There are many dedicated Ramadan apps that Muslims around the world can use to keep track of their prayers, worship, find the Qibla, and manage their fasting times more effectively. But many of these apps also collect a significant amount of data.
Based on our roundup, here are the 10 best Ramadan apps that protect your privacy:
- Zabiha
- Muslim Pro
- Quran.com
- Verify Halal
- Pillars Prayer App
- Qibla Compass
- Quran Reader
- Tarteel
- Muslim: Ramadan Calendar, Azan
- Dhikr & Dua
There have been incidents in the past where some apps have sold user data to governments. We recommend using a robust VPN, like NordVPN, to protect your privacy.
To learn more about the top 10 privacy-focused Ramadan apps, read the full article below.
The best Ramadan apps can help Muslims keep track of the salah, ensure they don’t break their fast at the wrong time, read the Quran, find Qibla, and more.
They’re extremely useful, but they can also be dangerous to your privacy. There have been numerous scandals involving certain Ramadan apps, and how they carelessly sell user data.
That’s why we analyzed the privacy policies of 50+ Ramadan and prayer apps to see how protect your privacy. For example, how do they store your personal data? Do they share your data with others? And how transparent are they about their data collection? We used this information to round up the 10 best Ramadan apps.
The Top 10 Safest Ramadan Apps
There have been a lot of invasive Muslim apps in the past, and more are coming out every year. Here are ten of the best and the safest Ramadan apps that you can use without any worry.
1. Zabihah
Zabihah is a fantastic option to find halal restaurants and markets all year round, and it can be especially useful during Ramadan. It was founded by Shahed Amanullah in 1998, and it has since helped Muslims worldwide find halal food in different locations.
How it works
Zabihah is like the Yelp of Muslim dining. It’ll help you find restaurants of all kinds in your area, all of them halal. Once you open a restaurant’s page, you can browse through user reviews, or even leave your own. Restaurant owners can also use the Ramadan app to comment on reviews and interact with their local community.
Zabihah also tracks other halal locations, like markets, and it helps you find prayer spaces nearby. Since a lot of the entries are user-supported, you’ll be able to use this app no matter where you live. They have useful information for Muslims in the US, Europe, Australia, and beyond.
What data it collects
In order to function properly, Zabihah collects:
- Location data (you can also enter the location manually)
- Email address
- Your first and last name
2. Muslim Pro
Muslim Pro is a Muslim lifestyle app with useful information about prayer times and personalized content for Muslims all over the world. During Ramadan, From fasting times to prayer reminders, Muslim Pro can help you connect with others and connect with a larger community.
Unfortunately, it has a pretty lax privacy policy. Not to mention, it’s one of the apps that was exposed in 2020 for selling user personal information to the US military.
How it works
When you get started with the app, you’ll have to input your location to get accurate salah times. The app can also send notifications to remind you of salah.
Plus, you can use the app to read the Quran or other Islamic articles, watch Muslim content, and even get daily inspiration, which can prove especially important during Ramadan.
Speaking of Ramadan – the Muslim Pro app also has a useful tracker to note your fast and prayers. Lastly, the app also has a mosque finder, and lets you browse halal places in some areas.
What data it collects
Despite providing amazing features for all Muslims, Muslim Pro has a disappointing privacy policy. It collects the following information:
- Location data (required)
- Personal information for ad targeting
- Information related to activity
Turn on your VPN to use Ramadan apps safely
Using a VPN is a great way to ensure your safety when accessing any Ramadan app. If you don’t want to give out your personal information, such as your IP address or location information to these apps, using a VPN is the best way to protect yourself.
Or, if the Ramadan app of your choice isn’t available in your local Play Store or App Store, a VPN will allow you to download it. We recommend using NordVPN, as it can easily help protect your identity online, while also unblocking restricted content.
3. Quran.com
Many Muslims take time during Ramadan to delve deeper into their study of the Quran. That’s why apps like Quran.com get more attention during the holy month, as they’re great to help believers access the teachings they want to read, recite, or memorize.
