Comparison

Slate.com vs Tech News Pro

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

Tech News Pro

Stay current with the latest technology and startup news from around the globe. This app curates top stories from thousands of sources, ensuring you never miss important updates. Access comments, share articles, and save favorites for later.

Highlights
  • Real-time tech and startup news
  • Thousands of global news sources
  • Hacker News community curation
  • Quick navigation between stories
  • Access to community comments
  • Save and search favorite stories
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Having trouble staying up to date with the latest technology and startup news? Look no further, Tech News by Hacker News is what you need: • Never miss the latest tech and startup news, directly displayed within the app in a split second • Read news from around the world, with thousands of sources in one place • All the top news are directly curated by the Hacker News community, making sure you never miss what's important this very minute • Jump from news to news with a single tap • Check comments from the expert crowd of the Hacker News community • Share your favorite news stories with a single tap • Save your favorite stories to retrieve them later • Search through your entire favorite stories collection • Use shortcuts to quickly skim all your stories (right arrow: view next story, down arrow: view comments, up arrow: share, CMD + F: save as favorite; CMD + l: list all favorites)

Screenshots

Slate.com4 screens
Tech News Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Tech News Pro at 100% against Slate.com's 33%. Tech News Pro also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). Slate.com's advantage is price (Free vs $1.99) and device support (4 vs 2). On chart position and iOS requirement 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

Slate.com is free to download; Tech News Pro costs $1.99 up front. Slate.com sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Tech News Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Slate.com ships an update every 5 weeks, Tech News Pro every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Slate.com versus Tech News Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSlate.comTech News Pro
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.5 (9.1K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews33.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9.1K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#99 — better#132
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Slate Group, LLCPierre Stanislas

Customer experience

Slate.com

All ratings9,063 ratings
Positive89.8%
Neutral3.2%
Negative7.0%
Written reviews316 reviews
Positive33.2%
Neutral10.8%
Negative56.0%

Tech News Pro

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Tech News Pro

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

Tech News Pro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Slate.com free?
Slate.com is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tech News Pro free?
Tech News Pro costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Slate.com or Tech News Pro have ads?
Slate.com shows ads; Tech News Pro does not.
Which is updated more often, Slate.com or Tech News Pro?
Slate.com ships an update every 5 weeks, and Tech News Pro every 2 days. Most recently, Slate.com was updated on October 16, 2026 and Tech News Pro on October 8, 2026.
Which is more popular, Slate.com or Tech News Pro?
Slate.com currently peaks at #99 in the App Store charts, and Tech News Pro at #132. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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