin Vetus Ordo section, Laudate has Latin sections, and Divinum Officium serves the traditional Office and Mass on the web. Iter Fidei is built entirely on the 1962 Missal and Breviary, in Latin and English.
Which Catholic app has the Liturgy of the Hours?
iBreviary, Universalis and Laudate all carry the modern Liturgy of the Hours, and Hallow has sessions drawn from it. The traditional form of the Office — the Roman Breviary of 1962 — is explained in our article on the Liturgy of the Hours.
Is Hallow a Catholic app?
Yes. It was founded by Catholics and its prayers are Catholic. It follows the modern books and calendar, and most of its content requires a subscription.
Iter Fidei carries the traditional Mass of the day, the 1962 Divine Office and the prayers of the Church, in Latin and English with audio. It is coming soon to iOS and Android. Join early access here.
Sources. Missale Romanum, editio typica 1962; Breviarium Romanum, editio typica 1962; St. Pius X, apostolic constitution Divino afflatu (1911).