The best prayer app depends on how you pray: YouVersion for Bible reading, Echo or PrayerMate for prayer lists, Hallow, Pray.com or Abide for guided audio, and PrayerBoard for praying with a few close friends. Here's what each costs, whether you can pray with friends in it, and who it suits.
Updated October 15, 2026 · By the PrayerBoard team · PrayerBoard is coming soon to iPhone
We make PrayerBoard, so we've tried to be extra fair to everyone else. US App Store ratings on October 15, 2026.
Best for praying with a few close friends and family. Share requests in small private circles, see who prayed, keep a request private when the details aren't yours to share, and celebrate answered prayers. Free with no ads, and it works inside iMessage. It's new, it starts on iPhone and iPad, and it doesn't have Bible reading or audio content.
Best for: People who already read the Bible in YouVersion
The most popular Bible app in the world. Its Prayer feature lets you keep prayers private or share them with friends, and celebrate answered prayers, all for free. Prayer is one part of a large Bible app rather than the whole app.
Best for: A personal prayer list with reminders
A well-loved prayer list app with reminders and answered prayers. Its free plan lets you join groups and feeds, and Echo+ ($15 a year, according to Echo's website) lets you create and run up to five groups and adds the web app.
Best for: Long, organized prayer lists and church or mission feeds
A thoughtful, free app for praying through lists: people, churches, missionaries and causes, a few at a time each day. You can share prayer requests with a trusted small group and subscribe to prayer feeds from organizations. An optional Patron subscription supports the developer.
Best for: Audio: Bible stories, prayer plans and meditations
A large library of Christian audio, including Bedtime Bible Stories, daily prayers and prayer plans, plus tools for churches such as mobile giving. The free version has ads, and a Premium subscription removes them and unlocks more content.
Best for: Catholic guided audio prayer, the rosary and seasonal challenges
The leading Catholic prayer app, with guided audio prayer, the rosary, Scripture and seasonal challenges. Some daily prayers are free, and the full library is a subscription. You can share prayer intentions and reflections with your group and friends.
Best for: Christian meditation and Bible sleep stories
Guided Christian meditation, Bible sleep stories and prayer for anxiety and rest, with a Premium subscription for the full library.
Best for: Private prayer reminders with no account
A gentle, entirely free reminder app for your own prayers. Everything stays on your phone, and you don't need an account.
Best for: A daily morning, midday and evening devotional rhythm
A free daily devotional from 24-7 Prayer that walks you through Scripture and prayer morning and night.
You want to pray with specific people
PrayerBoard, or YouVersion if everyone already uses it.
You keep a long personal prayer list
Echo or PrayerMate.
You want someone to guide you through prayer
Hallow, Pray.com, Abide or Lectio 365.
You just want to remember to pray, privately
Prayminder.
Plenty of people use two: one for their own prayer time, and PrayerBoard for the people they pray with.
Coming soon to iPhone
PrayerBoard is a private prayer circle for you and a few close friends. Share a request, see who prayed, and celebrate answers together.
Free, with no ads. We'll only email you about the launch.
For a few close friends or family praying privately, PrayerBoard is built for exactly that and is free with no ads. YouVersion's free prayer feature is a good choice if everyone already uses the Bible App, and Echo works well if one person is happy to pay for Echo+ to run the group.
YouVersion, PrayerMate, Prayminder, Lectio 365 and PrayerBoard are all free without ads. Which one fits depends on whether you want a Bible app, prayer lists, private reminders, a daily devotional or praying with friends.
Hallow is the most popular Catholic prayer app, with the rosary, guided prayer and seasonal challenges. PrayerBoard isn't tied to a tradition, so Catholic families and groups can use it to pray for each other too.
Yes. PrayerBoard gives a small group a private circle to share requests and see who prayed, free for everyone. Echo (with Echo+) and PrayerMate also support groups.
Prices and features checked on October 15, 2026 against each app's App Store page and website. Apps change, so check the App Store for the latest. Something out of date? Tell us at hello@prayerboard.co and we'll fix it.
