# Substack vs Treehorn

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Substack at 566K against Treehorn's 3. Substack also leads on chart position (#5 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Substack sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Treehorn sells 1 in-app purchase, 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 — 4.9 for Substack against 5.0 for Treehorn. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Substack has 566K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Substack ships an update every 6 days, Treehorn every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Substack | Treehorn |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (566K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/substack/id1581650857/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/treehorn/id6758573279/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **566K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 72.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#5** | — |
| Size | 239 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple TV** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Substack, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1581650859) | [Brandon Wilson](https://appshunter.io/developer/1847630318) |

## What reviewers say

### Substack

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/substack/id1581650857)

**Currently charting:** #5 Top Free · News, #13 Top Grossing · News, #129 Top Free (US App Store)

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 viewing and listening, and participate in live events and chats.

**Highlights:** Support creators, Ad-free videos and podcasts, Real-time connection, Explore independent ideas, Subscribe to favorites, Livestreams and group chats

**Features:** Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hung Up (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| The Dworkin Report (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| Isolation Journals (Monthly) | $5.99 | per month |
| Ettingermentum (monthly) | $5.99 | per month |
| What To Cook (Monthly) | $5.99 | per month |
| The Message Box (Monthly) | $7.99 | per month |
| House Inhabit (Monthly) | $8.99 | per month |
| Noahpinion (Monthly) | $9.99 | per month |
| Slow Boring (Monthly) | $9.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Stable and functional app
- 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Variety of great content
- 👍 Supports independent writers
- 👍 Refreshing alternative to mainstream media

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
- 🐛 Difficult to manage subscriptions
- 🐛 Inconsistent user experience between app and website
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with data collection
- 💤 Slow performance and loading times

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### Treehorn

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/treehorn/id6758573279)

Wake up to daily AI-generated news and educational shows covering a wide range of topics from politics to science. Enjoy curated content designed to inform and educate.

**Highlights:** AI-powered news service, Daily lineup of shows, Covers politics, finance, history, science, Educational content, World-class news programming

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Treehorn Unlimited - Monthly | $4.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Substack free?

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

### Is Treehorn free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Substack or Treehorn?

Treehorn is rated higher. Substack averages 4.9 out of 5 from 566K ratings, while Treehorn averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Substack or Treehorn have ads?

Neither Substack nor Treehorn shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Substack or Treehorn?

Substack ships an update every 6 days, and Treehorn every 5 days. Most recently, Substack was updated on November 6, 2026 and Treehorn on November 5, 2026.

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