Ascension App vs Orabimus (2026): Free Rosary and Price

Choose Ascension if you want to grow in the faith with Fr. Mike Schmitz, Jeff Cavins and the Ascension teachers, much of it free.
Choose Orabimus if you want to pray the Rosary live with other people, or in any of nine languages with word-by-word read-along, with nothing to install.

Written by the makers of Orabimus; not affiliated with Ascension Publishing Group. Facts about the Ascension app come from its US App Store and Google Play listings and Ascension's app FAQ, verified October 31, 2026, and are linked in each row.

Ascension and Orabimus, side by side

Compared	Ascension	Orabimus
Price in the US	Free. Full Access: $8.99 a month or $59.99 a year on the US App Store and Google Play. Ascension's FAQ lists $8.95 and $59.95. Source: US App Store, Google Play, FAQ, verified October 31, 2026.	Free. Optional supporter plans: $29.99 a year, or $119 once (Founding Supporter, limited to 100).
Free in the app	The full text of the Bible and the Catechism, the daily Mass readings and reflections, the full Rosary with all of its recorded voices, and most Ascension podcasts. Source: US App Store, verified October 31, 2026.	The full guided Rosary with audio, the intentions feed, Group Rosary rooms, Fellows (the people you follow), the weekly garland, Rosary reminders and the liturgical day.
What Full Access adds	All content and programs, among them study plans, lectio divina, Bible answers, Bible studies and podcast companions. Source: US App Store, FAQ, verified October 31, 2026.	Nothing you need for praying. Supporters can host spoken rooms.
The Rosary	Prayed with Fr. Mike Schmitz, Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, Jeff Cavins, the Sisters of Life and Paul Rose, in English or Latin, with options to chant. Source: US App Store, verified October 31, 2026.	All four sets of mysteries, guided prayer by prayer, with studio narration and word-by-word read-along.
Learning to pray it	The Rosary in a Year podcast with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR, a step-by-step journey into the prayer. Source: Ascension, US App Store, verified October 31, 2026.	Free guides on this site: how to pray the Rosary, the mysteries, and the Latin Rosary.
Languages	The app is in English; the Rosary can be prayed in English or Latin. Source: US App Store, verified October 31, 2026.	Prayer text in nine languages; studio audio in seven, including English, Spanish and Latin.
Where it runs	iPhone, iPad and Android, and it can be viewed in a web browser. Source: Ascension app FAQ, verified October 31, 2026.	Any modern browser on iPhone, Android or a computer; installs to the home screen and works offline after the first load.
Praying with others	Its US App Store listing describes no group or live prayer features. Source: US App Store, verified October 31, 2026.	Live, synchronized Group Rosary rooms: everyone on the same prayer at the same moment, under one host. A free account is needed to host or join.

Where Ascension is better

If you want to understand the faith more deeply, the Ascension app is a remarkable teacher, and much of it is free.

Teaching you can follow for a year. The Bible in a Year, Catechism in a Year and Rosary in a Year podcasts, and in Full Access more than 80 study plans, Bible answers and Bible studies.
Voices people know. The Rosary prayed with Fr. Mike Schmitz, Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, Jeff Cavins, the Sisters of Life and Paul Rose.
Chant. The Rosary in English or Latin, with options to chant the prayers.
The whole Bible and Catechism, free. The full texts of both are free for everyone in the app.
Every day's readings. The daily Mass readings with reflections from Catholic presenters, the saint of the day, novenas, litanies and guided lectio divina.
Well loved. A 4.9 rating from about 92,000 ratings on the US App Store.

Sources: US App Store · Google Play · The Rosary in a Year, verified October 31, 2026.

Where Orabimus is different

Ascension helps you learn the Rosary. Orabimus is built for praying it, alone or together.

Together, at the same moment. A Group Rosary room keeps everyone on the same prayer, step by step under one host, each on their own phone or computer. A spoken room lets six people speak while up to 400 listen.
Nine languages. Prayer text in English, Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Polish and Ukrainian, studio audio in seven, and every word highlighted as it is spoken.
Nothing to install. It opens in any modern browser, installs to the home screen and works offline after the first load.
The day in the Church. The liturgical day, its color and the Pope's monthly intention, beside the Rosary of the day.
A weekly rhythm. Three Rosaries in a week make the week's garland.

More: how to pray the Rosary together online · which Rosary is prayed today

What each costs

Ascension is free to download, with the Bible, the Catechism, the readings, the full Rosary and most podcasts free. Full Access is $8.99 a month or $59.99 a year on the US App Store and Google Play (US App Store, Google Play, verified October 31, 2026); Ascension's FAQ lists $8.95 and $59.95.

Orabimus is free. Supporter plans are optional: $29.99 a year, or $119 once as a Founding Supporter, limited to 100. Supporters can host spoken rooms, which run on a second server.

Learned the Rosary? Pray it together.

Open a Group Rosary room for your study group, family or parish, and pray every decade together, live.

Open Orabimus

Free · Nothing to download · Free account to host or join

Questions people ask

Is the Ascension app free?

Yes, and a great deal of it stays free: the full text of the Bible and the Catechism, the daily Mass readings and reflections, the full Rosary with all of its recorded voices, and most Ascension podcasts. Full Access, the paid subscription, opens all of its content and programs (US App Store, verified October 31, 2026).

How much is Ascension Full Access?

On the US App Store and Google Play, $8.99 a month or $59.99 a year (US App Store, Google Play, verified October 31, 2026). Ascension's own app FAQ lists $8.95 a month or $59.95 a year (FAQ), so check the price in your store before you subscribe.

Is the Rosary in a Year in the Ascension app?

Yes. The app's US App Store listing offers "the best experience of the Bible in a Year, Catechism in a Year, and Rosary in a Year podcasts" (US App Store, verified October 31, 2026). The Rosary in a Year is hosted by Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR (Ascension).

Can I pray the Rosary in Latin?

In both. Ascension lets you pray the Rosary in English or Latin, with options to chant. Orabimus has the Latin Rosary in text and in studio audio, beside eight other languages for the text. See the Latin Rosary for the prayers and their pronunciation.

Can we pray the Rosary together live?

Yes, in an Orabimus Group Rosary room. The host leads, and everyone in the room is on the same prayer at the same moment, at home or across the country. Rooms can be scheduled with reminders and joined by link, six-character code or QR code. A free account is needed to host or join.

More comparisons: Best free Catholic apps · Best Rosary apps · Free alternatives to Hallow · Hallow vs Orabimus · Laudate vs Orabimus · iRosary vs Orabimus

Written by the makers of Orabimus. Not affiliated with Ascension Publishing Group. Orabimus is built by Teo, on his own. Last updated October 31, 2026.

Sources (US listings and help pages, verified October 31, 2026): Ascension, US App Store · Ascension, Google Play · Ascension app FAQ · The Rosary in a Year, Ascension