# Slate.com vs Read Across The Aisle

The clearest difference is rating: Slate.com at 4.5 against Read Across The Aisle's 3.1. Slate.com also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 40 months) and ratings volume (9.1K vs 40). Read Across The Aisle's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.1). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Slate.com sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Read Across The Aisle sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Slate.com holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Slate.com has 9.1K ratings behind it against 40, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Slate.com's written reviews are positive against 26% of Read Across The Aisle's.

Slate.com ships an update every 5 weeks, Read Across The Aisle every 40 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Slate.com | Read Across The Aisle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (9.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/slatecom/id357555242/reviews)** | [3.1 (40 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/read-across-the-aisle/id1189851891/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **9.1K** | 40 |
| Positive reviews | **33.2% of reviews** | 26.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 40 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#59** | — |
| Size | 60 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **10.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Slate Group, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/796274625) | [BeeLine Reader, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/938026866) |

## What reviewers say

### Slate.com

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/slatecom/id357555242)

**Currently charting:** #59 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers, #81 Top Grossing · News, #210 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers (US App Store)

Access award-winning daily online magazine content, including in-depth analysis, commentary, and podcasts. Enjoy curated stories, reviews, and advice with options for ad-free reading and exclusive content through a membership.

**Highlights:** Editorially curated stories, Political and legal commentary, Movie and television reviews, Award-winning podcasts, Push notifications, Light/Dark mode reading, Slate Plus membership

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Slate Plus | $9.99 | per month |
| Slate Plus | $68.99 | per year |
| Slate Plus | $119.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Clean layout, easy to navigate
- 🚀 Great news source
- 🚀 Excellent journalism
- 👍 Informative, insightful content

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes constantly
- 🐛 Buggy, glitchy performance
- 🐛 Unreliable login and sign-in
- 🐛 Slow loading times
- 🐛 Incompatible with newer iOS versions

**Reported bugs**

- Articles not loading properly
- Blank screens and white screens
- Inability to access Slate Plus content
- Podcasts cutting out or not playing correctly

**Requested features**

- Add search functionality
- Improve podcast playback controls
- Implement landscape mode for iPad
- Better identify Slate Plus content


### Read Across The Aisle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/read-across-the-aisle/id1189851891)

This app helps you break out of your social media filter bubble by providing news from diverse sources and indicating their political orientation. It tracks your reading history's political leanings and prompts you to explore different perspectives.

**Highlights:** Diverse news sources, Political orientation of sources, User reading history analysis, Reminders to diversify reading, Privacy-focused data handling

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fully Unlock App | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Slate.com free?

Slate.com is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Read Across The Aisle free?

Read Across The Aisle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Slate.com or Read Across The Aisle?

Slate.com is rated higher. Slate.com averages 4.5 out of 5 from 9.1K ratings, while Read Across The Aisle averages 3.1 from 40 ratings.

### Do Slate.com or Read Across The Aisle have ads?

Slate.com shows ads; Read Across The Aisle does not.

### Which is updated more often, Slate.com or Read Across The Aisle?

Slate.com ships an update every 5 weeks, and Read Across The Aisle every 40 months. Most recently, Slate.com was updated on October 29, 2026 and Read Across The Aisle on October 26, 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.*