Comparison

Phys.org vs 9to5Mac

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

9to5Mac

Stay informed with the latest news for Apple devices and other tech. Enjoy an ad-free reading experience with a clean layout and push notifications for breaking stories. An optional premium subscription offers enhanced features.

Highlights
  • Latest Apple news
  • Ad-free reading
  • Push notifications
  • Dark Theme
  • Optimized layout
  • Access to network sites
Features
Read full description

9to5Mac is the leading news website for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and more. The 9to5Mac app offers an ad-free way to stay up to date with the latest Apple news, along with connecting you to the full network of 9to5 sites. View the latest stories from 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, Electrek, and more in a layout optimized for the iPhone and iPad with large photography. Take advantage of the Dark Theme for comfortable reading at any time of day. Get push notifications for instant alerts when a new post goes live so you can always stay up to date with the latest stories. The 9to5Mac app is a beautiful companion to the website experience. Give us your feedback and look forward to more updates coming in the future. Upgrade to the Premium Subscription to read stories in the app with an ad-free, privacy-respecting native reading experience. Premium costs $1.99 per month in the US. The subscription automatically renews — but you can cancel at any time.* 9to5Mac Premium is subject to the standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ See Privacy and Additional Terms: https://9to5mac.com/privacy/ *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 a 24-hour prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase.

Screenshots

Phys.org4 screens
9to5Mac4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: 9to5Mac at 4.7 against Phys.org's 2.8. 9to5Mac also leads on ratings volume (4.8K vs 70) and review sentiment (41% vs 18%). Phys.org's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 and 9to5Mac sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

9to5Mac holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 9to5Mac has 4.8K 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 41% of 9to5Mac's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Phys.org ships an update every 5 weeks, 9to5Mac every 3 months. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Phys.org versus 9to5Mac: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhys.org9to5Mac
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.8 (70 ratings)4.7 (4.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews18.5% of reviews40.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings704.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB34 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperOmicron Tech LtdSeth Weintraub

Customer experience

Phys.org

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

9to5Mac

All ratings4,844 ratings
Positive93.1%
Neutral2.8%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews264 reviews
Positive40.9%
Neutral18.2%
Negative40.9%

User reviews

Phys.org

From 70 App Store ratings

What 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

9to5Mac

From 4.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Informative content
  • 📱 Great app for Apple news
  • 🌓 Useful dark mode
  • 👍 Modern design

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Paywall restricts access
  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • ⏱️ Slow content loading
  • 💸 Expensive subscription
  • 🔍 Lack of search functionality

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

9to5Mac

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Subscription issues
  • Inconsistent dark mode support
  • Unreliable push notifications
  • Crashes when opening articles
  • Broken Disqus login functionality

Requested features

7 requests
  • Dark mode icon support
  • Improved notifications
  • In-app commenting
  • Yearly subscription option
  • Faster content updates
Show 2 more
  • Accessibility improvements
  • Seamless integration with other 9to5 sites

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Phys.org

Subscriptions1
  • All access$0.991 Month
1 purchases

9to5Mac

Subscriptions1
  • Premium Subscription7 Days trial$1.991 Month

Questions

Is Phys.org free?
Phys.org is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is 9to5Mac free?
9to5Mac is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Phys.org or 9to5Mac?
9to5Mac is rated higher. Phys.org averages 2.8 out of 5 from 70 ratings, while 9to5Mac averages 4.7 from 4.8K ratings.
Do Phys.org or 9to5Mac have ads?
Neither Phys.org nor 9to5Mac shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Phys.org or 9to5Mac?
Phys.org ships an update every 5 weeks, and 9to5Mac every 3 months. Most recently, Phys.org was updated on September 25, 2026 and 9to5Mac on September 25, 2026.

Other comparisons