# America's Test Kitchen vs Magnifying Light

The clearest difference is monetization model: Magnifying Light at free with in-app purchases against America's Test Kitchen's subscription. Magnifying Light also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 66%). America's Test Kitchen's advantage is ratings volume (18K vs 6) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. America's Test Kitchen sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Magnifying Light sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for America's Test Kitchen against 4.8 for Magnifying Light. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: America's Test Kitchen has 18K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of America's Test Kitchen's written reviews are positive against 100% of Magnifying Light's.

America's Test Kitchen ships an update fortnightly, Magnifying Light every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | America's Test Kitchen | Magnifying Light |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (18K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/americas-test-kitchen/id1365223384/reviews)** | [4.8 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magnifying-light/id1583320433/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **18K** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 66.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#10** | — |
| Size | 129 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [America's Test Kitchen LP](https://appshunter.io/developer/385122166) | [Cole Duclos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1567997187) |

## What reviewers say

### America's Test Kitchen

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/americas-test-kitchen/id1365223384)

**Currently charting:** #10 Top Grossing · Food & Drink (US App Store)

Access thousands of rigorously tested recipes, cooking videos, and expert product reviews. Enhance your culinary skills with on-demand classes taught by test kitchen professionals. Save favorites, create shopping lists, and discover new dishes for any occasion.

**Highlights:** 14,000+ tested recipes, Expert-led cooking classes, App-exclusive content, Product reviews and ratings, Save favorite recipes, Create shopping lists, Ad-free cooking episodes

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ATK Essential - Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Classes Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Essential + Classes - Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| Classes Annual | $39.99 | per year |
| ATK Essential - Annual | $49.99 | per year |
| Essential + Classes - Annual | $89.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to navigate app
- 👍 Excellent recipes and cooking tips
- 👍 Helpful product reviews and recommendations
- 👍 Valuable subscription worth the cost

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent login issues and app crashes
- 🐛 Unreliable server connectivity
- 🐛 Inconsistent app performance and bugs
- 🔍 Limited search and organization features

**Reported bugs**

- Recipes and content not loading properly
- Inability to access account after updates
- Syncing issues between app and website
- Frequent log-outs and need to re-login

**Requested features**

- Add ability to categorize and organize saved recipes
- Improve search functionality and filtering options
- Implement sharing capabilities to easily share recipes
- Add support for metric measurements alongside imperial


### Magnifying Light

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magnifying-light/id1583320433)

Easily read small text and examine objects up close with a digital magnifying glass and built-in flashlight. Capture clear images of what you see and save them to your device.

**Highlights:** Maximum zoom capability, Integrated flashlight, Photo capture and save, Simple user interface, QR code scanning (in-app purchase), Ad removal (in-app purchase)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| QR Scanner | $0.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is America's Test Kitchen free?

America's Test Kitchen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Magnifying Light free?

Magnifying Light is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, America's Test Kitchen or Magnifying Light?

America's Test Kitchen is rated higher. America's Test Kitchen averages 4.9 out of 5 from 18K ratings, while Magnifying Light averages 4.8 from 6 ratings.

### Do America's Test Kitchen or Magnifying Light have ads?

Both America's Test Kitchen and Magnifying Light show ads.

### Which is updated more often, America's Test Kitchen or Magnifying Light?

America's Test Kitchen ships an update fortnightly, and Magnifying Light every 5 weeks. Most recently, America's Test Kitchen was updated on October 23, 2026 and Magnifying Light on October 13, 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.*