# Phys.org vs New Scientist

The clearest difference is review sentiment: New Scientist at 69% against Phys.org's 18%. New Scientist also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.8) and ratings volume (5.5K vs 70). Phys.org's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Phys.org sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month and New Scientist sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

New Scientist holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: New Scientist has 5.5K ratings behind it against 70, 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 69% of New Scientist's.

Phys.org ships an update every 5 weeks, New Scientist every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Phys.org | New Scientist |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.8 (70 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/physorg/id356443503/reviews) | **[4.8 (5.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/new-scientist/id671845403/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 70 | **5.5K** |
| Positive reviews | 18.5% of reviews | **68.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#74** |
| Size | 7 MB | 47 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Omicron Tech Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/356443506) | [New Scientist Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1259836343) |

## 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


### New Scientist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/new-scientist/id671845403)

**Currently charting:** #74 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers, #97 Top Grossing · News, #136 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers (US App Store)

Access award-winning journalism on science and technology. Read daily news, watch videos, and listen to podcasts covering topics from AI to quantum physics. Log in with your subscription for full access.

**Highlights:** Daily news updates, Latest issue access, Science videos, Weekly podcast, Audio articles

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Month Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| 3 Month Subscription | $49.99 | per 3 months |
| 1 Year Subscription | $99.99 | per year |
| 12 Month Subscription | $179.99 | per year |
| August 30 2014 | $1.99 | one-time |
| October 04 2014 | $1.99 | one-time |
| July 16 2016 | $1.99 | one-time |
| September 03 2016 | $1.99 | one-time |
| October 01 2016 | $1.99 | one-time |
| November 19 2016 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Essential Guide 10 | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fascinating and informative content
- 🚀 Accessible and easy to read
- 🤓 Covers a wide range of scientific topics
- 📚 Valuable source of up-to-date science news

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app with login and subscription issues
- 🔒 Difficult to manage subscriptions and access content
- 💰 Expensive subscription fees
- 🙄 Forced subscription model and lack of transparency

**Reported bugs**

- App fails to recognize active subscriptions
- Downloading and accessing content is unreliable
- Frequent crashes and performance issues
- Inconsistent user experience across platforms

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode option
- Improve navigation and ability to resume reading
- Implement better syncing and cross-device access
- Provide more customization options for text size and font


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Phys.org free?

Phys.org is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is New Scientist free?

New Scientist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Phys.org or New Scientist?

New Scientist is rated higher. Phys.org averages 2.8 out of 5 from 70 ratings, while New Scientist averages 4.8 from 5.5K ratings.

### Do Phys.org or New Scientist have ads?

Neither Phys.org nor New Scientist shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Phys.org or New Scientist?

Phys.org ships an update every 5 weeks, and New Scientist every 2 months. Most recently, Phys.org was updated on September 25, 2026 and New Scientist on September 24, 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.*