Comparison

Instapaper vs New Philosopher

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

Head to head
About

Instapaper

Save articles from the web for later reading, with a clean, clutter-free experience. Access your saved content offline, anywhere, anytime. Features include text-to-speech narration and customizable reading options.

Highlights
  • Save web articles for offline reading
  • Clutter-free reading experience
  • Text-to-speech narration
  • Customizable fonts and themes
  • Highlighting and note-taking
  • Article organization with folders
Features
Read full description

Instapaper is the simplest way to save and store articles for reading: offline, on-the-go, anytime, anywhere, perfectly formatted. Instapaper for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch provides a mobile-optimized text view that makes reading Internet content a clean and uncluttered experience. Instapaper also enhances the standard reading experience with features like text-to-speech. Instapaper has been inducted into the iPhone and iPad Hall of Fame, received Macworld Editor's Choice Award, and has also been featured in publications including Wired, TIME, Daring Fireball, and The Verge, among others. Core Features: - Strip away all clutter and save the content of web pages into iOS-optimized formatting. - Read anywhere! No internet, no problem: access your articles on airplanes, subways, elevators, or Wi-Fi-only devices away from Internet connections. - Save to Instapaper from other iOS applications with one tap. Additional Features: - Control every aspect of your reading experience with a variety of font, color themes, and spacing options. - Find that great quote you want to remember and share? Instapaper makes it easy to highlight and add notes to text in any article. - Have your Instapaper articles narrated to you with text-to-speech. Just turn up the volume on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and relax! - Sort your list of articles by popularity, date, and article length. - Folders for easy organization. Instapaper also offers an optional Instapaper Premium subscription for $5.99/month or $59.99/year. With Instapaper Premium you receive: - Full-text search for articles in your account - Unlimited highlights and notes. - Text-to-speech Playlist to seamlessly listen to multiple articles. - Unlimited use of the speed reading feature to help you get through articles up to 3x faster. On sign up for Instapaper Premium, payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your App Store account settings after purchase. Terms of service: https://www.instapaper.com/terms Privacy policy: https://www.instapaper.com/privacy

About

New Philosopher

Explore philosophical ideas from past and present thinkers to find solutions for fundamental human problems and live a more fulfilling life. This app delves into contemporary societal challenges and offers insights for personal growth.

Highlights
  • Explores philosophical ideas
  • Addresses fundamental human problems
  • Seeks solutions to contemporary issues
  • Offers insights for a fulfilling life
  • Content from past and present thinkers
Features
Read full description

New Philosopher is for curious people seeking solutions to the fundamental problems faced by humankind. New Philosopher is devoted to exploring philosophical ideas from past and present thinkers on ways to live a more fulfilling life, and to seek to find solutions to the most pressing problems faced by humans in contemporary society. Pricing for subscriptions available: ­• Single issue: $7.99 • 1 year subscription = $29.99, automatically renewed until cancelled When purchasing through iTunes your account will be charged at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will auto­-renew unless you turn this off 24 hours before the subscription runs out. You can turn off auto­-renewal at any time from your iTunes account settings. You can manage your subscription through your account settings after purchase on your device. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period Terms of Service : https://www.newphilosopher.com/privacy/ Privacy Policy : https://www.newphilosopher.com/privacy/

Screenshots

Instapaper4 screens
New Philosopher4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Instapaper at 4.6 against New Philosopher's 2.0. Instapaper also leads on review sentiment (64% vs 33%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months). New Philosopher's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Instapaper sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and New Philosopher sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $15.99 per 3 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Instapaper holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Instapaper has 3.5K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Instapaper's written reviews are positive against 33% of New Philosopher's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Instapaper ships an update every 2 weeks, New Philosopher every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Instapaper versus New Philosopher: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInstapaperNew Philosopher
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (3.5K ratings) — better2.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews64.2% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings3.5K — better4
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#180 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS26.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size49 MB97 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperInstant Paper, Inc.Zinio Pro

Customer experience

Instapaper

All ratings3,537 ratings
Positive89.8%
Neutral3.3%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews1,367 reviews
Positive64.2%
Neutral9.1%
Negative26.8%

New Philosopher

All ratings4 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral11.1%
Negative55.6%

Bugs and requests

Instapaper

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Speak feature freezes on most articles
  • Pagination issues causing text to be cut off
  • Folders and archives disappearing
  • Inability to save articles from certain websites
  • Subscription not unlocking premium features

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for tables and charts
  • Improve text-to-speech quality
  • Implement a 'go back to beginning of article' feature
  • Add support for EPUB files
  • Introduce a 'random article' feature

New Philosopher

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Instapaper

Subscriptions2
  • Instapaper Premium$5.991 Month
  • Instapaper Premium$59.991 Year
17 purchases

New Philosopher

Subscriptions2
  • 3 Month$15.993 Months
  • 1 Year1 Month trial$29.991 Year
One-time15
  • Issue 49$14.99
  • Issue 40 - June/August 2023$14.99
  • Dec 2021 / Feb 2022$14.99
Show 12 more
  • Sept - Nov 2021$14.99
  • Issue 44 - June/August 2024$14.99
  • Issue 43 - March/May 2024$14.99
  • August 2016$15.99
  • February 2017$15.99
  • May 2017$15.99
  • November 2017$15.99
  • February - April 2016$15.99
  • February 2018$15.99
  • August 2018$15.99
  • November 2018$15.99
  • Issue 23 - No.1/2019$15.99

Questions

Is Instapaper free?
Instapaper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is New Philosopher free?
New Philosopher is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Instapaper or New Philosopher?
Instapaper is rated higher. Instapaper averages 4.6 out of 5 from 3.5K ratings, while New Philosopher averages 2.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Instapaper or New Philosopher have ads?
Neither Instapaper nor New Philosopher shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Instapaper or New Philosopher?
Instapaper ships an update every 2 weeks, and New Philosopher every 5 months. Most recently, Instapaper was updated on October 13, 2026 and New Philosopher on October 8, 2026.

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