# News Explorer vs HeadlineDeck

The clearest difference is price: HeadlineDeck at Free against News Explorer's $4.99. HeadlineDeck also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). News Explorer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (640 vs 2). On ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

HeadlineDeck is free to download; News Explorer costs $4.99 up front. HeadlineDeck sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. News Explorer asks for nothing beyond the download.

HeadlineDeck holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: News Explorer has 640 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of News Explorer's written reviews are positive against 100% of HeadlineDeck's.

News Explorer ships an update every 3 weeks, HeadlineDeck daily. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | News Explorer | HeadlineDeck |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.7 (640 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/news-explorer/id1032668306/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/headlinedeck-news-reader/id6812900592/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **640** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 79.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Best chart rank | **#18** | — |
| Size | 49 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Ron Elemans](https://appshunter.io/developer/802165890) | [Shai Vure](https://appshunter.io/developer/6812900594) |

## What reviewers say

### News Explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/news-explorer/id1032668306)

**Currently charting:** #18 Top Paid · News (US App Store)

This app aggregates news from various sources including RSS, Reddit, and podcasts. It offers robust synchronization across Apple devices, smart filtering, and automatic reader view for full article text. Users can also add notes, tags, and comments to articles.

**Highlights:** iCloud sync across Apple devices, Smart filters for news customization, Automatic Reader View for full articles, Read and add article comments, Create rich text notes for articles, Customizable feed settings and prefilters, Article inspector for metadata and tags

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app
- 👍 Fantastic RSS reader
- 🔒 Respects privacy
- 🚀 Smooth and fast
- 👍 Customizable

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
- 🔍 Needs better search and filtering options
- 🔍 Limited theme and color options
- 🔍 Inconsistent behavior when marking articles as read
- 🔍 Needs better support for Mastodon and other platforms

**Reported bugs**

- Issues with iCloud sync reliability
- Freezing and crashes on certain devices
- Inconsistent behavior when marking articles as read
- Rendering problems with some websites in Reader mode

**Requested features**

- Ability to add custom RSS feeds
- Improved support for newsletters
- Option to translate articles
- Bionic reading mode
- Annotation and highlighting tools


### HeadlineDeck

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/headlinedeck-news-reader/id6812900592)

Swipe through news headlines presented as cards, offering a clutter-free reading experience. Customize your feed with trusted sources and enjoy features like AI summaries and audio playback. Designed for focus and respect for your time.

**Highlights:** Card-based headline swiping, Personalized news feed, AI-powered article summaries, Audio playback for articles, Home screen widgets, Cross-device sync, Dark mode and themes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HeadlineDeck Pro Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| HeadlineDeck Pro Annual | $19.99 | per year |
| HeadlineDeck Pro Lite | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is News Explorer free?

News Explorer costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is HeadlineDeck free?

HeadlineDeck is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, News Explorer or HeadlineDeck?

HeadlineDeck is rated higher. News Explorer averages 4.7 out of 5 from 640 ratings, while HeadlineDeck averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do News Explorer or HeadlineDeck have ads?

Neither News Explorer nor HeadlineDeck shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, News Explorer or HeadlineDeck?

News Explorer ships an update every 3 weeks, and HeadlineDeck daily. Most recently, News Explorer was updated on November 6, 2026 and HeadlineDeck on November 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*