# Phys.org vs Mechanical Engineering Mag

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Phys.org | Mechanical Engineering Mag |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.8 (70 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/physorg/id356443503/reviews) | **[3.5 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mechanical-engineering-mag/id521147202/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **70** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 18.5% of reviews | **71.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **10.2** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Omicron Tech Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/356443506) | [ASME](https://appshunter.io/developer/521147205) |

## What reviewers say

### Phys.org

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/physorg/id356443503)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| All access | $0.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great content source
- 👍 Informative articles
- 👍 Smooth experience (sometimes)
- 👍 No ads (in some contexts)
- 👍 Well-formatted content

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes when accessing saved articles
- 🐛 App crashes on startup
- 🐛 Unreadable text/links in dark mode
- 🐛 Flickering articles
- 🐛 Login issues

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when trying to view saved articles
- App crashes on startup
- App crashes after iOS updates
- Login issues
- Subscription not working

**Requested features**

- Add search functionality
- Sync ScienceX account for saved articles
- Improve dark mode readability
- Add Stage Manager support for iPadOS
- Add Apple Watch compatibility


### Mechanical Engineering Mag

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mechanical-engineering-mag/id521147202)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


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