Comparison

The Big Issue UK vs Bylines

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

Head to head
About

The Big Issue UK

Access a weekly news and entertainment magazine with a social justice focus. Explore inspiring community stories and vendor updates. Support a mission to help vulnerable people in the UK.

Highlights
  • Award-winning weekly publication
  • Big Community channel with inspiring stories
  • Vendor updates and news
  • Save favorite articles
  • Offline reading
  • Night mode and adjustable text size
  • Share stories via social media
Features
Read full description

The Big Issue is Britain’s only news and entertainment weekly magazine with a social justice focus and a commitment to prevent homelessness, poverty and provide a means for society’s most marginalised to earn a living. Engaging and thought-provoking we take an irreverent look at life, culture and politics challenging orthodoxy through righteous columnists, critics and award-winning features. The Big Issue app provides access to our award-winning weekly publication PLUS our new Big Community channel which provides uplifting and inspiring stories about people and businesses coming together to support the most vulnerable in society. The Big Issue exists to create opportunity for the most vulnerable and marginalised people in the UK to improve their lives. In 2020, the world has changed significantly, and life has not returned to normal, our vendors need your support more than ever and our mission is more important and more challenging than it has been in our 29-year history. Every purchase goes towards supporting The Big Issue’s mission to help the most vulnerable people in the UK to improve their lives. App Features - The Big Issue app is free which gives access to our Big Community channel. - Read each magazine every Monday, before it goes on general sale - Stay plugged into our Big Community channel – live story feed, curated to provide positive and inspiring stories of people working together in the teeth of adversity - Big Issue vendor update – fascinating daily news on how our network of vendors are coping at this time - Fully optimised for your iPad and iPhone - Save your favourite articles to the Saved Articles section - Choose the number of issues saved on your device to save on memory - Easy reading with our night mode and adjustable text size - Download the edition and read offline at your leisure - Share your favourite stories with family and friends through Twitter and Facebook Terms of Use: https://www.bigissue.com/terms-of-use/

About

Bylines

Access all content from the Byline Network, including regional publications, TV videos, and articles. This app serves as a central hub for citizen journalism, allowing users to read, share, and stay updated on the latest news.

Highlights
  • Access Byline Network content
  • Read regional publications
  • Watch Byline TV videos
  • Browse Byline Times articles
  • Share articles
  • Refresh for new content
Features
Read full description

The Bylines app pulls together all the up-to-date streams from everything Byline(s). That means all the publications of the Bylines Network of regional publications, plus Byline TV videos and Byline Times articles. It’s your one-stop-shop for exploring the Byline universe! Read the latest Bylines publication for your region, or browse all Byline channels. Share articles, visit the home site for any of the streams for more in-depth reading, and pull-down to refresh at any time to check for new articles. Stay up to date with the latest in citizen journalism.

Screenshots

The Big Issue UK4 screens
Bylines4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Bylines at none against The Big Issue UK's 10. Bylines also leads on review sentiment (87% vs 67%) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 7 months). The Big Issue UK's advantage is ratings volume (22 vs 3). On price, rating, ads 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 Big Issue UK sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $33.99 per 3 months. Bylines asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for The Big Issue UK against 5.0 for Bylines. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Big Issue UK has 22 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of The Big Issue UK's written reviews are positive against 87% of Bylines's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Big Issue UK ships an update every 7 months, Bylines every 3 months. Both last shipped on November 7, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
The Big Issue UK versus Bylines: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Big Issue UKBylines
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (22 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews86.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings22 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Big Issue Group LtdCliff Mitchell

Customer experience

The Big Issue UK

All ratings22 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bylines

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive86.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative13.3%

In-app purchases

10 purchases

The Big Issue UK

Subscriptions2
  • 3-month Subscription$33.993 Months
  • 12-month Subscription$134.991 Year
One-time8
  • Issue#1418$2.99
  • Issue#1422$2.99
  • Issue#1423$2.99
Show 5 more
  • Issue#1426$2.99
  • Issue#1435$2.99
  • Issue#1447$2.99
  • Issue#1517$2.99
  • Issue#1610$3.99
None

Bylines

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Big Issue UK free?
The Big Issue UK is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bylines free?
Bylines is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Big Issue UK or Bylines?
The Big Issue UK and Bylines are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 22 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do The Big Issue UK or Bylines have ads?
Neither The Big Issue UK nor Bylines shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Big Issue UK or Bylines?
The Big Issue UK ships an update every 7 months, and Bylines every 3 months. Most recently, The Big Issue UK was updated on November 7, 2026 and Bylines on November 7, 2026.

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