# Instapaper vs New Philosopher

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Instapaper | New Philosopher |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (3.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/instapaper/id288545208/reviews)** | [2.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/new-philosopher/id1101636040/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.5K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **64.2% of reviews** | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#178** | — |
| Size | 49 MB | 97 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Instant Paper, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/284942716) | [Zinio Pro](https://appshunter.io/developer/451100089) |

## What reviewers say

### Instapaper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/instapaper/id288545208)

**Currently charting:** #178 Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Instapaper Premium | $5.99 | per month |
| Instapaper Premium | $59.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Efficient reading experience
- 👍 Clean, minimalist design
- 💡 Useful features like highlighting and notes
- 🚀 Seamless integration with various platforms
- 👍 Reliable and stable app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🔒 Concerns about data privacy and GDPR compliance
- 💰 Subscription price increase
- 🔍 Unreliable search functionality
- 🚫 Inability to delete account

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/new-philosopher/id1101636040)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 3 Month | $15.99 | per 3 months |
| 1 Year | $29.99 | per year |
| Issue 49 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Issue 40 - June/August 2023 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Dec 2021 / Feb 2022 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Sept - Nov 2021 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Issue 44 - June/August 2024 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Issue 43 - March/May 2024 | $14.99 | one-time |
| August 2016 | $15.99 | one-time |
| February 2017 | $15.99 | one-time |
| May 2017 | $15.99 | one-time |
| November 2017 | $15.99 | one-time |
| February - April 2016 | $15.99 | one-time |
| February 2018 | $15.99 | one-time |
| August 2018 | $15.99 | one-time |
| November 2018 | $15.99 | one-time |
| Issue 23 - No.1/2019 | $15.99 | one-time |


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