# Are.na vs New Digital Commune

The clearest difference is rating: Are.na at 4.9 against New Digital Commune's 2.6. Are.na also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (52% vs 22%). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Are.na holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 363 and 115 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Are.na's written reviews are positive against 22% of New Digital Commune's.

Are.na ships an update every 9 days, New Digital Commune every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Are.na | New Digital Commune |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (363 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arena/id1299153149/reviews)** | [2.6 (115 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/new-digital-commune/id6474153217/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **363** | 115 |
| Positive reviews | **52.1% of reviews** | 22.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 92 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 17.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [When It Changed Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1299153148) | [New Digital Commune Incorporated](https://appshunter.io/developer/1720830351) |

## What reviewers say

### Are.na

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arena/id1299153149)

A distraction-free platform for creative individuals to collect and organize any type of content. Connect ideas, collaborate on projects privately or publicly, and engage with a thoughtful community that values curiosity. It's designed to help you break out of filter bubbles.

**Highlights:** Save any content into collections, Organize links, videos, images, texts, Distraction-free space, Share ideas and collaborate, Private or public project collaboration, Thoughtful community engagement

**Features:** Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and clean
- 👍 Minimalist and accessible
- 🖤 Great community and content
- 🖤 Inspiring and creative
- 🖤 Organically curated experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🐛 Laggy performance
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🐛 Unintuitive navigation
- 🐛 Limited functionality compared to website

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to login or sign up
- Blocks not loading or duplicating
- App crashing when viewing GIFs/animations
- Inconsistent behavior across iOS versions
- Navigation issues due to 'Dynamic Island'

**Requested features**

- Ability to sort channels by connections
- Landscape mode support on iPad
- Password reset functionality
- Multiple image/video uploads
- Improved channel management


### New Digital Commune

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/new-digital-commune/id6474153217)

A social network designed for artists to connect, grow professionally, and increase their visibility. Showcase your work, expand your network, and discover career opportunities in a space built by creatives for creatives.

**Highlights:** Artist portfolio showcase, Professional network building, Career opportunity exploration, Reduced expression limitations, Social networking for creatives

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Innovative platform designed specifically for creatives across all mediums
- 🎨 Minimalist and intuitive UI design
- 👥 Community focused on authentic creative work without toxic elements
- 🔄 Improvements visible in recent updates with better performance
- 📱 Clean interface that feels fresh and intentional

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Widespread crashing and freezing issues across devices
- ❌ Non-functional buttons and unresponsive navigation
- 💸 Pre-launch paid memberships sold before app was functional
- 📉 Extremely low user base and sparse content
- 🚫 Lack of transparency and communication from developers

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes immediately upon opening or after account creation
- Buttons unresponsive and not clickable throughout the interface
- App freezes on 'You haven't connected with other creatives' screen
- Content fails to display or shows blank spaces
- Video posts display as white/blank

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Explore/discovery page to connect with random creators
- Search functionality for finding people
- Ability to see who liked posts
- Better content feed algorithm


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Are.na free?

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

### Is New Digital Commune free?

New Digital Commune is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Are.na or New Digital Commune?

Are.na is rated higher. Are.na averages 4.9 out of 5 from 363 ratings, while New Digital Commune averages 2.6 from 115 ratings.

### Do Are.na or New Digital Commune have ads?

New Digital Commune shows ads; Are.na does not.

### Which is updated more often, Are.na or New Digital Commune?

Are.na ships an update every 9 days, and New Digital Commune every 10 days. Most recently, Are.na was updated on November 12, 2026 and New Digital Commune on November 4, 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.*