Comparison

Slate.com vs TIME Magazine

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

TIME Magazine

Access award-winning articles and photography covering global issues, politics, health, and technology. Stay informed with breaking news and in-depth analysis from experts. Experience news events through personal accounts and inspiring features.

Highlights
  • Award-winning articles
  • Eye-opening photography
  • Global issue coverage
  • Health breakthroughs
  • Political analysis
  • Tech advances
Features
Read full description

Stay up-to-date with the latest news from around the world with TIME Magazine! 

Stay informed with award-winning articles and eye-opening photography. Learn about global issues from the experts and get the breaking new details. Meet the people who are changing the world and shaping social change. Experience news events firsthand through personal accounts and inspiring features. Plus discover new health breakthroughs, political analyses, the latest tech advances – and so much more! Download the app and receive a FREE ISSUE when you say yes to a monthly or annual subscription. TIME publishes 50 issues per year, including 16 double issues. 
TIME® Magazine Subscriptions Available: 
1 month and 1 year 
SUBSCRIBERS’ AUTOMATIC-RENEWAL FEATURE: Your subscription will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Your iTunes account will automatically be charged at the same price for renewal, as stated above, within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Current subscriptions may not be cancelled during the active subscription period, but you can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renewal by visiting your iTunes Account Settings after purchase. NOTE: WHEN PURCHASING A SUBSCRIPTION OR SINGLE-COPY OF THIS TITLE, YOU AGREE TO THE PRIVACY POLICY AND TERMS OF SERVICE WHICH CAN BE VIEWED BY GOING TO: Privacy Policy US: https://time.com/privacy/generic_privacy_new.html Privacy Policy US (California): https://time.com/privacy/generic_privacy_new.html#california EU Privacy Policy: http://time.com/privacy/generic_privacy_new_eu.html Terms of Service: https://time.com/privacy/privacy_terms_service.html

Screenshots

Slate.com4 screens
TIME Magazine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: TIME Magazine at none against Slate.com's shown. Slate.com's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (9.1K vs 2.5K). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases 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 and TIME Magazine sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Slate.com against 4.5 for TIME Magazine. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9.1K and 2.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 33% of Slate.com's written reviews are positive against 38% of TIME Magazine's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Slate.com ships an update every 5 weeks, TIME Magazine every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Slate.com versus TIME Magazine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSlate.comTIME Magazine
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (9.1K ratings)4.5 (2.5K ratings)
Positive reviews33.2% of reviews37.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9.1K — better2.5K
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#68 — better#148
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.1 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB22 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperThe Slate Group, LLCTIME

Customer experience

Slate.com

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

TIME Magazine

All ratings2,506 ratings
Positive88.8%
Neutral2.7%
Negative8.5%
Written reviews191 reviews
Positive37.7%
Neutral6.8%
Negative55.5%

User reviews

Slate.com

From 9.1K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

TIME Magazine

From 2.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great app
  • 🚀 Intuitive and user-friendly
  • 💡 Innovative features
  • 🚀 Beautifully designed
  • 👍 Excellent content

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🐛 Subscription issues
  • 🐛 Inability to download current issues
  • 🐛 Poor customer support
  • 🐛 Confusing layout and navigation

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

TIME Magazine

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes on startup
  • Subscription not recognized
  • Unable to download latest issues
  • Login issues and account problems
  • Compatibility problems with iOS updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add audio playback for articles
  • Implement bookmarking and note-taking
  • Improve syncing and offline access
  • Provide better customization options
  • Integrate social sharing features

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
10 purchases

TIME Magazine

Subscriptions4
  • 1 Month Subscription7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • 1 Month Subscription1 Month trial$2.991 Month
  • 1 Year Subscription7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • 1 Year Subscription1 Month trial$29.991 Year
One-time6
  • April 12, 2010$4.99
  • TIME 100, 2010$4.99
  • December 27, 2010$4.99
Show 3 more
  • May 20, 2011$4.99
  • October 17, 2011$4.99
  • March 04, 2013$4.99

Questions

Is Slate.com free?
Slate.com is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TIME Magazine free?
TIME Magazine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Slate.com or TIME Magazine?
Slate.com and TIME Magazine are both rated 4.5 out of 5 on the App Store, from 9.1K and 2.5K ratings respectively.
Do Slate.com or TIME Magazine have ads?
Slate.com shows ads; TIME Magazine does not.
Which is updated more often, Slate.com or TIME Magazine?
Slate.com ships an update every 5 weeks, and TIME Magazine every 3 months. Most recently, Slate.com was updated on September 23, 2026 and TIME Magazine on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, Slate.com or TIME Magazine?
Slate.com currently peaks at #68 in the App Store charts, and TIME Magazine at #148. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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