# TMZ vs Variety

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 iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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 18, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | TMZ | Variety |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (213K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tmz/id299948601/reviews)** | [4.5 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/variety/id416179538/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **213K** | 1.7K |
| Positive reviews | **62.4% of reviews** | 14.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#131** | — |
| Size | 81 MB | 143 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Ehm Productions, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1506775803) | [PMC](https://appshunter.io/developer/533209616) |

## What reviewers say

### TMZ

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tmz/id299948601)

**Currently charting:** #131 Top Free · News (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** Exclusive stories and footage, Breaking news alerts, Home and Lock Screen widget, Candid celebrity interviews, Curated photo galleries, Stream full episodes

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 First to report breaking news
- 👍 Accurate and reliable information
- 🤩 Entertaining celebrity gossip
- 💯 Trusted news source

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Inconsistent photo captions
- 🤬 Hateful and toxic comments
- 📢 Too many intrusive ads

**Reported bugs**

- Videos not loading or playing properly
- App redirecting to App Store unexpectedly
- Notifications not working reliably
- Frequent app crashes on iOS devices

**Requested features**

- 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/variety/id416179538)

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.

**Highlights:** Breaking news reports, Award-season coverage, Feature spotlights, Industry analysis, Global perspective

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Variety Magazine | $13.99 | per month |
| Variety VIP | $39.99 | per month |
| Variety Magazine | $139.99 | per year |
| Variety VIP | $399.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Customizable newsfeed
- 🚀 Trades on the fly!
- 💡 Manager

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes, shows no content
- 🐛 Buggy ads
- 🐛 Slow and buggy
- 🔋 Battery Drain
- 🐛 Multimedia Always Fails

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Real Time Alerts Feature
- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Ability to access magazine issues for direct subscribers


## Frequently asked questions

### Is TMZ free?

TMZ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Variety free?

Variety is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, TMZ or Variety?

TMZ is rated higher. TMZ averages 4.8 out of 5 from 213K ratings, while Variety averages 4.5 from 1.7K ratings.

### Do TMZ or Variety have ads?

Both TMZ and Variety show ads.

### Which is updated more often, TMZ or Variety?

TMZ ships an update monthly, and Variety every 4 months. Most recently, TMZ was updated on October 18, 2026 and Variety on October 16, 2026.

---

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