Sword And Scale vs A&E Crime Central
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sword And Scale
Explore real criminal cases and the justice system's response through in-depth podcast episodes. Features 911 calls, court testimonies, and interviews for a comprehensive look at each story. Receive notifications for new episode releases.
- Real criminal case explorations
- Justice system analysis
- 911 call recordings
- Court testimonies
- Interviews
- New episode notifications
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Discover the world of true crime with Sword and Scale, a podcast exploring real criminal cases and the justice system's response. Each episode features 911 calls, court testimonies, and interviews that offer a thorough, multi-angle look at each story. Stay informed with new episode notifications as they drop. Explore more at our website: https://www.swordandscale.com/ Privacy Policy: https://www.swordandscale.com/privacy-policy/ Terms and Conditions: https://www.swordandscale.com/terms-and-conditions/
A&E Crime Central
Stream a vast library of A&E's true crime documentaries and series, including popular titles like 60 Days In and After the First 48. Download episodes for offline viewing and enjoy new content added weekly, all without commercial interruptions. A 7-day free trial is available for new subscribers.
- 1,500+ true crime titles
- Offline viewing
- New content added weekly
- Commercial-free streaming
- Personal watchlist
- Curated content browsing
- No TV provider needed
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A&E Crime Central brings you the best of A&E’s true crime documentaries and series, commercial-free! Stream over 1,500 titles like 60 Days In, After the First 48, Girl in the Box, and more. Download to watch your favorite episodes offline anytime, anywhere. New videos are added every week so you'll always have a fresh selection of commercial-free true crime content at your fingertips. Try A&E Crime Central free for 7-days. After your free trial ends, pay only $5.99 a month or save 15% and pay $59.99 a year. Sign up now and crack open thrilling cases, witness unbelievable acts of survival, and explore the minds of the most notorious criminals of our time. What you’ll love about A&E Crime Central: -Free trial for all first-time subscribers -No commitments, cancel anytime -Unlimited streaming -No ad interruptions -Download to watch offline -Add your favorite titles to My List, your personal watchlist -Browse curated content or use search to easily find titles -No TV provider necessary -Easy billing through iTunes Note: A&E Crime Central content is only available to stream in the U.S. and U.S. Territories. Payment is charged to the iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Your account will be charged for renewal at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage your subscription and auto-renewal by visiting Account Settings on your device. If you turn off auto-renew during the current subscription period, your subscription will be canceled for the subsequent period. If you are experiencing issues, please visit: https://support.aecrimecentral.com Terms of Use: http://www.aenetworks.com/terms Privacy Policy: http://www.aenetworks.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sword And Scale at 70% against A&E Crime Central's 14%. Sword And Scale also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.4) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Sword And Scale sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and A&E Crime Central sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Sword And Scale holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sword And Scale has 6.7K ratings behind it against 187, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Sword And Scale's written reviews are positive against 14% of A&E Crime Central's.
Sword And Scale ships an update every 2 weeks, A&E Crime Central monthly. Both last shipped on November 7, 2026.
| Parameter | Sword And Scale | A&E Crime Central |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (6.7K ratings) — better | 3.4 (187 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.1% of reviews — better | 14.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6.7K — better | 187 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | #103 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 135 MB | 106 MB |
| Age rating | +17 | 17+ |
| Developer | Incongruity, LLC | A+E Global Media |
Customer experience
Sword And Scale
A&E Crime Central
User reviews
Sword And Scale
From 6.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent app
- 👍 Convenient and easy to use
- 🔒 Robust security features
- 💎 High-quality content
- 🎨 Great graphics and layout
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🔋 High data usage
- 🔒 Login and account issues
- 📥 Offline listening problems
- 🔀 Lack of episode progress tracking
A&E Crime Central
From 187 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Good content for true crime fans
- 👍 Some users enjoy the shows
- 👍 App has some bingeable shows
Room to improve
- 🐛 App frequently crashes
- 🐛 Login issues and errors
- 🐛 Subscription not recognized
- 🐛 Content is outdated and limited
- 🐛 Missing many episodes/seasons
Bugs and requests
Sword And Scale
Reported bugs
4 issues- Frequent app crashes
- Subscription validation issues
- Inconsistent episode downloads
- Playback menu navigation problems
Requested features
4 requests- Variable playback speed
- Ability to filter played episodes
- Automatic pause during GPS directions
- Improved search functionality
A&E Crime Central
Reported bugs
16 issues- App crashes constantly
- App freezes and won't open
- Subscription status not recognized
- Login/sign-in issues
- Videos reset or skip in the middle of playback
Show 11 moreShow fewer
- App won't work with lightning adapter/AirPlay
- No audio when screen is locked
- Stop playing timer doesn't work
- App not available on Samsung TVs
- Episodes not marking as watched
- Search function not working for keywords
- Play button not working
- App not working with VPN activation
- App crashes after a few episodes
- Shows are shuffled and out of order
- Content restricted to US only
Requested features
10 requests- Add fast forward/rewind options
- Implement picture-in-picture (PIP)
- Improve background playback functionality
- Update app content with current episodes
- Make search more robust (keywords, episode names)
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Improve accessibility for blind users
- Add ability to save playback spot
- Allow casting to TVs
- Add dark mode
- Fix issues with episodes not marking as played
In-app purchases
Sword And Scale
- +BASE LEVEL SUPPORTER$9.991 Month
- +BONUS LEVEL SUPPORTER$9.991 Month
- BASE LEVEL SUPPORTER1 Month trial$9.991 Month
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- BONUS LEVEL SUPPORTER1 Month trial$9.991 Month
- Bonus Supporter$9.991 Month
- +ADVANCED LEVEL SUPPORTER$14.991 Month
- Super Supporter$19.991 Month
- +HARDCORE LEVEL SUPPORTER$24.991 Month
- VIP Supporter$29.991 Month
- +BASE LEVEL SUPPORTER (Yearly)$99.991 Year
A&E Crime Central
- A&E Crime Central7 Days trial$5.991 Month
- A&E Crime Central7 Days trial$59.991 Year
Questions
Is Sword And Scale free?
Is A&E Crime Central free?
Which has better reviews, Sword And Scale or A&E Crime Central?
Do Sword And Scale or A&E Crime Central have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sword And Scale or A&E Crime Central?
Other comparisons
