SGI vs AA Grapevine
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SGI
Access news and encouragement from a global Buddhist community. This app provides subscribers with content from a weekly newspaper and a monthly study magazine, featuring videos, podcasts, and event listings.
- Weekly newspaper content
- Monthly study magazine
- Video and podcast episodes
- Event listings
- Language editions
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Download the latest version of the World Tribune app to stay up-to-date on fresh news and encouragement from the Soka Gakkai International-USA, part of the world’s largest and most diverse Buddhist community. With the World Tribune app, subscribers receive access to content from the weekly newspaper, World Tribune, and monthly Buddhist study magazine, Living Buddhism. Updates include: • Watch & Listen: a tab with curated videos and podcast episodes • Events: Find the latest FNCC conferences and nationwide online events • Editions: now with access to the monthly language editions and Future Division insert.
AA Grapevine
Access the international journal of Alcoholics Anonymous, featuring articles, a podcast, and a daily quote. Enhance your sobriety journey with a calculator, events calendar, and exclusive spiritual maintenance tools. Share your experiences and connect with a supportive community.
- Monthly magazine access
- Article archives
- Podcast player
- Daily quote
- Sobriety calculator
- AA events calendar
- Spiritual maintenance checklist
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The Grapevine app is all things Grapevine right on your smartphone. The monthly magazine, the articles archives, the podcast, the daily quote, an enhanced sobriety calculator, and the AA events calendar. App-exclusive features include a spiritual maintenance checklist and the ability to share articles, and your own experience, strength, and hope with other Grapevine app users. The app allows for more content each month too. Service-oriented members will find easy ways to be a part of the AA Grapevine Community in our Get Involved section. You’ll be able to read Grapevine anonymously wherever you go. You can also listen to each month’s articles on a playlist, and listen to the podcast playlist right on the app. Terms of Use / End User License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: SGI at 96% against AA Grapevine's 30%. SGI also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.9) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). AA Grapevine's advantage is chart position (#61 vs unranked). On price, ads, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. AA Grapevine sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. SGI asks for nothing beyond the download.
SGI holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SGI has 2.4K ratings behind it against 89, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 96% of SGI's written reviews are positive against 30% of AA Grapevine's.
SGI ships an update every 5 days, AA Grapevine every 4 weeks. Both last shipped on November 7, 2026.
| Parameter | SGI | AA Grapevine |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (2.4K ratings) — better | 3.9 (89 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 95.7% of reviews — better | 30.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2.4K — better | 89 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #61 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Soka Gakkai International - USA | AA Grapevine, Inc. |
Customer experience
SGI
AA Grapevine
User reviews
SGI
From 2.4K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Positive and uplifting content
- 🎧 Convenient audio feature
- 📱 User-friendly app experience
- 🌐 Accessible on multiple devices
- 💗 Strengthens connection to Sensei and SGI
Room to improve
- 🐛 Audio playback issues
- 🔄 Delayed publication updates
- 🔍 Difficulty finding content
AA Grapevine
From 89 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great app concept
- 👍 Helpful individual stories
- 👍 Content is valuable for recovery
- 👍 Audio is great
- 👍 Easy to use (for some)
Room to improve
- 🐛 Constant subscription verification issues
- 🐛 App is buggy
- 🐛 Difficult to recommend app
- 🐛 Restore option never works
- 🐛 Cannot access current issue
Bugs and requests
SGI
Reported bugs
2 issues- April 2024 publications not visible
- Refresh feature not working
Requested features
3 requests- Improved audio playback functionality
- Faster publication update schedule
- Enhanced search and navigation
AA Grapevine
Reported bugs
16 issues- Subscription verification issues
- App is buggy
- Restore subscription option never works
- Cannot access current issue
- App repeatedly states user is not subscribed
Show 11 moreShow fewer
- Subscription sync issues
- App does not unlock all features after subscription
- Data not available message when restoring subscription
- Cannot download full issue
- Meeting place pictures not available
- Article playlist does not auto-advance
- Cannot read on e-ink devices
- Archive search is missing terms
- Cannot sign in with valid subscription
- No user ID/password created during subscription
- App does not recognize valid subscription
Requested features
7 requests- Native iPad version needed
- Improve iPad usability for visually impaired
- Fix app bugs
- Add a way to change password
- Improve archive search functionality
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Add ability to report app bugs
- Allow specifying user ID/password during subscription
In-app purchases
SGI
No in-app purchases
AA Grapevine
- Grapevine Monthly Subscription1 Month trial$2.991 Month
- Grapevine Annual Subscription$29.991 Year
