If you are searching for a Muslim Pro alternative, it is usually for one of two reasons: the ads have worn you down, or you remember the 2020 location-data story and never quite got comfortable again.
Both are legitimate. This guide covers what Muslim Pro genuinely does well, what actually happened with the data — reported plainly, with links to the original journalism — and which alternatives make sense in 2026 depending on what you actually use the app for.
What Muslim Pro Does Well
Honesty first: Muslim Pro is the most widely used Muslim lifestyle app in the world — over 190 million downloads — and that position is earned.
- Prayer times are accurate, with a wide choice of calculation methods and adhan notifications from well-known muezzins
- Qibla compass, Hijri calendar, and duas organized by occasion
- A full Quran reader with translations and recitations
- Qalbox, its built-in streaming platform launched in 2022, with Islamic films and documentaries
- A premium tier that removes ads and unlocks offline content
If you want one app that covers the utility layer of Muslim daily life, Muslim Pro remains the most complete option available. That has not changed.
The Privacy History — Just the Facts
In November 2020, Vice's Motherboard reported that the Muslim Pro app was sending granular location data to X-Mode, a location-data broker. Motherboard's network analysis observed both the Android and iOS versions transmitting location data to X-Mode's endpoint. X-Mode sold location data onward to contractors — and reporting by Motherboard, later confirmed by Senator Ron Wyden's office, established that buyers of such data included US defense contractors and military customers.
At the time, Muslim Pro's privacy policy did not mention X-Mode.
Muslim Pro's response, published within days:
- The company called the claim that it sold data to the US military "untrue" and said it "never provided any third party with non-anonymous data"
- It announced it was "immediately terminating our relationships with our data partners — including with X-Mode", a partnership it said had begun only four weeks earlier
- It pledged a review of its data governance, and its leadership has since spoken publicly about strengthened privacy practices
That is the record. The partnership was real, brief, undisclosed at the time, and ended the day the story broke. The company denies any personally identifiable data was shared. No comparable incident has been reported in the years since.
Whether that history disqualifies the app is a personal judgment. For many Muslims, the lesson was less about one company and more structural: any free app monetized through data and ads carries this class of risk — the safest guarantee is architecture, not policy.
What to Look For in an Alternative
If the 2020 story is what brought you here, evaluate alternatives on these criteria:
- Where does the data live? On-device processing cannot leak what it never collects. A privacy policy can change; an architecture cannot quietly start uploading.
- How does the app make money? Ad-funded apps sell attention, and sometimes more. A straightforward subscription aligns the app's incentives with yours.
- Does it need your location? Prayer times need approximate location. Quran reading needs none.
- Does it do the job you actually use it for? Most people use 10% of Muslim Pro. Identify your 10%, then pick the best focused tool for it.
Muslim Pro Alternatives, Honestly Compared
| Muslim Pro | Pillars | Athan (IslamicFinder) | Quran Gate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core job | All-in-one utility | Prayer times | Prayer times + utility | Daily Quran habit |
| Prayer times & adhan | ✅ Excellent | ✅ Excellent | ✅ Excellent | ❌ (Qibla only) |
| Quran reader | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ Basic | ✅ Full offline, 20+ translations |
| Habit / streak system | Basic | ❌ | Prayer log | ✅ Core feature — app gating |
| Ads | Yes (free tier) | No | Yes (free tier) | No |
| Business model | Ads + Premium | Free | Ads + Premium | Subscription (7-day trial) |
| Data approach | Cloud services; post-2020 policy commitments | Privacy-first, minimal collection | Standard cloud app | On-device — reading data never leaves your phone |
Pillars — if you want prayer times and nothing else, done beautifully with a privacy-first, no-ads design, Pillars is the cleanest Muslim Pro replacement for the utility job.
Athan by IslamicFinder — closest feature-for-feature substitute: prayer times, qibla, a basic Quran section, and prayer logging. Note it shares Muslim Pro's ad-funded model on the free tier, so it is a features alternative more than a privacy alternative.
Quran Gate — a different job entirely. Muslim Pro is a utility you check; Quran Gate restructures your phone so Quran reading happens daily. It gates your most distracting apps — Instagram, TikTok, YouTube — until you complete a short reading, your mushaf position advances sequentially with every unlock, and everything runs on-device, so nothing ever leaves your phone. No ads, no data partners — a subscription (7-day free trial, one plan covers the family) is the entire business model.
Who Should Pick What
- Keep Muslim Pro if you rely on its breadth — Qalbox, community features, duas library — and its post-2020 commitments are enough for you. That is a defensible choice; it remains the most complete Islamic utility app.
- Pick Pillars if you want prayer times with zero ads and minimal data by design.
- Pick Athan if you want the Muslim Pro feature set from a different vendor.
- Pick Quran Gate if the honest reason you are switching is that you want your phone to make you a more consistent Quran reader — not just notify you at prayer times. Our comparison of every app in that category is in the best Islamic apps guide.
أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ
"Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest." — Quran 13:28 (Ar-Ra'd)
The point of any of these apps is that verse. Choose the one that gets you there most reliably — with your data staying yours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Muslim Pro safe to use in 2026? Muslim Pro terminated its data partnerships in November 2020 and says it never shared personally identifiable information. No comparable incident has been reported since. If you want a guarantee stronger than policy, choose an app whose architecture keeps data on-device.
Did Muslim Pro sell user data to the US military? Muslim Pro denies selling data to the military directly. What was documented: the app sent location data to X-Mode, a broker whose buyers included defense contractors. The partnership ended the day the story broke.
Does Quran Gate collect my data? Quran Gate's gating and reading progress run fully on-device — your reading activity and app choices never leave your phone. No ads, no data brokers; the subscription is the business model.
What is the best Muslim Pro alternative? For prayer times: Pillars (privacy-first) or Athan (feature breadth). For building a daily Quran habit: Quran Gate.
Related reading:
- Best Islamic Apps in 2026 — Prayer, Quran, Dhikr & Habit Apps
- Best Quran Apps in 2026
- The Science of Habit Replacement
Download Quran Gate free on the App Store →