Luckily, Quran.com is funded by a non-profit organization, and it’s an open-source project. This means that your data is safe when you use Quran.com. And this also makes it one of the best Ramadan apps, especially if you want to study the Quran.
How it works
You don’t need a phone to use Quran.com. You can just go to their website from any browser, and read the entire Quran at your own pace. For convenience, the organization also made an Android and iOS application.
When you open them, they will download the Quran in Arabic, so you can read it even with a slow internet connection. After that, you’re free to explore the app.
Quran.com is not complex, but it offers some useful options. You can download translations for the text, bookmark passages, modify some settings like how text is displayed, and even turn on a dyslexic mode.
What data it collects
The Quran.com app collects no personal information of any kind. Plus, it’s an open-source project, so this fact can be verified by anyone.
Their data policy mentions: “This project is run by a set of Muslims who do this work for the sake of Allah. We do not serve you ads, so we do not need to track you or use your personal data to provide you with better ads to increase our revenues. We don’t gather any personally identifiable information.”
4. Verify Halal
Verify Halal is a useful app that helps you identify halal brands, products, and Muslim events happening around you. That’s the core of its functionality, but it also includes prayer time reminders, a Qibla finder, a mosque finder, a Hijri calendar, and more. Best of all, it’s also pretty privacy-friendly.
How it works
When you sign-up for a Verify Halal account, it’ll request location permissions to show you relevant restaurants and more. Then you can browse for products or brands to see whether or not they’re halal. This is a very useful feature, with a huge database backing it up.
Verify Halal also has many other useful features for Muslims, like a Qibla finder. So is their data policy on par with the quality of their features?
What data it collects
Verify Halal requires permissions for the following:
- Location data
- Device ID
- Personal information
- Photos and videos
5. Pillars Prayer App
The Pillars prayer app is one of the best apps for Muslims during Ramadan, and beyond. It has a lot of useful features, including salah times, audio notifications for salah, a pause button for all tracking if you’re menstruating, a compass to find Qibla, and more.
Not to mention, the Pillars prayer app also has some of the best privacy policies on this entire list.
How it works
When you sign-up for Pillars, you’ll need to give it some permissions, like access to location data or the ability to send notifications. After that, you can start tracking your prayers.
The app also lets you add widgets to your homepage to observe prayer times. Best of all, it offers support for a ton of prayer time calculation methods.
If you need a prayer-tracking app, it’s probably one of the best options, especially considering its data policy.
What data it collects
The Pillars prayer app collects some sensitive data about you. This includes:
- Location data
- Personal activity information (prayers, fasting times)
- User details
Moreover, they don’t use Google Analytics due to privacy concerns. Instead, they work with Plausible, which is a lightweight, open-source analytics tool that’s much more privacy-minded than Google’s suite.
6. Qibla Compass
The Qibla Compass is a lightweight app that you can use to find the Qibla. It uses your location and the GPS system to point you in the right direction for salah.
How it works
The Qibla compass will point you toward Mecca. If you want a different layout, you can also change the compass to an arrow. And if you’re not sure that the app is working as intended, you can also toggle a map view, which will make a straight line from your location to Mecca.
The app also has a mosque locator, a recital of the 99 names of Allah, and a calendar, which can be especially useful during the holy month. Unfortunately, the mosque locator came up empty when we used it, so it’s probably not functional everywhere. Other than that, the app can be really useful for Muslims.
What data it collects
The Qibla compass collects:
- Location data
- Personal information
- Device usage data
7. Quran Reader
The Quran Reader from Batoul Apps is a very popular iOS application to read the Quran. It has a beautiful design, and a decent privacy policy too.
Most importantly, the app doesn’t display any ads. If you don’t want your Quran reading to be interrupted by advertisements, this can be one of the best Ramadan apps.
How it works
When you install the app, you can simply read the Quran, on a full page. You can also listen to it, which is really useful if you’re traveling, or wanting to be inspired by the Quran while doing something else.
If you can’t read the entire Quran, you can also use the app to study it side-by-side with a translation. You can save bookmarks, and even search the text for any ayat you’re interested in.
