Christian Liturgy & Lectionary

The structured-prayer side of Christian practice — Liturgy of the Hours (Catholic), Daily Office (Anglican), Trisagion / Hours (Orthodox), Common Worship (CofE) — has good free apps in 2026. Most jurisdictions publish their own; iBreviary is the long-standing free pan-Catholic standard; Common Prayer (Shane Claiborne et al.) is the well-loved ecumenical option.

Sister sections: Christian Apps & Bible Software, Sacred Reading & Lectio Divina, Online Courses & Dharma Talks, Retreats, Sangha & Community, Meditation Apps.

Liturgy of the Hours (Catholic)

• ★ ★ iBreviary — completely free; the standard pan-Catholic Liturgy of the Hours app; Roman, Ambrosian, and Extraordinary Form; Mass readings; multi-language (English, Italian, Spanish, French, etc.); offline-friendly.
  • https://www.ibreviary.com/
• ★ Universalis — paid (~$10 one-time on iOS / Android, also web sub); UK-rooted; very respected; deep settings; the typophile's Hours app.
  • https://universalis.com/
• Divine Office — paid + free; English-only; spoken-Hours audio version included; long-running.
• Liturgy of the Hours (USCCB) — paid + free; bishops-conference-published; US-localized.
• Magnificat — paid; print + app combination; daily Mass + Lauds + Vespers in a polished form.

Daily Office (Anglican)

• ★ Common Prayer (Shane Claiborne / Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove) — completely free web; ecumenical-monastic Daily Office; non-liturgical Christians use it too.
  • http://commonprayer.net/
• ★ Daily Office (CofE Common Worship) — free via Church of England's "Daily Prayer" app; Common Worship; well-implemented.
• The Mission of St Clare — free; Episcopal Daily Office.
• DailyOffice.app — free; ecumenical Daily Office.
• Forward Day by Day — paid + free print; Episcopal; daily devotional.

Orthodox liturgy

• AGES Initiatives — free; bilingual liturgical texts (Greek / English); chant audio; Eastern Orthodox.
  • https://www.agesinitiatives.com/
• Daily Readings (GOARCH) — free; Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.
• Trisagion Prayers — free; Orthodox prayer rule.
• Antiochian Daily Readings — free; Antiochian app.
• OCA Daily Readings — free; Orthodox Church in America.

Lectionary tools

• Revised Common Lectionary (Vanderbilt) — free; the canonical RCL reference for Protestant churches.
  • https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/
• Catholic Mass Readings (USCCB) — free; daily Mass.
• iBreviary — includes Mass readings.
• Working Preacher — free; commentaries on RCL passages; preacher-friendly; Lutheran-Luther-Seminary roots.
• Pulpit Fiction Podcast — free; weekly RCL preacher's podcast.

Sung / chant resources

• Gregorian Chant resources:
  • Gregobase — free; LaTeX-typeset Gregorian chant scores.
  • Liber Usualis PDF — free public-domain.
  • CCWatershed — free + paid; Catholic music for sung Mass.
• Ambrosian, Mozarabic, Sarum — niche; some PDFs floating online.
• Anglican chant: Hymnary.org (free + paid pro) for hymn lookup.
• Taizé chants: Taizé Music app (free); some YouTube; community-Taizé.

Liturgical calendar tools

• Catholic Calendar (USCCB / iBreviary) — free.
• Orthodox Calendar (jurisdiction-specific apps) — free.
• Lectionary (RCL) — free.
• Liturgical colors / saints' days — built into most of the above.

Print

• The Liturgy of the Hours (Catholic Book Publishing) — 4-volume paid set; the "real" breviary in print; ~$200 used.
• Christian Prayer (single volume) — paid; the abridged single-volume edition.
• Book of Common Prayer (1979 / 2019 / Common Worship / 1662) — paid print; varies by edition.
• The Divine Hours (Phyllis Tickle) — paid print; ecumenical 3-volume.

Cost / license honesty

• iBreviary / Common Prayer / Mission of St Clare / AGES / Vanderbilt / Working Preacher — free.
• Universalis — ~$10 one-time on a device.
• Magnificat / Forward Day by Day / Liturgy of the Hours USCCB — paid (~$25-50/yr).
• Print breviaries — $50-300 depending on edition / volumes.

Practical guidance

• Start with Lauds + Vespers if you're new to Liturgy of the Hours; full-Hours is rigorous.
• Pick one app and stick with it — switching breaks the rhythm. iBreviary is the safe default for Catholics; Universalis if you want polish.
• The Daily Office is for community, even when prayed alone. "We" praying with the universal Church.
• Audio versions (Divine Office, Pray as You Go) help when reading is impractical (commute, walking).

Pick this if…

• Catholic, want free, fully featured: iBreviary.
• Catholic, want polish: Universalis (~$10).
• Anglican / Episcopal: Common Prayer (Claiborne) or CofE Daily Prayer or Mission of St Clare.
• Orthodox: AGES + your jurisdiction's reading-app.
• Ecumenical-monastic flavor: Common Prayer.
• Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Vanderbilt + Working Preacher.
• Audio Hours for commute: Divine Office or Pray as You Go.