Ascension
A Catholic Bible and learning app combining the Great Adventure Bible, teaching resources and rosary recordings.
For Catholics seeking Bible study and resources about Catholic teaching and practice.
By Ascension
App StoreOfficial websiteAudience source
- Platform
- iOS
- Category
- Reference
- First release
- 25 June 2023
- Store ratings
- 91,414 (US)
- Research captures
- 29
Design review
Observed choices, what they mean, and what still needs checking.
Access & cost
$59.99/year or $8.99/month. Closing the first offer reveals a 7-day annual trial.
Captured flow · 27 October 2026Attention & control
Settings distinguish next-session autoplay, next-audio-chapter autoplay, video playback, general notifications and two annual-program reminders.
Scoped review · 27 October 2026Trust & care
Source boundaries, privacy and safeguards need further review. No app-wide assurance is implied.
Evidence incompleteOffers are dated iOS observations in USD where captured. Eligibility, country and platform can differ. Existing settings are not installation defaults.
Where the observed choices sit
Each row is one scoped observation of a specific flow, not a grade for the whole app.
No practice has been placed on the scale yet.
2 areas reviewed, not yet placed6 areas not reviewed yetReview notes
Works against: a choice subverts the person’s agency. Respects: it respects people and safeguards. Restores: a practice restores at a cost freely borne by the builder. Price, Christian branding or a free tier alone do not place an area. How we review.
Screens
29 reviewed screensCaptured app states, distinct from the publisher’s promotional images. Dates and versions belong to each screen; this is not a complete app walkthrough.
Features and patterns
What the reviewed screens show this app doing. A missing entry does not mean a feature is absent.
Trial offered after paywall dismissal
An initial annual/monthly paid offer is followed, after dismissal, by a seven-day annual trial at USD59.99/year.
First use2 supporting screens
Bible audio
Reading and autoplay preferences. Captured on iOS, 27 October 2026; existing state, not an installation default. Offers and visible controls do not establish successful execution.
Devotional audio
Ascension gives Bible in a Year a first-episode action and a sessions list. Ascension adds a playing mini-player below its Bible in a Year sessions list. Ascension expands the introduction episode into cover art, progress, skip, speed and companion-content controls. Ascension offers audio speeds from 0.75x to 2x in a bottom sheet.
Devotional audioOther apps with devotional audio (25)4 supporting screens
First use
Ascension asks for a first name alongside a publisher-selected testimonial and sign-in link. Ascension asks for a last name on a separate onboarding step. Ascension asks for an email for account use and updates in a focused empty field. Ascension shows password requirements with a system strong-password suggestion over an empty field. Ascension asks which content types interest the reader, including an undecided option. Ascension offers optional parish or school community search during onboarding. Ascension teaches a left swipe or Guide tap to reveal its Daily Reading Guide. Premium entry within Explore. Captured on iOS, 27 October 2026; existing state, not an installation default. Offers and visible controls do not establish successful execution. The initial offer shows USD59.99/year or USD8.99/month without a displayed trial. Its 83% understanding statement is a publisher claim, not an independently measured result. Dismissing the initial paid offer reveals a seven-day trial followed by USD59.99/year. The subsequent Apple confirmation was declined. The iOS purchase sheet for "Full Access Annual" (Ascension: Catholic Bible) shows a 1-week free trial starting today, then $59.99 per year starting Nov 2, 2026, with "No commitment. Cancel anytime in Settings > Apple Account at least a day before each renewal date. Plan automatically renews until canceled." Subscribing needs a double-click of the side button; it was not confirmed. The account line is masked. The sheet appeared after a retention offer. The iOS purchase sheet for "Full Access Annual" (Ascension: Catholic Bible) shows a 1-week free trial starting today, then $59.99 per year starting Oct 20, 2026, with "No commitment. Cancel anytime in Settings > Apple Account at least a day before each renewal date. Plan automatically renews until canceled." Subscribing needs a double-click of the side button; it was not confirmed. The account line is masked. Ascension free home: "Good morning, [name]", Saved and Recents, Ascension Daily (Daily Reading, Daily Reflection with a deacon, Saint of the Day St. Edward the Confessor, Daily Meditation) and "Find Your Parish". Ascension onboarding "Let's get started – What's your last name?" (entry masked) with a five-star testimonial and Next. "Your email – We will use it for your account and meaningful updates." (masked) with a five-star testimonial. The email step after entry (masked), Next.
First useOther apps with first use (89)16 supporting screens
Highlights and notes
The Ascension profile shows the account name and email (both masked), a "Find Your Parish" card, My activity (Highlights, Notes, Bookmarks, Likes, Downloads) and Account settings.
Highlights and notesOther apps with highlights and notes (22)
Meeting the person where they are
Ascension gives Bible in a Year a first-episode action and a sessions list. The Ascension home greets the user by name (masked) and lists Ascension Daily: Daily Reading, Daily Reflection (Eyram Klu, Luke 13:18-19), Saint of the Day (St. Oran of Iona) and Daily Meditation, each with a tick circle, above a "Find Your Parish" card.
Meeting the person where they areOther apps with meeting the person where they are (18)2 supporting screens
Also observed
Captured sequences
- A trial after declining a paid offer
The first annual/monthly offer is followed by an annual trial offer after dismissal. Apple confirmation was declined.
