# IEEE vs Academia.edu

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Academia.edu at 74% against IEEE's 7%. Academia.edu also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.1) and ratings volume (17K vs 123). IEEE's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Academia.edu sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. IEEE asks for nothing beyond the download.

Academia.edu holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Academia.edu has 17K ratings behind it against 123, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 7% of IEEE's written reviews are positive against 74% of Academia.edu's.

IEEE ships an update every 5 weeks, Academia.edu every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | IEEE | Academia.edu |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (123 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ieee/id1259370915/reviews) | **[4.8 (17K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/academiaedu/id1385234213/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 123 | **17K** |
| Positive reviews | 6.5% of reviews | **73.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 105 MB | 52 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/410304757) | [Academia.edu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1385234212) |

## What reviewers say

### IEEE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ieee/id1259370915)

Access the latest technology news and innovations. Read and download IEEE magazines, manage virtual meetups, and connect with members. Discover conferences and stay informed about the world of technology.

**Highlights:** Personalized experience and recommendations, Latest technology and innovation news, Read and download IEEE magazines, Schedule and join virtual meetups, Locate IEEE members, Discover conferences and meetings

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good start with potential
- 👍 Membership card at a glance
- 👍 Useful for students learning about membership

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 Login issues persist
- 🐛 Magazine reading experience poor
- 🐛 UI not user-friendly
- 🐛 No iPad-specific version

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot download magazines
- Cannot read magazines in PDF format
- Membership card to Apple Wallet does not work
- Email address input format validation error
- App sticks on a loop when adding card to wallet

**Requested features**

- Add membership card to Apple Wallet
- Improve magazine zoom and panning
- Consistent online reader experience
- Allow saving reading progress
- Improve UI for better readability


### Academia.edu

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/academiaedu/id1385234213)

Access a vast library of open-access research papers on your mobile device. Discover new studies, track mentions and readership of your work, and connect with fellow scholars. Explore millions of academic papers on diverse topics.

**Highlights:** Discover and read research, Save research papers, Track mentions and readership, Search scholarly topics, Connect with scholars, View colleague activity

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Academia Premium - Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Academia Premium - Annual | $98.99 | per year |
| Academia Premium - Annual | $98.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Helpful for research and learning
- 📚 Comprehensive academic resources
- 🔍 Useful for finding relevant papers
- 🌐 Connects researchers globally
- 💡 Innovative academic platform

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Sudden price increase for Premium
- 🔍 Unintuitive search and navigation
- 🔒 Sign-in issues and frequent log-outs
- 📤 Unwanted notifications and emails
- 🔍 Difficult to access full papers without subscription

**Reported bugs**

- PDF files not loading properly
- Crashing and freezing issues
- Inconsistent behavior across platforms

**Requested features**

- Landscape mode support
- Improved search and filtering options
- Ability to bookmark and organize papers
- Better integration with other research tools
- More transparent pricing and subscription options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is IEEE free?

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

### Is Academia.edu free?

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

### Which has better reviews, IEEE or Academia.edu?

Academia.edu is rated higher. IEEE averages 4.1 out of 5 from 123 ratings, while Academia.edu averages 4.8 from 17K ratings.

### Do IEEE or Academia.edu have ads?

Neither IEEE nor Academia.edu shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, IEEE or Academia.edu?

IEEE ships an update every 5 weeks, and Academia.edu every 2 weeks. Most recently, IEEE was updated on October 14, 2026 and Academia.edu 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.*