The National vs Bylines
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Live news updates
- Ad-free reading experience
- Daily digital newspapers
- Interactive puzzles
- Article audio player
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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/
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.
- Access Byline Network content
- Read regional publications
- Watch Byline TV videos
- Browse Byline Times articles
- Share articles
- Refresh for new content
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
| Parameter | The National | Bylines |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 21.4% of reviews | 86.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 138 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | +17 | 4+ |
| Developer | Newsquest | Cliff Mitchell |
Customer experience
The National
Bylines
In-app purchases
The National
- Weekly Subscription$4.497 Days
- Weekly Subscription$4.997 Days
- Monthly Subscription$14.491 Month
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- 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
Bylines
No in-app purchases








