Three-way comparison
Hallow vs Ascension App vs Laudate
All three compared side by side — ratings, pricing, platforms, real-world strengths, and a clear pick for each kind of user.
Three Catholic apps sit on the phones of nearly every practicing Catholic in North America, and they do genuinely different jobs well enough that most people end up installing more than one. Hallow is the produced prayer experience—celebrity-narrated Rosaries, guided meditations scored with music, sleep stories, and Pray40 (the viral 40-day Lent challenge). It costs $69.99/year for the full catalog and is the most ambitious thing happening in Catholic prayer apps. Ascension App is the free companion to Fr. Mike Schmitz's podcasts—Bible in a Year, Catechism in a Year, the Great Adventure reading plan, daily Mass readings, and reflection prompts. It is opinionated about the path you walk and has quietly become the daily Scripture home for millions of Catholic listeners. Laudate is the Swiss Army knife—completely free, no premium tier, and packing the Liturgy of the Hours, the full Catechism, audio Rosary, Stations of the Cross, and prayers in a dozen languages into one utility that has held the #1 spot in the free Catholic category for more than a decade.
All three are worth having. Most Catholic users who take prayer seriously end up with at least two of them running side by side. The question is not which one is best—it is which one solves *your* primary problem, and what the other two fill in as you develop a practice.
The bottom line
For a Catholic starting a daily prayer habit and willing to invest $69.99/year, Hallow is the gateway drug—the production is genuinely competitive with secular meditation apps, the Pray40 seasonal challenges actually work, and the free tier is generous enough to build a habit before paying. For a Catholic already listening to Fr. Mike Schmitz or wanting to do Bible in a Year with structure, the Ascension App is essentially mandatory—it's free, opinionated in the best way, and designed precisely around those podcasts. For a Catholic who wants the full toolkit (Hours, readings, Catechism, Rosary, prayers) at no cost and doesn't care about design or audio production, Laudate is unmatched at the price. Most serious Catholic users install all three: Laudate for daily reference, Ascension for the Scripture and Catechism reading plans, Hallow for produced audio prayer when they want something more guided.
The core difference: Hallow produces a prayer experience you listen to. Ascension organizes a reading plan you follow. Laudate indexes and references everything a Catholic touches in prayer. Same religion, three different approaches.
Hallow vs Ascension App vs Laudate: at a glance
| Hallow | Ascension App | Laudate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 4.9 / 5 | 4.9 / 5 | 3.9 / 5 |
| Starting price | Free, then $69.99/yr Hallow+ | Free | Free |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | iOS · Android · Web · Apple Watch · CarPlay | iOS · Android · Web (limited) | iOS · Android |
| Developer | Hallow, Inc. | Ascension Press | Aycka Soft |
| Best for | Catholics who want a daily prayer habit | Catholic readers following Bible in a Year or Catechism in a Year | Catholics who want the full daily prayer toolkit at no cost |
See them in action
Ascension App
Laudate
How they compare, point by point
Primary strength
Hallow
Guided audio prayer; production quality that competes with Calm; celebrity-led Rosaries; seasonal challenges
Ascension App
Free, opinionated daily reading plan; Fr. Mike Schmitz's voice; Great Adventure framework; Catechism in a Year structure
Laudate
Breadth at no cost; Liturgy of the Hours, daily Mass readings, full Catechism, multilingual prayers, saint lives
Cost
Hallow
$69.99/year (Hallow+) or $8.99/mo monthly; free tier is usable but nudges toward paid
Ascension App
Free; no ads, no premium tier, no upsell screens
Laudate
Free; ad-supported (small banners), no premium tier
Best use case
Hallow
Daily guided audio prayer on the commute; Rosary on a walk; sleep stories; Lent-challenge participation
Ascension App
Following Bible in a Year or Catechism in a Year; daily Scripture listening with reflection; Great Adventure narrative
Laudate
Daily Liturgy of the Hours at home; Mass reading reference; Catechism lookup; offline access in adoration chapels
Audio experience
Hallow
Produced sessions (20-60 min) with music, specific hosts, pacing, silence; feels like a podcast or meditation app
Ascension App
Daily 20-25 min podcast episode; Fr. Mike reading scripture and reflecting; less produced than Hallow but intimate
Laudate
Pre-recorded audio Rosary and Chaplet; functional but not music-scored; no celebrity hosts; plain but reliable
Reference depth
Hallow
Light; prayer and meditation focus; not a Bible study tool; pair with YouVersion for actual reading
Ascension App
Medium; opinionated reading plan + reflection; limited search; not a reference Bible or commentary tool
Laudate
Deep; full searchable Catechism, multiple Bible translations (including Douay-Rheims), saint biographies, full Hours
Interface & design
Hallow
Modern, polished, designed like a premium wellness app; dark mode, good typography
Ascension App
Clean, intentional, app-native; minimal but purposeful; no frills
Laudate
Dated tile grid from early 2010s; functional, not designed; lots of small text; works offline
Which should you choose?
Hallow
Choose Hallow if you want a daily guided audio prayer habit, you are willing to pay for production quality, you enjoy seasonal challenges and celebrity-narrated content, or you are coming off Calm or Headspace and want the same format inside a Catholic frame.
Ascension App
Choose Ascension App if you are following (or want to follow) Fr. Mike Schmitz's podcasts, you want the Great Adventure Bible structure, you prefer an opinionated path over a blank canvas, and you want zero-cost entry with no upsell nudges.
Laudate
Choose Laudate if you want the complete daily Catholic toolkit (Hours, readings, Catechism, Rosary, multilingual prayers) at no cost, you do not care about app design, and you need offline reference access for adoration, travel, or low-signal settings.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use all three at the same time?
Yes, and most committed Catholic users do. Laudate handles daily reference (Hours, readings, Catechism). Ascension handles the Bible/Catechism reading plans. Hallow handles guided audio prayer when you want production and narration. They overlap less than it sounds—each solves a different problem.
Which should I install first?
If you listen to Fr. Mike Schmitz: Ascension (free, required for those podcasts). If you want a prayer habit: Hallow (free tier to start). If you want one free reference app: Laudate. Most users start with one and add the others once they hit the limits of the first.
Is Hallow Catholic-only or can Protestants use it?
Catholic-first by design. The Rosary, Marian prayers, saints, and liturgical calendar are core. Non-Catholic Christians can use it, but the content won't feel native to their tradition. Protestants and LDS users may prefer Pray.com or Dwell.
Does Ascension App work for non-Fr. Mike listeners?
Yes, it's a full Catholic daily-readings home. But it's designed around those podcasts, so if you don't listen to them, Laudate or Hallow may serve you better. The Great Adventure structure works for any Catholic Bible reader, not just podcast listeners.