# theSkimm vs Black

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Black at none against theSkimm's 2. Black also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 41%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). theSkimm's advantage is ratings volume (13K vs 675). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. theSkimm sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Black asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for theSkimm against 4.7 for Black. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: theSkimm has 13K ratings behind it against 675, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 41% of theSkimm's written reviews are positive against 67% of Black's.

theSkimm ships an update every 2 months, Black fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | theSkimm | Black |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/theskimm/id1034995058/reviews)** | [4.7 (675 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/black/id1282248048/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **13K** | 675 |
| Positive reviews | 40.7% of reviews | **67.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 33 MB | 94 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [theSkimm](https://appshunter.io/developer/1034995057) | [Langston, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1190022731) |

## What reviewers say

### theSkimm

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/theskimm/id1034995058)

Stay informed with daily news summaries, in-depth articles on career, health, and finance, and engaging podcasts. Discover personalized recommendations and integrate events into your calendar to live smarter.

**Highlights:** Daily news summaries, In-depth articles, Podcasts, Personalized calendar integration, Curated recommendations, Career, health, and finance topics

**Features:** Siri integration, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| theSkimm Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| theSkimm Yearly | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 📰 Concise and informative news
- 🗓️ Helpful calendar integration
- 🎧 Useful audio content
- 👍 Easy to stay informed
- 🤗 Entertaining and engaging

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤑 Paid subscription required
- 🗣️ Perceived political bias
- 🔗 Accidental link clicks while scrolling
- 🚫 Limited content for non-US users

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes and freezes
- Issues with 'Do Not Sell My Information' feature

**Requested features**

- Offline content access
- More international news coverage
- Customizable news preferences
- Ability to remove ads for paid subscribers


### Black

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/black/id1282248048)

Discover news and stories from influential voices in Black culture. Curate your personal feed, share content with friends, and receive timely updates. Explore content tailored to your interests from top publications.

**Highlights:** Personalized news feed, Story recommendations, Share stories with friends, Push notifications, Explore by interest, Curated publications

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Excellent app for news about the black community
- 🌟 Informative and inspirational content
- 👍 Clean and user-friendly design
- 💯 Promotes black unity and excellence

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional app crashes and freezes
- ⏱️ Slow loading times and content refreshing issues
- 💸 Too many ads and pop-ups
- 🤖 Compatibility issues with older devices

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen not functioning properly
- Inconsistent article loading and display
- Notifications not always triggering as expected

**Requested features**

- Customizable notification settings
- Reader mode for easier article reading
- Social sharing and discussion features
- Dedicated sections for specific topics (e.g., finance, entertainment)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is theSkimm free?

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

### Is Black free?

Black is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, theSkimm or Black?

theSkimm is rated higher. theSkimm averages 4.8 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while Black averages 4.7 from 675 ratings.

### Do theSkimm or Black have ads?

Neither theSkimm nor Black shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, theSkimm or Black?

theSkimm ships an update every 2 months, and Black fortnightly. Most recently, theSkimm was updated on October 29, 2026 and Black on October 22, 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.*