- Download
- Free download · US store
- Access
- Some free use available
Cost, access & publisher model Sources and details
Practical facts, separate from the design assessment. Checked 25 October 2026. A free download does not establish free access to all content.
- App download
- Free download · US · Store source
- Subscriptions
- Subscription declared · Source
- Store in-app products
- In-app products listed
- Donations
- Not verified
- Advertising
- Not verified
What access does payment cover?
Subscription access applies to this content or feature scope.
Scope: all content and programs · publisher statement · Source · 25 October 2026
Bible and Catechism text, daily readings/reflections, some podcasts and Rosary recordings are free. Study Plans, Lectio Divina, Bible Answers, studies and companions are paid optional features. The page also mentions physical product purchases and clarifies supporter gifts do not grant a premium subscription.
Scope: free content vs premium features · publisher statement · Source · 25 October 2026
Free samples, a free tier and the complete library are different scopes. Store and publisher evidence is separate from the dated captured-flow review in Design review. Coverage varies by offer and platform.
Store-listed products and prices (2)
US App Store · checked 25 October 2026. Names and prices describe listed products, not a personal checkout quote. Other platforms, web offers and eligibility can differ.
- Full Access Annual$59.99
- Full Access Monthly$8.99
Publisher website price information
Publisher funding and business model
Free features remain available alongside optional monthly and yearly subscriptions; publisher says subscriptions help cover building and maintaining the app.
Ascension app · Undated current webpage · Publisher source · checked 25 October 2026
The organization’s complete current funding mix and revenue are not established here. App payments, donations and capital raised describe different things; they do not determine an ethical assessment.
Organization profile and funding sourcesStore facts checked 25 October 2026 (version 1.16.3). Ratings are not downloads or active users. App-specific revenue and active users have not been verified; see the organization profile for separately scoped figures.
Store reviews
Store reviews offer useful questions to investigate. These retrieved samples are self-selected, vary by platform and do not establish the experience of every user.
Illustrative reading
Content and practice support are valued; selected examples dispute moving a familiar feature behind a paywall and hiding AI answers.
Based on 2 selected review excerpts, which may be historical; not a full thematic analysis. Review source
Review samples, reading and sources
- Google PlayEnglish / US requested
50 written reviews within the 180 days ending 25 October 2026.
4–5 stars: 433 stars: 41–2 stars: 3
View Google Play listing- Google PlayGerman / DE requested
No written reviews in this retrieved sample fall within the recent window.
View Google Play listing- Apple App StorePublic review page · default order
10 selected excerpts returned; these may be older and are not a recent or random sample.
Returned dates: 4 July 2023 – 3 September 2026.
View Apple reviews
Collected 28 October 2026. Up to 50 newest Play reviews per requested language/storefront before the date filter. Requested locale does not establish residence; streams may overlap and must not be added together. Star counts describe ratings, not text sentiment or ethical quality. Methods and limitations.
App Store screenshots
View the store listingPublisher-supplied images from the US App Store, checked 25 October 2026. Promotional artwork may include captions or composites; it shows how the publisher presents the app.
Show all 8 publisher imagesHide publisher gallery
Scroll to browse all 8 images. Select an image to open it at its sourced size.
Review notes
Reviewed, not yet placed
Evidence was gathered for these areas, but it does not yet support placing a choice on the frame.
Money and access
Initial plans show USD59.99/year or USD8.99/month without a trial. Dismissing that paywall produces a seven-day annual trial at USD59.99/year. Apple confirmation was dismissed. The 83% understanding claim is publisher marketing, not a measured outcome in this study.
Still to check:Test any still-unexecuted restore, entitlement and cancellation paths separately. Check other platform/storefront and offer eligibility before generalising these dated prices.
Attention and agency
Settings distinguish next-session autoplay, next-audio-chapter autoplay, video playback, general notifications and two annual-program reminders. Existing states were preserved. Reset and migration controls were not executed.
Still to check:Distinguish existing account settings from first-install defaults. Observe delivered notifications over time; verify pause, refusal and recovery behavior without manufacturing personal activity.
Not reviewed yet: Truth and spiritual authority, Privacy and dignity, Formation and relationships, Care and inclusion, Craft and repair, Stewardship and accountability.
The ten principle questions For your own design review
These questions guide discernment; they are not ten scores for this app.
- Keep the Word distinct, and teach it truly
- Can a reader always tell Scripture from our words, and our words from a machine’s?
- Never speak for God
- Would we put our own name under this sentence, or are we borrowing God’s?
- Design for the most vulnerable first
- Who is the most vulnerable person likely to use this today, and what will they see?
- Welcome before you ask, and guard what is told in confidence
- If a friend read everything we keep about this person, would the person be glad?
- Feed the flock, not on it
- Does this serve growth in faith, or only the usage numbers?
- Make room for rest, and say when it is enough
- Where does our product stop, and does it ever tell someone they have done enough?
- Send people to God and to one another
- When someone closes what we built, are they closer to God and to other people?
- Plant and water; leave the growth to God
- What would we stop measuring if we believed growth is God’s?
- Make it well, as an offering
- Would we offer this to God as it is, and could the person with the least sight, time or reading ease use it?
- Hold it with joy and trembling, before God and others
- Who outside the team holds us to account, and who prays for the people who use this?
Use this in your own work
Start with the observed choice, then ask how your own implementation serves people. The evidence is a design example, rather than an app-wide recommendation.