# Slate.com vs The Intercept Reader

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Slate.com | The Intercept Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (9.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/slatecom/id357555242/reviews)** | [4.2 (18 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-intercept-reader/id1583085279/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **9.1K** | 18 |
| Positive reviews | 33.2% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#50** | — |
| Size | 60 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **13.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | [The Slate Group, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/796274625) | [Aaltan Ahmad](https://appshunter.io/developer/1503758236) |

## What reviewers say

### Slate.com

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

**Currently charting:** #50 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers, #68 Top Grossing · News, #180 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


### The Intercept Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-intercept-reader/id1583085279)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*