# theSkimm vs Iris

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Iris at 100% against theSkimm's 41%. Iris also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 2 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). theSkimm's advantage is ratings volume (13K vs 4) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. theSkimm sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Iris sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Iris holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: theSkimm has 13K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of theSkimm's written reviews are positive against 100% of Iris's.

theSkimm ships an update every 2 months, Iris every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | theSkimm | Iris |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/theskimm/id1034995058/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iris-personal-podcastreader/id6761699072/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **13K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 40.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 33 MB | 62 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [theSkimm](https://appshunter.io/developer/1034995057) | [Iris Audio LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1890969225) |

## 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


### Iris

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iris-personal-podcastreader/id6761699072)

This app transforms articles and newsletters into personalized audio episodes using AI-powered text-to-speech. It automatically discovers subscriptions from your Gmail and allows you to schedule daily audio briefings. Listen to any web article by sharing it directly to the app.

**Highlights:** Article to podcast conversion with AI voices, Automatic Gmail subscription discovery, Scheduled daily audio episodes, Share any web article for listening, Background playback and queue management, Light and dark mode support

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Iris Pro - Monthly Subscription | $8.99 | per month |
| Iris Pro - Yearly Subscription | $59.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is theSkimm free?

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

### Is Iris free?

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

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

Iris is rated higher. theSkimm averages 4.8 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while Iris averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do theSkimm or Iris have ads?

Neither theSkimm nor Iris shows ads.

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

theSkimm ships an update every 2 months, and Iris every 8 days. Most recently, theSkimm was updated on October 22, 2026 and Iris on October 15, 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.*