If you've ever wished for a structured way to build spiritual disciplines into your daily routine, Arete7 might be just what you need. Named after the Greek word for "excellence" or "virtue" (ἀρετή), Arete7 is a free mobile app that acts as a personal spiritual coach — combining a digital assistant, calendar, and mini diary, all tailored to your life of faith.^1
At its core, Arete7 helps you adopt and stick with spiritual practices drawn from centuries of Christian tradition. Set up prayer reminders, track an examination of conscience, journal about your spiritual progress, and monitor how these practices impact your daily life. The app integrates with Bible apps and includes a "smart practices advisor" to help you discover new disciplines to take on.^2 Think of it as a habit tracker built specifically for the soul.
What makes Arete7 distinctive is the vision behind it. Built by a small Polish team at RnD Lab, the app carries the conviction that "the beauty and richness of monastic life can be somehow shared with the busy, tech-savvy people of today."^1 The companion blog, Cyber-Monk, explores the theology and practice behind each spiritual exercise the app supports — covering topics like the Liturgy of the Hours, the Way of the Cross, the exercise of the will, and the meaning of suffering in the Christian life.^3
The project also carries real institutional weight within Catholic circles: it operates under the honorary patronage of Bishop Piotr Wawrzynek, Auxiliary Bishop of Legnica, and its spiritual content is reviewed by Fr. Jan Inglot.^4 As Arete7's website puts it: "Sainthood is a grace given to all of us and we are all called to embrace it. However, as St. Thomas Aquinas put it, 'grace builds upon nature,' which means that sainthood takes our effort and determination."^1 Arete7 is a tool for Christians who want to take that effort seriously — one practice at a time.
Notable- Completely free with no in-app purchases^2
- Privacy-focused: no data shared with third parties, no data collected on Android, only anonymous crash diagnostics on iOS^2
- Most recent update arrived in November 2025, adding the smart practices advisor^2
- Available on iOS and Android, with iPad, Mac (Apple Silicon), and Apple Vision support^2
- Built by a small Polish team rooted in Catholic spiritual tradition, with engineering led by founder Michał Jaremko (15+ years of engineering experience)^1
- Operates under the honorary patronage of Bishop Piotr Wawrzynek, Auxiliary Bishop of Legnica, with spiritual content reviewed by Fr. Jan Inglot^4
- Companion Cyber-Monk blog publishing through April 2025, exploring practices like the Liturgy of the Hours and the Way of the Cross^3
