# Academia.edu vs Nerdish

Academia.edu and Nerdish both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 74% of Academia.edu's written reviews are positive against 60% of Nerdish's. Academia.edu also leads on ratings volume (17K vs 2.7K) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Nerdish's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks) and chart position (#74 vs unranked). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Academia.edu sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Nerdish sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Academia.edu against 4.8 for Nerdish. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Academia.edu has 17K ratings behind it against 2.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 74% of Academia.edu's written reviews are positive against 60% of Nerdish's.

Academia.edu ships an update every 2 weeks, Nerdish every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Academia.edu | Nerdish |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (17K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/academiaedu/id1385234213/reviews) | **[4.8 (2.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nerdish-learn-something-new/id1552613187/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **17K** | 2.7K |
| Positive reviews | **73.8% of reviews** | 60.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#74** |
| Size | 52 MB | 63 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Academia.edu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1385234212) | [Nerdish OU](https://appshunter.io/developer/1552613189) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Nerdish

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nerdish-learn-something-new/id1552613187)

**Currently charting:** #74 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers, #152 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers (US App Store)

Expand your general knowledge with concise, engaging articles on diverse topics like science, history, and art. Designed for busy adults, this app delivers quick, fact-checked reads in 5-10 minutes daily to foster lifelong learning and personal growth.

**Highlights:** Concise articles on science, history, art, and more, Daily 5-10 minute learning sessions, Fact-checked and well-structured content, Connects key ideas for deeper understanding, Topics include psychology, technology, and daily life

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $4.99 | per month |
| Nerdish Premium Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Easy Quarterly Plan | $11.99 | per 3 months |
| Nerdish Annual Special | $29.99 | per year |
| Nerdish Premium Annual | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Interesting and informative content
- 📚 Wide range of topics
- 🤓 Helpful for learning and expanding knowledge
- 🕰️ Bite-sized, easy to read articles
- 🎨 Beautiful artwork and visuals

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription cost is too high
- 📢 Too many ads disrupting the reading experience
- 🔍 Lack of search functionality
- 📝 Poor proofreading and editing of articles
- 🔒 Issues with account access and login

**Reported bugs**

- Incomplete articles with missing content
- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Subscription issues and billing problems

**Requested features**

- Add audio narration option
- Implement bookmarking and note-taking features
- Improve search and filtering capabilities
- Provide more free content without ads


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Academia.edu free?

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

### Is Nerdish free?

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

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

Nerdish is rated higher. Academia.edu averages 4.8 out of 5 from 17K ratings, while Nerdish averages 4.8 from 2.7K ratings.

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

Neither Academia.edu nor Nerdish shows ads.

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

Academia.edu ships an update every 2 weeks, and Nerdish every 5 days. Most recently, Academia.edu was updated on October 26, 2026 and Nerdish on October 25, 2026.

---

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