Phys.org vs DISCOVER Magazine
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Daily science and technology news
- Covers physics, space, biology, engineering, and more
- Bookmark favorite stories
- Share articles
- Ads-free experience
- Free spotlight stories
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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/
DISCOVER Magazine
Explore captivating advancements in science, medicine, technology, and the world. This app offers stunning photography and easy-to-understand articles on complex topics, connecting you with leading scientific ideas and minds.
- Captivating science developments
- Spectacular photography
- Understandable stories on complex subjects
- Latest news in health and medicine
- Cutting-edge technology insights
- Award-winning editorial content
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Take an exciting adventure with Discover Magazine as it reports captivating developments in science, medicine, technology, and the world around us. Spectacular photography and refreshingly understandable stories on complex subjects connect everyday people with the greatest ideas and minds in science. Every issue of Discover delivers the latest news, theories, and developments in the world of science, compelling stories and breakthroughs in health, medicine, and the mind, environmental issues and their relevance to daily life, cutting-edge technology and its impact on our future, thought-provoking articles from award-winning editors, opinion makers, Nobel laureates, and renegade scientists. DISCOVER subscriptions available: - Monthly = ($2.49 USD) automatically renewed until cancelled - Annual Subscription, 4 issues per year = ($19.99 USD), automatically renewed until cancelled When purchasing through iTunes your account will be charged at confirmation of purchase. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. You can turn off auto-renewal at any time from your iTunes account settings. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Privacy Policy: https://www.discovermagazine.com/page/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.discovermagazine.com/page/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Phys.org at 2.8 against DISCOVER Magazine's 1.5. Phys.org also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 4 months). DISCOVER Magazine's advantage is review sentiment (42% vs 18%). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Phys.org sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month and DISCOVER Magazine sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Phys.org holds the better App Store score, 2.8 against 1.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 70 and 47 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 18% of Phys.org's written reviews are positive against 42% of DISCOVER Magazine's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Phys.org ships an update every 5 weeks, DISCOVER Magazine every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Phys.org | DISCOVER Magazine |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.8 (70 ratings) — better | 1.5 (47 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 18.5% of reviews | 42.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 70 — better | 47 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 12.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 66 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Omicron Tech Ltd | Discover Magazine Inc. |
Customer experience
Phys.org
DISCOVER Magazine
User reviews
Phys.org
From 70 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great content source
- 👍 Informative articles
- 👍 Smooth experience (sometimes)
- 👍 No ads (in some contexts)
- 👍 Well-formatted content
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes when accessing saved articles
- 🐛 App crashes on startup
- 🐛 Unreadable text/links in dark mode
- 🐛 Flickering articles
- 🐛 Login issues
DISCOVER Magazine
From 47 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📚 High-quality, informative science content
- 👍 Magazine layout replicates print edition well
- 📖 Accessible science writing for general audiences
- 💰 Affordable subscription pricing
- 🎨 Beautiful photography and visual design
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 🔐 Subscription access issues and authentication failures
- 📵 Poor text scaling and readability on iPad
- 🔄 App loses reading position between sessions
- ⚠️ Requires internet connection to read offline content
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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- 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
DISCOVER Magazine
Reported bugs
12 issues- App crashes immediately upon opening
- Restore purchases function freezes or fails
- Login fails with valid Apple ID credentials
- Text size changes revert to default
- Page scrolling causes jumping and flickering
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- App loses subscription recognition after renewal
- Issues fail to download with file missing errors
- Black screen appears when opening issues
- App unresponsive and slow to load
- Archive skips issues or displays incomplete history
- Notification badge shows incorrect count
- iOS 13+ compatibility issues
Requested features
10 requests- Bookmark or page position memory feature
- Improved text scaling without layout jumping
- Better archive organization with clear date labels
- Dashboard menu for managing downloaded issues
- Offline reading capability
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Complimentary digital access with print subscription
- Table of contents for quick article navigation
- Dark mode option
- Responsive design for different device sizes
- Subscription expiration date display
In-app purchases
Phys.org
- All access$0.991 Month
DISCOVER Magazine
- DISCOVER Magazine$2.491 Month
- DISCOVER Magazine$19.991 Year
- September 2012$5.99
- October 2012$5.99
- November 2012$5.99
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- December 2012$5.99
- January 2013$5.99
- March 2013$5.99
- May 2013$5.99
- January 2014$5.99
Questions
Is Phys.org free?
Is DISCOVER Magazine free?
Which has better reviews, Phys.org or DISCOVER Magazine?
Do Phys.org or DISCOVER Magazine have ads?
Which is updated more often, Phys.org or DISCOVER Magazine?
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