Substack vs The Rice Thresher
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Substack
Discover creators, ideas, and communities through videos, writing, and podcasts. Subscribe for free or upgrade to access exclusive content and connect directly with creators. Enjoy ad-free media and participate in live events.
- Subscribe to creators
- Ad-free video and podcasts
- Live streams and group chats
- Explore independent ideas
- Read aloud articles
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Substack is a new media app that connects you with the creators, ideas, and communities you care about most. - Support the creators you love: Subscribe for free or upgrade to view original work and connect directly with your favorite writers, artists, and podcasters. - Enjoy ad-free videos and podcasts: Access short-form clips, video episodes, and read-aloud articles without interruptions. - Connect in real time: Join livestreams and live group chats, where top creators bring their biggest supporters into their world. - Explore independent ideas: Discover bold opinions and engaging views across food, sports, politics, fashion, comedy, finance, and more. How it works: 1. Download the Substack app. 2. Claim your handle. 3. Explore the feed to enjoy notes, videos, and clips from creators. 4. Subscribe to your favorites for free, tune into their livestreams and join private group chats.
The Rice Thresher
Access Rice University's student newspaper, radio station, and yearbook. Read articles, listen to live radio, explore historical archives, and enjoy daily puzzles and games.
- Browse articles by section
- Explore historical archives
- Listen to student radio
- Read yearbook content
- Solve daily crosswords
- Play mini-games
- Receive push notifications
- Save articles for offline access
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The Rice Thresher app is the official iOS client for Rice University’s student newspaper. It allows users to browse and read published articles from the Thresher website in a mobile-optimized, native experience. The app includes support for: • Viewing articles by section (e.g., News, Opinion, Features, Sports, Arts & Entertainment) • Exploring the history of The Thresher via a dedicated archives explorer • Listening to KTRU, Rice’s student-run radio station and sister organization of The Thresher • Reading KTRU reviews and articles • Browsing KTRU's daily DJ show schedule • Reading over 100 years of Rice History via The Campanile, Rice's official student-run yearbook and sister organization of The Thresher • Solving daily, student-created mini-crossword puzzles • Playing games like Set and Sudoku • Receiving push notifications for new articles from subscribed authors or tags • Receiving push notifications before KTRU DJ shows start • Receiving push notifications when new mini-crosswords are published • Saving articles for offline access • Browsing staff bios and masthead information
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Rice Thresher at none against Substack's 24. The Rice Thresher also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 72%). Substack's advantage is ratings volume (550K vs 5) and chart position (#4 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Substack sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. The Rice Thresher asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Substack against 5.0 for The Rice Thresher. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Substack has 550K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 72% of Substack's written reviews are positive against 100% of The Rice Thresher's.
Substack ships an update weekly, The Rice Thresher every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Substack | The Rice Thresher |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (550K ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 72.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 550K — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #4 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 17.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 229 MB | 33 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Substack, Inc. | Rice University |
Customer experience
Substack
The Rice Thresher
Bugs and requests
Substack
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login issues and inability to sign in
- Inconsistent behavior when archiving/deleting posts
- Playback issues with audio content
- Incompatibility with older devices or operating systems
Requested features
5 requests- Add search functionality within app
- Improve notification management
- Allow customization of font size and style
- Implement ability to mark articles as read/unread
- Add option to collapse/expand comment threads
The Rice Thresher
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Substack
- Hung Up (Monthly)$4.991 Month
- The Dworkin Report (Monthly)$4.991 Month
- Popular Information (Monthly)$5.991 Month
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- Monthly$5.991 Month
- Isolation Journals (Monthly)$5.991 Month
- Ettingermentum (monthly)$5.991 Month
- What To Cook (Monthly)$5.991 Month
- The Present Age (Monthly)$6.991 Month
- The Message Box (Monthly)$7.991 Month
- House Inhabit (Monthly)$8.991 Month
- Noahpinion (Monthly)$9.991 Month
- Slow Boring (Monthly)$9.991 Month
- Razib Khan (Monthly)$10.991 Month
- House of Strauss (Monthly)$11.991 Month
- The Dworkin Report (Annual)$49.991 Year
- Annual$59.991 Year
- Isolation Journals (Annual)$59.991 Year
- Slow Boring (Annual)$99.991 Year
The Rice Thresher
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Substack free?
Is The Rice Thresher free?
Which has better reviews, Substack or The Rice Thresher?
Do Substack or The Rice Thresher have ads?
Which is updated more often, Substack or The Rice Thresher?
Other comparisons
