Comparison

Phys.org vs Mechanical Engineering Mag

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

Head to head
About

Phys.org

Stay updated with daily science and technology news across various fields like physics, space, biology, and engineering. Bookmark and share articles easily. Access a selection of spotlight stories for free, with an option to subscribe for unlimited content.

Highlights
  • Daily science and technology news
  • Covers physics, space, biology, engineering, and more
  • Bookmark favorite stories
  • Share articles
  • Ads-free experience
  • Free spotlight stories
Features
Read full description

Daily spotlight science and technology news stories from Phys.org. This includes stories in the fields of physics, nanotechnology, electronics, space and earth sciences, biology, chemistry, computer sciences, engineering, mathematics, etc. Readers may bookmark and share favorite stories from the app. The Phys.org app is ads-free. Free app content is limited to selected spotlight stories. Access to Phys.org's full content is available with the monthly subscription plan for just $0.99. Your first subscription week is free. Monthly subscription options: - Unlimited digital access on any device for $0.99 per month. You will be charged in your local currency at the prevailing exchange rate as defined by App Store. - The app offers 7 days trial. At the end of the free trial period, the full price of the subscription will be charged thereafter. Cancellations must occur 24 hours before the end of the subscription period to avoid being charged. - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. - No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Privacy policy can be found at http://sciencex.com/help/privacy/ Terms of use: https://sciencex.com/help/terms/ Feedback and comments: https://sciencex.com/help/feedback/

About

Mechanical Engineering Mag

Access award-winning monthly engineering content in a digital format. Read current and past issues, with text-formatted articles optimized for mobile. Download content for offline access and search the archive.

Highlights
  • Current and past issues
  • Brilliant replica format
  • Text-formatted articles
  • Offline reading
  • Searchable archive
  • Bookmark articles
Features
Read full description

Mechanical Engineering magazine is the award-winning monthly flagship publication of ASME. Published since 1880, the magazine, and this app, deliver an interdisciplinary view of engineering trends and breakthroughs, giving readers a roadmap to understand today's technology and tomorrow's innovations. MAGAZINE FEATURES: – Current and past issues of Mechanical Engineering magazine. – Brilliant replica format, just like the print edition. – Text-formatted articles designed for maximum mobile readability. – Download each issue and return any time for offline reading. – Search the archive of available issues. – Bookmark your favorite articles. – Share your comments with other readers. Mechanical Engineering magazine is published by ASME, founded as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1880. ASME promotes the art, science and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe. This app includes issues dating back to January 2012. New issues will be available for download monthly. ____________________ This application is powered by GTxcel, a leader in digital publishing technology, provider of hundreds of online digital publications and mobile magazine apps.

Screenshots

Phys.org4 screens
Mechanical Engineering Mag4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Mechanical Engineering Mag at 71% against Phys.org's 18%. Mechanical Engineering Mag also leads on rating (3.5 vs 2.8) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Phys.org's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (70 vs 6). On price, 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. Phys.org sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. Mechanical Engineering Mag asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mechanical Engineering Mag holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Phys.org has 70 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 18% of Phys.org's written reviews are positive against 71% of Mechanical Engineering Mag's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Phys.org ships an update every 5 weeks, Mechanical Engineering Mag every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Phys.org versus Mechanical Engineering Mag: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhys.orgMechanical Engineering Mag
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.8 (70 ratings)3.5 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews18.5% of reviews71.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings70 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.010.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB22 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperOmicron Tech LtdASME

Customer experience

Phys.org

All ratings70 ratings
Positive37.1%
Neutral15.7%
Negative47.1%
Written reviews65 reviews
Positive18.5%
Neutral15.4%
Negative66.2%

Mechanical Engineering Mag

All ratings6 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative28.6%

Bugs and requests

Phys.org

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • App crashes when trying to view saved articles
  • App crashes on startup
  • App crashes after iOS updates
  • Login issues
  • Subscription not working
Show 9 more
  • Blank screen for content
  • Flickering articles
  • SSL errors
  • Favorites bug (crashes when accessing)
  • Tech feed not working
  • Dark blue hyperlinks unreadable in dark mode
  • Side swipe gesture reloads article
  • Orientation change reloads article and loses scroll position
  • No data connection error

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add search functionality
  • Sync ScienceX account for saved articles
  • Improve dark mode readability
  • Add Stage Manager support for iPadOS
  • Add Apple Watch compatibility
Show 5 more
  • Consolidate updates into an 'All' tab
  • Allow offline reading of more than a few articles
  • Add audio narration or video summaries
  • Allow toggling light/dark mode independently of OS
  • Filter articles by specific science subjects

Mechanical Engineering Mag

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Phys.org

Subscriptions1
  • All access$0.991 Month
None

Mechanical Engineering Mag

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Phys.org free?
Phys.org is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mechanical Engineering Mag free?
Mechanical Engineering Mag is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Phys.org or Mechanical Engineering Mag?
Mechanical Engineering Mag is rated higher. Phys.org averages 2.8 out of 5 from 70 ratings, while Mechanical Engineering Mag averages 3.5 from 6 ratings.
Do Phys.org or Mechanical Engineering Mag have ads?
Neither Phys.org nor Mechanical Engineering Mag shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Phys.org or Mechanical Engineering Mag?
Phys.org ships an update every 5 weeks, and Mechanical Engineering Mag every 7 months. Most recently, Phys.org was updated on October 12, 2026 and Mechanical Engineering Mag on October 8, 2026.

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