What data it collects
The Quran Reader app doesn’t collect any data. However, other Batoul Apps may access personal information to work properly.
For example, the Guidance app will need to do a Maps search, so it will ask for your location. However, they store it locally to protect your privacy. Plus, the Quran Reader doesn’t require any data to function properly, and it doesn’t display any ads.
8. Tarteel
Tarteel is an AI-powered Quran companion. It helps you memorize the Quran by slowly reciting the passages you’re on, and then letting you repeat them. The great thing about Tarteel is that it uses artificial intelligence to understand what you’re saying and correct your pronunciation mistakes.
How it works
Tarteel is an enhanced Quran reader app. It has the entire Quran for you to read, listen to it recited in different voices, and then memorize and recite it yourself.
The app uses AI to listen to your words and highlight any mistakes in your Quran reading. It also has a few settings to help you learn the Quran.
For example, you can modify the speed at which the app recites the Quran. You can also modify the page layout, so you can better focus on particular passages.
Tarteel also has a tracker of your progress through the Quran, and achievements to highlight your efforts.
What data it collects
Tarteel collects the following information:
- Personal account information
- Activity details
- Demographics, preferences
- Websites you visit
9. Muslim: Ramadan Calendar, Azan
Muslim: Ramadan Calendar, Azan is an attractive app for Ramadan. It helps you keep track of salah, read the Quran, and plenty more. It offers several useful features that Muslims can use.
But if you care about your privacy, you should steer clear of this one.
How it works
Muslim: Ramadan Calendar has a few great features for Muslims, including salah times for your location, a Qibla finder, a mosque finder, a Quran reader, Dhikr counter, and a recital of the 99 names of Allah.
If you browse its reviews, you’ll also see that it’s touted as one of the most accurate Qibla finders. So it’s no surprise that a lot of Muslims love this app. But there are downsides to Muslim: Ramadan Calendar, especially if you care about your privacy.
Muslim: Ramadan Calendar also displays big ads in your main feed, which can affect your experience.
What data it collects
Muslim: Ramadan Calendar, Azan, collects a lot of data. This includes:
- Location data
- Usage tracking for ads
- Personal information
Worst of all, the app doesn’t encrypt your data. This makes your personal information very vulnerable to hacks, especially since it’s shared with a few third parties to deliver targeted ads. If you don’t want to put your data in danger, we recommend using something else.
Protect yourself with a VPN
If you don’t want these apps collecting your data, the safest thing to do is to activate a VPN before you connect to them. This way, they won’t be able to know your location or target you with specific ads.
The best VPN we recommend to our readers is NordVPN, as it’s reliable, safe, and offers thousands of servers. NordVPN can also help you download apps that might be blocked in your region.
- Fast and large worldwide network of VPN servers
- Perfect for privacy and streaming
- Trusted by many, with over 14 million users
10. Dhikr & Dua
Dhikr & Dua is a popular app featuring 400+ dhikr and duas to help Muslims enhance their prayers. It’s a beautiful app that groups duas based on your emotional needs, the time of day, the context you’re in, and plenty more.
How it works
You can use Dhikr & Dua without an account. Once you install the app, you’ll be taken straight to the main duas screen. This features invocations for morning, evening, salah, or Ruqyah and illness. But you can also browse duas fit for gatherings, clothes, food and drink, waking up, marriage, children and more.
The app also has articles exploring different aspects of Islam, and the option to set prayer reminders. Lastly, you can also browse duas based on your emotions, to help you connect with Allah regardless of your feelings.
What data it collects
Dhikr & Dua’s privacy policy is hard to find, vague, and hasn’t been updated since 2021. They don’t collect any data based on our testing.
Why Do Some Ramadan Apps Collect Your Data?
Ramadan apps mainly collect your data to deliver targeted ads. This makes it more likely you will click on said ads, and more likely that the app creators will make some money. It’s a common practice among all app developers. And unfortunately, it’s present in Ramadan and Muslim apps too.
