Comparison

Bylines vs Engelsberg Ideas

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Bylines

Access all content from the Byline Network, including regional publications, TV videos, and articles. This app serves as a central hub for citizen journalism, allowing users to read, share, and stay updated on the latest news.

Highlights
  • Access Byline Network content
  • Read regional publications
  • Watch Byline TV videos
  • Browse Byline Times articles
  • Share articles
  • Refresh for new content
Features
Read full description

The Bylines app pulls together all the up-to-date streams from everything Byline(s). That means all the publications of the Bylines Network of regional publications, plus Byline TV videos and Byline Times articles. It’s your one-stop-shop for exploring the Byline universe! Read the latest Bylines publication for your region, or browse all Byline channels. Share articles, visit the home site for any of the streams for more in-depth reading, and pull-down to refresh at any time to check for new articles. Stay up to date with the latest in citizen journalism.

About

Engelsberg Ideas

This app offers in-depth articles, essays, and podcasts on history, culture, and geopolitics. It provides a distraction-free reading experience with features like offline access, author following, and adjustable text. Explore serious ideas from leading thinkers and stay informed about global affairs.

Highlights
  • In-depth articles, essays, and podcasts
  • Customizable reading experience
  • Offline reading and saving
  • Follow favorite writers
  • Complete archive access
  • Built-in audio player
Features
Read full description

Engelsberg Ideas is a digital publication dedicated to intelligent, long-form writing on history, culture and geopolitics. We publish essays, notebooks, reviews and podcasts by leading thinkers, historians, writers and experts from around the world. Our new app offers a customisable, immersive reading experience designed for depth and reflection – a place where serious ideas can be explored away from the noise, speed and churn of the internet. Whether you are interested in global affairs, intellectual history, political thought or cultural debate, the Engelsberg Ideas app makes it easier than ever to engage with the ideas shaping our present and our future. Download the Engelsberg Ideas app to stay up to date with our latest writing and discover new voices alongside established contributors such as Antony Beevor, Stephen Kotkin and Helen Thompson. Explore our growing archive of essays and audio, follow your favourite writers and save articles to read offline. The app is free to download, and all of our writing and audio is free to access. What you’ll find on the Engelsberg Ideas app Our app is designed around the writing itself, offering a slick, focused experience for engaging with ideas without distraction. Here is what you can expect: • A personal, immersive reading experience • Articles you can save for offline reading • Your favourite writers to follow • The complete Engelsberg Ideas archive • A built-in audio player for listening on the go • Audio versions of selected essays • Light and dark modes • Adjustable text size and accessibility tools • Notifications delivered directly to your home screen Who the app is for The Engelsberg Ideas app is for readers who want to engage with a world undergoing rapid change, from global politics and international relations to history, culture, and ideas. Whether you are an academic, student, policymaker, journalist or simply a curious reader, the app offers a space for nuanced thinking and intellectual curiosity. Download Engelsberg Ideas today – your access to excellence. Engelsberg Ideas is funded and published by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit.

Screenshots

Bylines4 screens
Engelsberg Ideas4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Engelsberg Ideas at every 3 weeks against Bylines's every 3 months. Engelsberg Ideas also leads on ratings volume (90 vs 3) and chart position (#178 vs unranked). Bylines's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Bylines against 4.9 for Engelsberg Ideas. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Engelsberg Ideas has 90 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 87% and 86% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bylines ships an update every 3 months, Engelsberg Ideas every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Bylines versus Engelsberg Ideas: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBylinesEngelsberg Ideas
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better4.9 (90 ratings)
Positive reviews86.7% of reviews — better85.7% of reviews
Number of ratings390 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank—#178 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCliff Mitchellengelsberg ideas

Customer experience

Bylines

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive86.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative13.3%

Engelsberg Ideas

All ratings90 ratings
Positive98.9%
Neutral1.1%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

In-app purchases

None

Bylines

No in-app purchases

None

Engelsberg Ideas

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bylines free?
Bylines is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Engelsberg Ideas free?
Engelsberg Ideas is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bylines or Engelsberg Ideas?
Bylines is rated higher. Bylines averages 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Engelsberg Ideas averages 4.9 from 90 ratings.
Do Bylines or Engelsberg Ideas have ads?
Neither Bylines nor Engelsberg Ideas shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bylines or Engelsberg Ideas?
Bylines ships an update every 3 months, and Engelsberg Ideas every 3 weeks. Most recently, Bylines was updated on November 3, 2026 and Engelsberg Ideas on November 5, 2026.

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