Comparison

The National vs Bylines

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

The National

Access comprehensive coverage of Scottish news, politics, business, and culture. Enjoy insightful analysis, opinion pieces, and in-depth reporting. Stay updated with live news, read the digital paper, and enjoy interactive puzzles and audio articles.

Highlights
  • Live news updates
  • Ad-free reading experience
  • Daily digital newspapers
  • Interactive puzzles
  • Article audio player
Features
Read full description

The National is a dynamic newspaper providing comprehensive coverage of current affairs, politics, business, culture, and more. With a strong focus on national and international news, it offers insightful analysis, thought-provoking opinion pieces and in-depth reporting. As the first newspaper in Scotland to be written in support of independence, we thrive to provide our readers with top quality content covering Scottish affairs in politics & business as well as the latest sports and special features. The National app is the best way to keep up to date with all the breaking news, politics, sports and events in Scotland and gives you the following great features… • Live Updates: Get the latest Scottish news, politics and sport as it happens • Ad-Free Reading: No ads, no pop-ups, no distractions • Daily Digital Newspapers: Read the paper in full, cover to cover • Interactive Puzzles: Play new crosswords, sudoku and more every day • Article Audio Player: Listen to articles and create content playlists All subscriptions are auto-renewing. Payment for this subscription will be charged to your Apple account upon purchase. The subscription will auto-renew within 24 hours of the current subscription expiring, at the same rate as the initial purchase. Auto-renewing subscriptions can be managed via Account Settings allowing them to be turned off. No cancellations of the current subscription are allowed during the active subscription period. Privacy Policy - https://www.newsquest.co.uk/our-policies/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Bylines

Access all content from the Byline Network, including regional publications, TV videos, and articles. This app serves as a central hub for citizen journalism, allowing users to read, share, and stay updated on the latest news.

Highlights
  • Access Byline Network content
  • Read regional publications
  • Watch Byline TV videos
  • Browse Byline Times articles
  • Share articles
  • Refresh for new content
Features
Read full description

The Bylines app pulls together all the up-to-date streams from everything Byline(s). That means all the publications of the Bylines Network of regional publications, plus Byline TV videos and Byline Times articles. It’s your one-stop-shop for exploring the Byline universe! Read the latest Bylines publication for your region, or browse all Byline channels. Share articles, visit the home site for any of the streams for more in-depth reading, and pull-down to refresh at any time to check for new articles. Stay up to date with the latest in citizen journalism.

Screenshots

The National4 screens
Bylines4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bylines at 87% against The National's 21%. Bylines also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. The National sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.49 per 7 days. Bylines asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The National ships an update every 5 months, Bylines every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
The National versus Bylines: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe NationalBylines
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews21.4% of reviews86.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size138 MB5 MB
Age rating+174+
DeveloperNewsquestCliff Mitchell

Customer experience

The National

Written reviews28 reviews
Positive21.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative64.3%

Bylines

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive86.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative13.3%

In-app purchases

9 purchases

The National

Subscriptions9
  • Weekly Subscription$4.497 Days
  • Weekly Subscription$4.997 Days
  • Monthly Subscription$14.491 Month
Show 6 more
  • Monthly Subscription$16.991 Month
  • Quarterly Subscription$40.993 Months
  • Quarterly Subscription$46.993 Months
  • 6 Month Subscription$76.996 Months
  • 6 Month Subscription$89.996 Months
  • Annual Subscription2 variants$129.991 Year
None

Bylines

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The National free?
The National is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bylines free?
Bylines is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do The National or Bylines have ads?
Neither The National nor Bylines shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The National or Bylines?
The National ships an update every 5 months, and Bylines every 3 months. Most recently, The National was updated on November 9, 2026 and Bylines on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons