The story behind Hallow, the Christian app hawked by Gwen Stefani

It may be a cliché, but it's true: There's an app for everything, including praying to God.

One such app is Hallow, a popular Catholic prayer subscription service downloaded by millions of users, including celebrity partners like Gwen Stefani.

Stefani has been a Hallow app partner for the last year, but its only recently that her social media promotion gained enough traction to incur the ire of fans and fellow celebrities en masse. In a Dec. 1 Instagram post, the No Doubt singer once again plugged the app for the start of this year's advent season, urging followers to join her in its daily prayer challenges. In follow up responses, podcast host Matt Bernstein, reality TV star Chrishell Stause, and other social media commenters pointed out what Stefani didn't: That many of the app's prayerful messages suggest a thinly-veiled conservative agenda, including suggesting anti-abortion pleas to users.

Despite the possibility of a tarnished brand — and the confusing reversal in public image for an artist that used be the preeminent "cool girl" — the "Hallow-back girl" (as one Redditor user called her) hasn't backed off. She's not the only one.

What is the Hallow app?

Referred to as a "pay-to-pray" app by its critics, Hallow was developed in 2018 by founder and CEO Alex Jones (no, not that Alex Jones). The subscription-based app combines audio-guided Catholic prayer routines with "mindfulness" practices and challenges, pitched as a solution to daily stress. It's accessible for the monthly price of $9.99, or $69.99 for the year — there are family plans, too.

Hallow even offers partnerships with schools, providing free subscriptions to students at religious institutions, as well as content for kids and families. It ran ads during the Super Bowl.

Jones is on record saying the company courts famously religious celebrities, including action stars like Mark Wahlberg and Chris Pratt and Hollywood icons like Mario Lopez, as a way to "reach fallen-away Catholics or those who are not particularly religious" on the social media platforms they most frequent. "They're just incredible Christians, they're great people of faith," said Jones in a 2024 interview about app partners Stefani and actor Kevin James. "It is awesome for us to get to partner with them, to use their platforms to invite people into prayer."

Why is Hallow controversial?

Fellow Catholics, even those with more conservative beliefs, have been skeptical of the app's model, marketing tactics, and reliance on celebrities since its launch. Jones backed off from a partnership with actor Liam Neeson, for example, after conservative Catholics rejected the platforming of Neeson's pro-choice views. He was then criticized for platforming figures from the Catholic right, including anti-abortion figure Lila Rose and QAnon proponent Jim Caviezel.

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In addition to ambassador controversies, including a partnership with actor Russell Brand that ended after accusations of sexual assault, Hallow has increasingly been associated with far-right figures and conservative financial backers.

In 2024, election reporting by the Guardian discovered that Vice President JD Vance had invested tens of thousands of dollars into the app. Other notable funders include ultra-conservative PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, who participated in a $40 million round of funding for Hallow in 2021.

Hallow was banned from EU markets earlier this year, with many suspecting regulators shut down app access due to data privacy concerns. Sensitive data used for ad targeting, including religious affiliation, is highly regulated under the EU's Digital Services Act.

Following Stefani's promotion and other advent advertisements including Chris Pratt, Hallow climbed the Apple App Store charts, which Jones celebrated in a recent X post. "Feels like God's just getting started."