# PressReader vs Please Explain

The clearest difference is update cadence: Please Explain at every 2 days against PressReader's monthly. Please Explain also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). PressReader's advantage is chart position (#45 vs unranked). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PressReader sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month and Please Explain sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PressReader ships an update monthly, Please Explain every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PressReader | Please Explain |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (19K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pressreader-news-and-magazines/id313904711/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **19K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 59.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#45** | — |
| Size | 117 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PressReader Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/313904714) | [One Trick Pony NYC LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1860135545) |

## What reviewers say

### PressReader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pressreader-news-and-magazines/id313904711)

**Currently charting:** #45 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers, #61 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers, #76 Top Grossing · News, #78 Top Free · News (US App Store)

Access over 7,000 global newspapers and magazines in their original print or a mobile-optimized format. Features include translation into over 30 languages and text-to-speech functionality. Read on up to three devices with a free trial available.

**Highlights:** Read 7,000+ newspapers and magazines, Original print view, Mobile-optimized text view, Auto-Translate to over 30 languages, Text-to-speech stories, Unlimited reading on 3 devices

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Get Select | $11.99 | per month |
| Legacy Monthly Membership | $29.99 | per month |
| Go Premium | $29.99 | per month |
| Get this issue | $0.99 | one-time |
| Get this issue | $1.99 | one-time |
| Get this issue | $2.99 | one-time |
| Single Issue | $3.99 | one-time |
| Get this issue | $4.99 | one-time |
| Get this issue | $5.99 | one-time |
| Get this issue | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Convenient access to newspapers and magazines
- 📚 Wide selection of publications
- 🔍 Ability to search and discover new content
- 🔖 Bookmarking and saving articles
- 🔊 Text-to-speech feature

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔄 Unreliable automatic downloads
- 🔒 Login and authentication issues
- 🔍 Clunky and unintuitive navigation
- 🔋 High battery consumption

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to log in or access content
- Inconsistent performance after app updates
- Missing or delayed newspaper/magazine issues
- Incorrect or outdated content display

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Improved search and filtering capabilities
- Better organization and management of downloaded content
- Ability to annotate and take notes on articles
- Smoother integration with library accounts


### Please Explain

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/please-explain/id6759809040)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $4.99 | per month |
| Bi-Annual Subscription | $29.99 | per 6 months |
| Annual Subscription | $49.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PressReader free?

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

### Is Please Explain free?

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

### Do PressReader or Please Explain have ads?

Neither PressReader nor Please Explain shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PressReader or Please Explain?

PressReader ships an update monthly, and Please Explain every 2 days. Most recently, PressReader was updated on October 23, 2026 and Please Explain on October 13, 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.*