Comparison

MacDailyNews vs AppleInsider

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

Head to head
About

MacDailyNews

Get the latest daily news and discussions about Apple products and the Mac platform. Stay updated with real-time reader feedback and push notifications for new articles. Enjoy a clean design with customizable features for an enhanced reading experience.

Highlights
  • Daily Apple-related news
  • Real-time reader feedback
  • Push notifications
  • Infinite scrolling
  • Visited headlines tracking
  • Font resizing
  • Easy-to-use commenting system
Features
Read full description

MacDailyNews in your pocket! Now, even on the go, you won't miss a story. Just like MacDailyNews, our app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch features daily news about Apple, Mac OS X, the Macintosh platform, iPad, iPhone, iPod, and more. It's where the Mac community goes to discuss these daily Apple-related news items in their own words with real-time Reader Feedback. The MDN app offers Push Notifications. When enabled, the MDN app will notify users when each new article is posted. To control the various aspects of notifications (Sounds, Alerts, Badges), on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, tap Settings > Notification Center > MDN. Features include: •- Quick, up-to-the minute Apple-related news - Infinite scrolling •- Visited headlines, so you know what you've read at a glance - Push notifications now also for Apple Watch •- All-new, easier-to-read clean design - Font resizing - Supports iPad Pro display and Split View multitasking - Easy-to-use commenting system - Complete comment rating system - Comments display and count - Pull to refresh articles and comments - iOS Share App Extension integration including ocial media sharing (Facebook, Twitter, iMessage, email, AirDrop, etc.) - Full article display with dynamic Reader Feedback - Visit full site option - Sitewide search - Full menu with access to news, opinion, contact, Facebook site, Tumblr site, Twitter feed, RSS, archives, and more MacDailyNews. Where Mac News Comes First.

About

AppleInsider

Stay informed with the latest Apple news, rumors, and expert commentary on your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Get breaking news alerts, access video reviews, and listen to podcasts. Subscribers enjoy an ad-free experience.

Highlights
  • Breaking news push notifications
  • AI YouTube video library
  • Weekly podcasts
  • Live Apple event coverage
  • Ad-free subscription option
  • Optimized for iPhone and iPad
  • Apple Watch experience
Features
Read full description

The official AppleInsider app for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch serves as the most up-to-date and reliable source for all things Apple. Since 1997, AppleInsider has been the best destination for Apple-related news, rumors, reviews, expert commentary and more. And with the AppleInsider app, you can take all those news, tips, commentary, and reviews with you on the go, staying a step ahead of your friends with breaking news alerts and finger-tip access to the latest Apple news and rumors.   Features: - Be the first to know about breaking news and major announcements with push notifications sent directly to your device as they happen. - Access the AI YouTube video library to view product reviews, tutorials and more. - Listen to weekly podcasts and keep current with live Apple event coverage. - Subscribers can enjoy an ad-free viewing experience for $29.99 per year with an auto-renewable, annual subscription, or $2.99 a month. - Optimized for both iPhone and iPad. - Refreshed Apple Watch experience.   AppleInsider Pro subscription available: Besides one year of ad-free content for $29.99, a one-month subscription is available for $2.99. Both subscription tiers will automatically renew until canceled.   AppleInsider Pro Automatic-Renewal Feature: Your AppleInsider Pro digital subscription will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of your current period. Your iTunes account will automatically be charged at the same price for renewal, $29.99 per year, within 24 hours prior to the end of your current period.   Current subscriptions may not be canceled during the active subscription period, but you can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renewal by visiting your iTunes Account Settings after purchase.   For complete terms and conditions, please see our Terms of Use (http://www.appleinsider.com/terms-of-use) and Privacy Policy (http://www.appleinsider.com/privacy).

Screenshots

MacDailyNews3 screens
AppleInsider3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: AppleInsider at 3.3 against MacDailyNews's 1.8. AppleInsider also leads on review sentiment (29% vs 20%). MacDailyNews's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and update cadence (monthly vs every 8 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support 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. AppleInsider sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. MacDailyNews asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

AppleInsider holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 1.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 124 and 49 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of MacDailyNews's written reviews are positive against 29% of AppleInsider's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MacDailyNews ships an update monthly, AppleInsider every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
MacDailyNews versus AppleInsider: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMacDailyNewsAppleInsider
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.8 (124 ratings)3.3 (49 ratings) — better
Positive reviews20.3% of reviews29.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings124 — better49
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 8 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS10.0 — better14.7
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB19 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperJosh Enterprises LLCCrafted

Customer experience

MacDailyNews

All ratings124 ratings
Positive16.1%
Neutral5.6%
Negative78.2%
Written reviews192 reviews
Positive20.3%
Neutral6.3%
Negative73.4%

AppleInsider

All ratings49 ratings
Positive46.9%
Neutral12.2%
Negative40.8%
Written reviews218 reviews
Positive29.4%
Neutral13.3%
Negative57.3%

User reviews

MacDailyNews

From 124 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ⭐ Great content and commentary
  • 🔔 Useful push notifications

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Excessive ads and pop-ups
  • 🐌 Slow loading and performance issues
  • 🔧 Buggy and crashes frequently
  • 📱 Lack of support for newer iOS versions and devices

AppleInsider

From 49 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Wide range of topics
  • 👍 Informative and educational
  • 👍 Excellent podcast
  • 👍 Number one source for Apple news

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Cluttered and unintuitive UI
  • 🐛 Crashes and loading issues
  • 🔍 Ineffective search functionality
  • 💰 Excessive price increase for subscription
  • 🔍 New layout hides latest news

Bugs and requests

MacDailyNews

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes after iOS 8 update
  • Notifications not working consistently
  • Blank screens and loading issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Ability to save articles for later reading
  • Improved commenting system
  • Better notification controls

AppleInsider

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on iOS 14 and newer
  • Articles not loading properly
  • Widget functionality broken
  • Subscription issues and lack of cancellation options

Requested features

6 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Customizable notification settings
  • Ability to mark articles as read
  • App badge to show unread articles
  • iPad-optimized layout
Show 1 more
  • Landscape mode support for videos

In-app purchases

None

MacDailyNews

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

AppleInsider

Subscriptions2
  • Pro$2.991 Month
  • Pro$29.991 Year
One-time4
  • AppleInsider Subscription (1 Month)$0.99
  • AppleInsider Subscription (3 Months)$2.99
  • AppleInsider Subscription (6 Months)$4.99
Show 1 more
  • AppleInsider Subscription (1 Year)$8.99

Questions

Is MacDailyNews free?
MacDailyNews is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AppleInsider free?
AppleInsider is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MacDailyNews or AppleInsider?
AppleInsider is rated higher. MacDailyNews averages 1.8 out of 5 from 124 ratings, while AppleInsider averages 3.3 from 49 ratings.
Do MacDailyNews or AppleInsider have ads?
Both MacDailyNews and AppleInsider show ads.
Which is updated more often, MacDailyNews or AppleInsider?
MacDailyNews ships an update monthly, and AppleInsider every 8 months. Most recently, MacDailyNews was updated on October 23, 2026 and AppleInsider on October 24, 2026.

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