# Substack vs Wren Brief

The clearest difference is chart position: Substack at #4 against Wren Brief's unranked. Wren Brief's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Substack sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Wren Brief sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Substack ships an update weekly, Wren Brief every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Substack | Wren Brief |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (559K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/substack/id1581650857/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **559K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 72.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#4** | — |
| Size | 235 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Substack, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1581650859) | [Young Je Ko](https://appshunter.io/developer/1894734999) |

## What reviewers say

### Substack

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

**Currently charting:** #4 Top Free · News, #13 Top Grossing · News, #137 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 media and participate in live events.

**Highlights:** Subscribe to creators, Ad-free video and podcasts, Live streams and group chats, Explore independent ideas, Read aloud articles

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (18)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hung Up (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| The Dworkin Report (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Popular Information (Monthly) | $5.99 | 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 Present Age (Monthly) | $6.99 | 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 |
| Razib Khan (Monthly) | $10.99 | per month |
| House of Strauss (Monthly) | $11.99 | per month |
| The Dworkin Report (Annual) | $49.99 | per year |
| Annual | $59.99 | per year |
| Isolation Journals (Annual) | $59.99 | per year |
| Slow Boring (Annual) | $99.99 | per year |

**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


### Wren Brief

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wren-brief/id6762577730)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wren Pro Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Wren Pro Annual | $34.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Substack free?

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

### Is Wren Brief free?

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

### Do Substack or Wren Brief have ads?

Neither Substack nor Wren Brief shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Substack or Wren Brief?

Substack ships an update weekly, and Wren Brief every 2 weeks. Most recently, Substack was updated on October 27, 2026 and Wren Brief on October 24, 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.*