Comparison

Slate.com vs The Intercept Reader

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Slate.com

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
Read full description

Enjoy Slate, the award-winning daily online magazine, on your iPhone. Slate is a general-interest publication offering analysis and commentary about politics, news, business, technology, culture, and advice. Slate’s strong editorial voice and witty take on current events have been recognized with numerous awards, including the National Magazine Award for General Excellence Online. Features include: - Our Editorially curated stories of the day - Access to all of our written work, including Slate’s popular political and legal commentary, movie and television reviews, and Dear Prudence. - Our award winning podcasts, including the Political Gabfest, the Culture Gabfest, Decoder Ring, and Slow Burn. - Push notifications to keep you informed throughout your day. - The ability to choose to read using Light or Dark mode. - Access to purchase or sign in to our membership program, Slate Plus. Please see the benefits below. The app is free to download, however we do display advertisements within the app. Additionally we offer the ability to log in to your existing Slate Plus account or purchase a new Slate Plus account through the in app purchases. Your Slate Plus account can be used on your iOS devices as well as our website. To use your Slate Plus subscription on other devices you must create an account after completing your purchase. You can always create an account at a later time if you choose not to do so initially after your purchase. With your Slate Plus subscription, you'll receive: - Unlimited articles in the Slate app. - An ad-free reading experience in the Slate app. By creating an optional account you’ll also receive: - Unlimited articles on slate.com. - Our exclusive subscriber only weekly newsletter. - Access to all of our podcasts completely ad-free. - Bonus episodes and segments on your favorite shows! Slate Plus Subscription details: Your account will automatically renew at the end of each month or year depending on your subscription. Payment will be charged to your Apple 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. You can manage your subscription and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to user account settings after purchase. 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. For additional information regarding Slate Plus please see our FAQ: https://slate.com/plus/faq Slate's Privacy Policy: https://slate.com/privacy Slate's Terms of Use: https://slate.com/terms For additional information regarding auto renewal settings please refer to this link: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202039 Please send your thoughts and suggestions to feedback@slate.com.

About

The Intercept Reader

Access articles from The Intercept in English and Brazilian Portuguese. This community-maintained app offers a convenient reading experience on your iPhone. Submit feedback directly through the app's settings.

Highlights
  • Read articles from The Intercept
  • Supports English and Brazilian Portuguese
  • Convenient mobile reading experience
  • Community maintained
  • In-app feedback submission
Features
Read full description

Unofficial, community maintained app for The Intercept. Read articles in English and Brazilian Portuguese in a convenient app on your iPhone. Submit feedback/questions through the Settings menu!

Screenshots

Slate.com4 screens
The Intercept Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Intercept Reader at none against Slate.com's 4. The Intercept Reader also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 5 weeks). Slate.com's advantage is ratings volume (9.1K vs 18) and rating (4.5 vs 4.2). On price 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. Slate.com sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. The Intercept Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Slate.com holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Slate.com has 9.1K ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of Slate.com's written reviews are positive against 50% of The Intercept Reader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Slate.com ships an update every 5 weeks, The Intercept Reader every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard10 real differences · 1 level
Slate.com versus The Intercept Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSlate.comThe Intercept Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (9.1K ratings) — better4.2 (18 ratings)
Positive reviews33.2% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9.1K — better18
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#53 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.113.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB22 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperThe Slate Group, LLCAaltan Ahmad

Customer experience

Slate.com

All ratings9,066 ratings
Positive89.8%
Neutral3.2%
Negative7.0%
Written reviews316 reviews
Positive33.2%
Neutral10.8%
Negative56.0%

The Intercept Reader

All ratings18 ratings
Positive72.2%
Neutral22.2%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral40.0%
Negative10.0%

Bugs and requests

Slate.com

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

The Intercept Reader

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Slate.com

Subscriptions3
  • Slate Plus1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • Slate Plus14 Days trial$68.991 Year
  • Slate Plus3 Months trial2 variants$119.001 Year
None

The Intercept Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Slate.com free?
Slate.com is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Intercept Reader free?
The Intercept Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Slate.com or The Intercept Reader?
Slate.com is rated higher. Slate.com averages 4.5 out of 5 from 9.1K ratings, while The Intercept Reader averages 4.2 from 18 ratings.
Do Slate.com or The Intercept Reader have ads?
Slate.com shows ads; The Intercept Reader does not.
Which is updated more often, Slate.com or The Intercept Reader?
Slate.com ships an update every 5 weeks, and The Intercept Reader every 10 days. Most recently, Slate.com was updated on September 26, 2026 and The Intercept Reader on September 23, 2026.

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