Comparison

TidBITS News vs Cities Today.

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

Head to head
About

TidBITS News

Access the latest news and product updates for Mac and iOS devices from a long-standing internet publication. Read full articles with graphics and embedded videos, and follow links to external resources. Content is downloaded for offline reading.

Highlights
  • Headline and summary display
  • Pull-to-refresh functionality
  • Full article reading with graphics and video
  • Adjustable font sizes
  • In-app web browsing
  • Offline content access
Read full description

Stay up to date with the latest news and products in the Mac and iOS worlds with TidBITS (tidbits.com), the oldest Internet-only publication on the planet! The award-winning publication was founded in 1990 by Adam Engst, regularly voted one of the most influential figures in the Macintosh industry. Displays headlines and summaries for the most recent TidBITS stories. At the top of the headline screen, pull to refresh the list. Tap to read the full text of any recent TidBITS article, complete with graphics and embedded movies. Choose among font sizes for reading articles. Follow links to referenced Web sites and other Internet resources in Safari. All headlines and articles are downloaded to your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch so you can catch up on TidBITS while on the subway or on an iPad/iPod touch that's out of range of a Wi-Fi network.

About

Cities Today.

Features
Read full description

Cities Today is the only global magazine containing analysis, comment and best practices on sustainable urban development, connecting local governments with public and private sector solutions. With an expert editorial advisory board comprising the World Bank, UN-Habitat, UNEP, and city associations ICLEI, C40, UCLG ASPAC, UCLG Africa, UCLG MEWA, Sister Cities International and FLACMA, the publication highlights the challenges facing city leaders and local governments in mobility, finance, smart technology, health care, energy efficiency, water, sanitation, security and housing. ---------------------------------------------- This is a free app download. Users can register for/ login to a pocketmags account in-app. This will protect their issues in the case of a lost device and allow browsing of purchases on multiple platforms. Existing pocketmags users can retrieve their purchases by logging into their account. We recommend loading the app for the first time in a wi-fi area so that all issue data is retrieved. If your app will not load past the splash page after a first install or an update, please delete and reinstall the app from the App Store Help and frequently asked questions be accessed in-app and on pocketmags. If you have any problems at all please do not hesitate to contact us: help@pocketmags.com -------------------- You can find our privacy policy here: http://www.pocketmags.com/privacy.aspx You can find our terms and conditions here: http://www.pocketmags.com/terms.aspx

Screenshots

TidBITS News2 screens
Cities Today.4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TidBITS News at none against Cities Today.'s 10. Cities Today.'s advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, 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. Cities Today. sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. TidBITS News asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TidBITS News ships an update every 4 months, Cities Today. every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
TidBITS News versus Cities Today.: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTidBITS NewsCities Today.
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews64.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMatt NeuburgJellyfish Connect Limited

In-app purchases

None

TidBITS News

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Cities Today.

One-time10
  • Issue 21 IssueFree
  • issue37 IssueFree
  • issue38 IssueFree
Show 7 more
  • issue39 IssueFree
  • issue40 IssueFree
  • issue41 IssueFree
  • issue42 IssueFree
  • issue43 IssueFree
  • issue44 IssueFree
  • issue45 IssueFree

Questions

Is TidBITS News free?
TidBITS News is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cities Today. free?
Cities Today. is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do TidBITS News or Cities Today. have ads?
Neither TidBITS News nor Cities Today. shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TidBITS News or Cities Today.?
TidBITS News ships an update every 4 months, and Cities Today. every 6 months. Most recently, TidBITS News was updated on October 22, 2026 and Cities Today. on October 7, 2026.

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