# Sunset Magazine vs Orange Observer

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Orange Observer at none against Sunset Magazine's 10. Orange Observer also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Sunset Magazine's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (2.2K vs 1). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sunset Magazine sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Orange Observer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Orange Observer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sunset Magazine has 2.2K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Sunset Magazine ships an update every 2 months, Orange Observer every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sunset Magazine | Orange Observer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (2.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sunset-magazine/id1368178530/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orange-observer/id1630229895/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.2K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 29.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 9 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 18 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sunset Publishing Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/1368178529) | [Observer Media Group, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1451288950) |

## What reviewers say

### Sunset Magazine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sunset-magazine/id1368178530)

Explore the modern American West with curated content on destinations, home, gardening, and recipes. Access the latest articles, download issues for offline reading, and save favorites. Discover inspiration for living in the West.

**Highlights:** Latest headlines and articles, Offline magazine reading, Recipe database search, Share articles easily, Save favorite articles, New issue alerts

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $1.99 | per month |
| Annual Subscription | $19.99 | per year |
| August 2018 | $4.99 | one-time |
| September 2018 | $4.99 | one-time |
| October 2018 | $4.99 | one-time |
| November 2018 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Mar-19 | $4.99 | one-time |
| May-19 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Aug-19 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Sep-19 | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Innovative graphic design layout
- 💡 Vintage magazines
- 👍 Pretty slick App!
- 👍 Loving the Newness
- 👍 Intuitive UX with Good Content

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Very disappointed with Sunset magazine!
- 🐛 What a shame!
- 🐛 Buyer Beware
- 🐛 The e version of sunset is awful
- 🐛 Disappointed with Sunset

**Reported bugs**

- selling Special Magazines...but not honoring Subscribes
- Sunset didn't bother to tell subscribers they were no longer doing print.
- Not receiving my magazines
- Every time the app updates I lose access to older issues.
- This is not the Sunset We Knew & Loved

**Requested features**

- Want the print edition back
- Print magazine ?
- I miss the actual magazine.
- Why?
- Is the print edition done?


### Orange Observer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orange-observer/id1630229895)

Access a digital replica of your favorite Observer newspaper publications, including local news and special guides. Read issues as they appear in print on any device, offering a convenient e-Newspaper experience.

**Highlights:** Digital replica of printed issues, Includes West Orange Times & Observer, Includes Southwest Orange Observer, Features Season Magazine, Includes Local Motion guide, e-Newspaper format, Hyperlocal news coverage

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sunset Magazine free?

Sunset Magazine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Orange Observer free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Sunset Magazine or Orange Observer?

Orange Observer is rated higher. Sunset Magazine averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while Orange Observer averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Sunset Magazine or Orange Observer have ads?

Orange Observer shows ads; Sunset Magazine does not.

### Which is updated more often, Sunset Magazine or Orange Observer?

Sunset Magazine ships an update every 2 months, and Orange Observer every 9 months. Most recently, Sunset Magazine was updated on October 16, 2026 and Orange Observer on October 12, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*