On more insidious occasions, apps may collect your data to sell it to different governments. This was the case in 2020, for example, when it was discovered that a range of Ramadan apps sold user data to the US military.
The 2020 location data scandal
At the end of 2020, it was revealed that the US military purchased location data from a network of apps and related companies. Muslim Pro and Muslim Mingle were among the apps in this network. As a result of this incident, the security of these apps was called into question by the Muslim community, and some called on people to delete the app.
Our recent analysis also shows that many Ramadan apps share data with third parties, for example for advertising purposes. With the Cambridge Analytica scandal, we saw what can happen when data is carelessly exchanged with third parties.
Where are Ramadan apps created?
Data protection practices may differ from country to country. That’s why it’s important to get an overview of where Ramadan apps are created.
Most of the Ramadan apps we studied were created by Asian developers. In total, 26 of the 50 apps we examined were created in Asian countries. Especially in India (10 apps) and Pakistan (8 apps), there seem to be a lot of developers working on these types of apps.
Nine of the apps were created by European developers. Of these, four are Turkish, two are French, one is from the United Kingdom, one is from Russia, and one is from Ukraine. For 10 apps we could not identify the country of origin of the developers.
The wide variety of locations means that different laws and regulations apply. Not every country is as strict when it comes to handling personal data.
Do Ramadan Apps Share Data with Third Parties?
Some of the apps we researched share data with third parties. Most of them claim they only do so for advertising purposes, but that’s not always verifiable.
Below you can find an overview of how popular Ramadan apps claim they use your data. The explanation is a concise interpretation of what the privacy policy says about sharing data with third parties.
| Name app | Might share data with third parties | Concise explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Muslim Pro | ✔ | With this app, data can be shared for personalized advertising and content, as well as for the pursuit of the company’s interests. Partners can also collect data for their own purposes. |
| Muslim Assistant: Azan Time, Qibla, Prayer, Quran | ✔ | This app can share data with advertisers. Everything you put in the app becomes the property of Muslim Assistant and they can distribute it to others without owing you anything. |
| Muslim Pocket – Ramadan 2021 | ✔ | The app cooperates with third parties who can collect your data. |
| Prayer Times: Qibla and Azan | ✔ | The app can share data for advertisements by platforms like AdSense and AdMob |
| Miqat: Prayer Times, Qiblah, and Hilal Visibility | Unknown | Unknown |
| Qibla Compass – Ramadan 2021, Prayer Time, Quran | ✔ | This app shares data, among other things, for advertising purposes and uses third-party libraries to monetize “app data audiences”. |
| Qibla Finder, Prayer Times, Quran, Azan, Tasbeeh | ✔ | This app shares data with advertisers for advertising purposes. |
| Prayer Times: Salah Time & Qibla Direction | ✔ | This app shares data with others to create personalized ads. |
| Prayer Times Pro: Qibla Finder, Athan, Muslim Pray | ✔ | This app shares data with others to create personalized ads. |
| Athan Pro | ✔ | This app shares data with sub-suppliers but indicates that the sub-suppliers must adhere to the terms of the Athan Pro privacy policy. This includes safe storage of your personal data. |
| MBC Ramadan | ✔ | MBC Ramadan indicates that they can share data with third parties, who in turn could use this data in ways that MBC Ramadan does not. |
| 1Muslim | ✔ | This app may share data with external technical service providers, email providers, hosting providers, IT companies, and communication agencies. Users can request a list of the parties that their data is shared with. |
| Prayer Times, Qibla Finder, Quran, Azan, Tasbeeh | ✔ | This app indicates that third parties have access to your personal data. This in order for the third parties to perform tasks they were assigned by the app. However, these third parties are obliged not to use or expose your data for other purposes. |
| Prayer Times: Azan, Quran, Qibla Compass | ✔ | This app shares data, among other things, for advertising purposes and uses third-party libraries to monetize “app data audiences”. |
