TMZ vs Variety
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TMZ
Stay updated with the latest in entertainment news and celebrity gossip. Get exclusive stories, breaking alerts, and candid footage directly on your device. Access photos and stream full episodes of popular shows.
- Exclusive stories and footage
- Breaking news alerts
- Home and Lock Screen widget
- Candid celebrity interviews
- Curated photo galleries
- Stream full episodes
Read full descriptionHide full description
Your #1 source for breaking entertainment news. Download the free TMZ app to discover breaking stories from the heart of Hollywood. From shocking, exclusive details to hilarious pop culture moments, the TMZ app will always keep you in the know. Features: • EXCLUSIVE STORIES — Whether it's legal drama, compelling photos, or exciting footage, get access to accurate information you won't find anywhere else. • BREAKING ALERTS — Be first to receive breaking news notifications right to your device. • NEWS WIDGET — View the latest stories right from your Home Screen and Lock Screen with the TMZ widget. • CANDID FOOTAGE — Watch exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes highlights featuring your favorite celebrities and entertainers. • PHOTO GALLERIES — Get lost in endless, curated galleries of memorable celebrity, entertainment, and pop-culture moments. • STREAM EPISODES — Never miss your daily dose of TMZ by streaming full episodes of "TMZ on TV" and "TMZ Live" on demand. We may work with mobile advertising companies and other similar entities that help deliver advertisements tailored to your interests. For more information about such advertising practices, and to opt-out in mobile apps, see http://www.aboutads.info/choices/. You may also download the App Choices app at http://www.aboutads.info/appchoices Privacy: https://www.tmz.com/privacy
Variety
Access authoritative and trusted entertainment business news from a global perspective. Stay informed with breaking news, award-season coverage, and insightful analysis of the film, television, theater, and tech industries.
- Breaking news reports
- Award-season coverage
- Feature spotlights
- Industry analysis
- Global perspective
Read full descriptionHide full description
Variety is the most authoritative and trusted source of entertainment business news, recognized and respected throughout the world. Since 1905, influential producers, executives and talent in entertainment and beyond have turned to Variety for award-winning daily breaking news reports, insightful award-season coverage, must-read feature spotlights and intelligent analysis of the industry’s most prominent players. As the leading publication covering film, television, theater and tech with a global perspective, Variety is the vital read in every entertainment capital in over 84 countries. Privacy - https://pmc.com/privacy-policy/ EULA - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: TMZ at 62% against Variety's 15%. TMZ also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (213K vs 1.7K). On price, ads, monetization model and chart position 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. Variety sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $13.99 per month. TMZ asks for nothing beyond the download.
TMZ holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TMZ has 213K ratings behind it against 1.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of TMZ's written reviews are positive against 15% of Variety's.
TMZ ships an update monthly, Variety every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TMZ | Variety |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (213K ratings) — better | 4.5 (1.7K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 62.4% of reviews — better | 14.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 213K — better | 1.7K |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #132 — better | #193 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 81 MB | 143 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Ehm Productions, Inc. | PMC |
Customer experience
TMZ
Variety
User reviews
TMZ
From 213K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 First to report breaking news
- 👍 Accurate and reliable information
- 🤩 Entertaining celebrity gossip
- 💯 Trusted news source
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Inconsistent photo captions
- 🤬 Hateful and toxic comments
- 📢 Too many intrusive ads
Variety
From 1.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Customizable newsfeed
- 🚀 Trades on the fly!
- 💡 Manager
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes, shows no content
- 🐛 Buggy ads
- 🐛 Slow and buggy
- 🔋 Battery Drain
- 🐛 Multimedia Always Fails
Bugs and requests
TMZ
Reported bugs
4 issues- Videos not loading or playing properly
- App redirecting to App Store unexpectedly
- Notifications not working reliably
- Frequent app crashes on iOS devices
Requested features
4 requests- Bring back comment section with moderation
- Add ability to turn off notification badges
- Improve swipe navigation between articles
- Make app more user-friendly on tablets
Variety
Reported bugs
21 issues- Articles don't open
- Can't read entire articles
- Only the first paragraph/sentence loads
- Articles Wont Load
- Only the first sentence of every article is displayed
Show 16 moreShow fewer
- Can't use app without notifications on
- VIP+ Membership is useless on iPad
- Navbar too tight on iPhone 13 mini
- Freezes at start on iPad
- Doesn't have OneTrust data to show Banner user interface
- Impossible to Use
- Site keeps crashing
- Awfull app crashes constantly
- 50% of the time, this app just shuts down, out of the blue
- Incredibly slow and glitchy
- Crashes and stutters
- Very unstable on my iPad
- Keeps crashing
- Soooo slow. Problems loading pages
- Unstable
- Article disappears right after you open it in the app
Requested features
4 requests- Real Time Alerts Feature
- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Ability to access magazine issues for direct subscribers
In-app purchases
TMZ
No in-app purchases
Variety
- Variety Magazine$13.991 Month
- Variety VIP$39.991 Month
- Variety Magazine$139.991 Year
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Variety VIP$399.991 Year
