Comparison

The Ken vs Splainer

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

Head to head
About

The Ken

Access in-depth business journalism from India with original stories, podcasts, and infographics. Enjoy offline reading, community interaction, and personalized features. A subscription unlocks full content and premium benefits.

Highlights
  • Deeply reported original stories
  • Immersive podcasts with transcripts
  • Rich infographics for visual understanding
  • Offline reading and saving
  • Subscriber community interaction
  • Personalized reading experience (dark mode, font size)
Read full description

Experience powerful business journalism that connects the dots with The Ken, India’s pioneering media publication. Read deeply reported, original stories, immersive podcasts, rich infographics, and sharp newsletters from some of the best reporters and writers in the region, to understand not just the news, but why it’s happening and what comes next. Go ahead and subscribe to our top-rate app. You’ll love it because it lets you: Read our stories and newsletters on the go: Browse, search, and save stories and newsletters you want to read while you’re travelling, commuting, or on that flight, even without an active internet connection. Never encounter a paywall once you have a subscription: Paywalled publications need you to be signed in all the time on your browser. On our mobile app, just login once, and it’s there all the time. We deep-link to our mobile app in all the emails we send, so this gives you a seamless experience. Flip through stunning visual stories about businesses: Our infographics are as rich as the stories we write. If you are short on time, you can simply flip through our infographics and get the story. It’s perfect for those occasions when you want to visually understand businesses, without having to read longform articles. Browse and read transcripts of our widely loved podcasts: A collection of original podcasts that cover the most interesting workplaces, careers, and business trends, along with candid conversations with founders and business leaders. Charting consistently on all major podcast platforms. Interact with other subscribers: Our community comprises some of the sharpest and most ambitious CXOs, leaders, executives, and students. Read their comments, reply to them, and join the debate. All from your phone. In addition, subscribers can gift and unlock stories for non-subscribers, and personalise their reading experience with features such as dark mode, adjustable font sizes, and much more. Haven’t made up your mind? No problem. You can still sign up and enjoy the free experience. Subscription: Access to The Ken requires a subscription. You can purchase a subscription to The Ken via our app. You can also sign up for free to experience our journalism and products. What you get when you subscribe via our app: - Complete access to all our products—stories, newsletters, visual stories, and podcasts - Unlimited archive access - Gift 10 premium stories per month and 5 subscriptions to your loved ones. - Upto 3 devices allowed per subscription - Device access— Mobile + iPad - Priority access to new product offerings, community features, and events - Daily morning emails and weekly recap emails - Get alerts and notifications to stay updated Payment and auto renewal terms: If you subscribe to The Ken via this app, payment will be charged by Apple to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will get automatically renewed unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. To cancel, please turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can turn off auto-renew at any time from your iTunes account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. Terms of Use: Privacy Policy - The Ken : https://the-ken.com/privacy-policy/ Terms and Conditions - The Ken : https://the-ken.com/terms-and-conditions/ Apple Terms and Conditions : https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/ If you have any questions or feedback, just email support@the-ken.com.

About

Splainer

Get smart, concise, and fact-checked news once a day. This app filters through global sources to provide clear analysis and key headlines, all with a touch of humor. It's designed for curious individuals who want to stay informed without the noise.

Highlights
  • Concise daily news editions
  • 100% fact-checked content
  • Zero jargon or rants
  • Analysis of major stories
  • Global source scanning
  • Humorous delivery
Features
Read full description

One news edition, once a day. Smart, concise and 100% fact-checked news with zero jargon or rants. Splainer will totally change the way you consume the news. You’re a super-smart, curious person and love being well-informed. Your phone is buzzing with a stream of app notifications, Whatsapp forwards and tweets. It’s just relentless: the sheer volume of news. It’s incredibly loud… and, dear god, there is so much of it! Why does it have to be noisy and exhausting? It's time to declutter and spark a bit of joy! We scan and read 100+ trusted global sources so you don’t have to. We make it effortless to really understand what’s going on in the world. You get the big picture, analysis and best reporting on that one big story everyone’s talking about. Catch up on key headlines, and discover a wealth of cool-to-know, funny, smart info, reads, and videos from across the globe. All of it is served with a generous dose of cheeky humor that makes you lol! Finally, a news product that values your time, respects your intelligence, and preserves your sanity. Brighten up your morning! You can download and start reading only if you're a premium subscriber of Splainer.

Screenshots

The Ken4 screens
Splainer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Splainer at none against The Ken's 2. Splainer also leads on review sentiment (86% vs 52%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). The Ken's advantage is ratings volume (132 vs 5) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). On price, ads, monetization model 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 Ken sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $25.00 per month. Splainer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Splainer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Ken has 132 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of The Ken's written reviews are positive against 86% of Splainer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Ken ships an update every 2 weeks, Splainer monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and June 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
The Ken versus Splainer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe KenSplainer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (132 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews52.4% of reviews85.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings132 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.1 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB35 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperKenrise Media Private LimitedSplainer PTE. LTD.

Customer experience

The Ken

All ratings132 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral2.3%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews63 reviews
Positive52.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative33.3%

Splainer

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

The Ken

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium$25.001 Month
  • Yearly Premium$150.001 Year
None

Splainer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Ken free?
The Ken is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Splainer free?
Splainer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Ken or Splainer?
Splainer is rated higher. The Ken averages 4.7 out of 5 from 132 ratings, while Splainer averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do The Ken or Splainer have ads?
Neither The Ken nor Splainer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Ken or Splainer?
The Ken ships an update every 2 weeks, and Splainer monthly. Most recently, The Ken was updated on September 23, 2026 and Splainer on June 24, 2026.

Other comparisons