| iPray | ✔ | The app only shares data with others in order to ensure the functioning of the app. |
| Ramadan calendar 2021: Quick Time Schedule | ✔ | This app shares data for advertising purposes as well as for other assigned tasks. The app indicates that third parties may not share or use the data for purposes other than those specified by the app. |
| Qibla Compass & Prayer Times | ✔ | This app shares data to enable personalized advertising. The app does indicate that you can update your data-sharing permissions with third parties in the app. |
| Prayer Times, Qibla Finder, Ramadan 2021 Calendar | ✔ | This app shares data for advertising purposes as well as for other assigned tasks. The app indicates that third parties may not share or use the data for purposes other than those specified by the app. |
| Muslim App – Adan Prayer times, Qibla, Holy Quran | ✔ | This app shares data to show personalized advertisements or to organize usage statistics. |
| Ramadan Times | Unknown | Unknown |
| Ramadan Calendar 2021: Prayer Times, Azan & Dua | ✔ | This app shares data for advertising purposes. They also indicate that, depending on your device and operating system, you might be able to adjust your preferences. |
| Ramadan Times 2021 Ramadan Calendar Sehri o Iftar | ✔ | This app shares data for advertising purposes. The app indicates that third parties have access to (part of) your data. |
| Ramadan 2021 – Prayer times, Qibla, Quran, Adkar | ✔ | This app shares data for advertising purposes. The app indicates that third parties have access to (part of) your data. |
| Muslim Prayer Timings – Azan Pro, Quran, Ramadan | ✔ | This app shares data for advertising purposes. The app indicates that third parties have access to (part of) your data. |
| Islamic Diary: Prayer Times, Ramadan, Qibla, Quran | ✔ | This app shares data for advertising purposes as well as for other assigned tasks. The app indicates that they only share data if the third parties treat your data confidentially. |
| Islamic World – Prayer Times, Qibla & Ramadan 2021 | ✔ | This app shares data, among other things, for advertising purposes. |
| Muslim: Prayer Times, Qibla Compass, Azan & Quran | Unknown | Unknown |
| Muslim Expert – Prayer times, Qibla finder, Quran | Unknown | Unknown |
| Muslim App: Prayer Time, Qibla Finder, Quran Audio | ✔ | This app shares data for advertising purposes as well as for other assigned tasks. The app indicates that third parties may not share or use the data for purposes other than specified by the app. |
| Muslim Prayer Times: Ramadan Calendar 2021, Qibla | ✔ | This app shares data for advertising purposes. |
| Islam Pro: Quran, Muslim Prayer times, Qibla, Dua | ✔ | This app may share data with external technical service providers, email providers, hosting providers, IT companies, and communication agencies. |
| Muslim+ Prayer Times, Quran, Qibla, Dua, Tasbih | ✔ | This app shares data with advertisers, among other things. Data, such as statistics, can also be used to provide additional services to third parties. The app indicates that none of these services contain sensitive/personally identifiable information if not authorized by the user. |
| Muslim Daily: Athan, Namaz, Qibla, Hijri, Dhikr | ✔ | This app indicates that they use third-party services that may collect data to identify you as a user. |
| Prayer times, Quran and azan & Qibla | ✔ | This app does not mention data sharing in its privacy policy. |
| Ramadan 2021 | Unknown | Unknown |
| Ramadan Times 2021: Azan & Qibla Compass | ✔ | This app indicates that it shares data with others for advertising purposes and location data. |
| Muslim Ally – Ramadan 2020, Prayer Times, Tasbih | ✔ | This app shares data for usage statistics. |
| Ramadan Calendar 2021 with Prayer Times and Duas | ✔ | This app shares data for advertising purposes |
| Muslim Guide – Ramadan 2020, Prayer Times & Qibla | Unknown | Unknown |
| Ramadan Calendar 2021 – Prayer Time & Islamic App | ✔ | This app shares data, among other things, for advertising purposes. |
| Ezan Pro – Dutch Prayer Times, Qibla | Unknown | Unknown |
| Islamic Prayer Times:Azaan,Quran & Qibla Direction | Unknown | Unknown |
| Muslim Prayer Times: Qibla Finder, Quran, Compass | ✔/✖ | This app claims that it does not share data with third parties. The Google Play store does state that the app offers advertisements. |
| Quran Majeed | ✖ | This app indicates not to use or share data with third parties, for any purpose. However, in the event of a payment, the app must check your credit card details. |
| Ramadan Challenge | ✔ | This app shares data for specific assigned tasks and Google Play Services. The app also indicates that third parties may not share or use the data for purposes other than those specified by the app. |
| Let’s Ramadan | ✔ | This app shares data for example, through social media cookies. |
| Prayer Times: Pro Athan. Qibla | ✔ | This app shares data for advertising purposes. They also indicate that third parties can use anonymized data such as, among other things, which websites you visit, your telephone number, and your location. |
| Salati – Prayer Times & Qiblah | Unknown | Unknown |
| Salat Azan Muslim Prayer Times | ✔ | This app shares data for usage statistics. |
| Muezzin – Salat, Qibla, Quran | ✔ | This app shares data for advertising purposes and at least works with Google’s AdMob. |
As you can see in the table above, almost 40 of the 50 apps share data with third parties. This is mainly done for advertising purposes. Moreover, some of the apps seem to have copy-pasted their privacy policy. This makes you question whether or not these documents are up-to-date and correct. For nine of the apps, it remains unknown whether they share data with third parties or not because they do not have a privacy policy.
Sharing data with third parties doesn’t mean the same thing for all these apps. Some apps explicitly state that they only share data with third parties to ensure the operation of the app (iPray, for example).
Other apps indicate that they do share data with third parties, but that these parties must handle the data with confidentiality. Still, other apps indicate that they share data with third parties and that you should check their partner’s privacy policy to find out how they will handle your data. However, they do not indicate who their partners are or where you can find their privacy policy.
Luckily, there are apps that take data protection seriously. Quran.com, Pillars, Verify Halal, and Qibla Compass all have a decent privacy policy, and they either collect no data or process personal information with care.
How to Protect Your Privacy While Using Ramadan Apps
Ramadan apps can pose some safety and privacy risks. But they’re undeniably useful. So if you still want to use some of the more invasive apps on our list make sure you:
- Limit the permissions that invasive apps have. Find out more about how to do this in our guide on the best privacy settings for Android.
- Don’t share personal information with invasive apps. You can sign-up under a pseudonym, and don’t fill out details like when you broke fast.
- Use privacy-minded Ramadan apps like Quran.com and Pillars.
- Turn off location data after using a Qibla finder. You can do this in your phone’s security or app settings.
- Use a VPN. A VPN will hide your IP address, making it harder to identify and track you online. We recommend using NordVPN, as it is a proven “no logs” VPN that will encrypt your data so no one can access it.
- Fast and large worldwide network of VPN servers
- Perfect for privacy and streaming
- Trusted by many, with over 14 million users
Final Verdict: What Are the Best Ramadan Apps?
As you can see, there are major differences between Ramadan apps, and how they handle your data. For that reason, it is important to analyze any app before downloading it.
While some can be useful to get prayer time reminders, poorly protected personal data can have unpleasant consequences. Always choose a safe app and be careful with the data that you share.
If you want to learn more about protecting your privacy, also read our articles about:
- The privacy risks in user agreements and privacy policies
- Who can see your browsing history?
- How to browse the internet anonymously
Here are some common questions about the 10 best privacy-focused Ramadan apps. If you’d like to know more, just leave a comment, and we’ll get back to you!
Privacy is important, because several Ramadan apps have, in the past, sold user data to governments. That’s a major red flag, and it’s important that you avoid giving apps access to such information, especially when you just want to practice your faith.
Some Ramadan apps may require access to your location, while others may also require access to personal information about how you use the app. We combed through the privacy policies of the top privacy-focused Ramadan apps so you know which ones are safe to use.
The best way to protect your privacy when using any Ramadan app is to make sure that you carefully review the privacy policy and the permissions that it requires. Certain apps don’t require any, which is always a good thing.
