# Slate.com vs Variety

Slate.com and Variety both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 33% of Slate.com's written reviews are positive against 15% of Variety's. Slate.com also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (9.1K vs 1.7K). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Slate.com sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Variety sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $13.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Slate.com against 4.5 for Variety. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Slate.com has 9.1K ratings behind it against 1.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 33% of Slate.com's written reviews are positive against 15% of Variety's.

Slate.com ships an update every 5 weeks, Variety every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Slate.com | Variety |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (9.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/slatecom/id357555242/reviews) | [4.5 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/variety/id416179538/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **9.1K** | 1.7K |
| Positive reviews | **33.2% of reviews** | 14.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#84** | #191 |
| Size | 60 MB | 143 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [The Slate Group, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/796274625) | [PMC](https://appshunter.io/developer/533209616) |

## What reviewers say

### Slate.com

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

**Currently charting:** #84 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers, #107 Top Grossing · News (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


### Variety

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/variety/id416179538)

**Currently charting:** #191 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers (US App Store)

Access authoritative and trusted entertainment business news from a global perspective. Stay informed with breaking news, award-season coverage, and insightful analysis of the film, television, theater, and tech industries.

**Highlights:** Breaking news reports, Award-season coverage, Feature spotlights, Industry analysis, Global perspective

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Variety Magazine | $13.99 | per month |
| Variety VIP | $39.99 | per month |
| Variety Magazine | $139.99 | per year |
| Variety VIP | $399.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Customizable newsfeed
- 🚀 Trades on the fly!
- 💡 Manager

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes, shows no content
- 🐛 Buggy ads
- 🐛 Slow and buggy
- 🔋 Battery Drain
- 🐛 Multimedia Always Fails

**Reported bugs**

- Articles don't open
- Can't read entire articles
- Only the first paragraph/sentence loads
- Articles Wont Load
- Only the first sentence of every article is displayed

**Requested features**

- Real Time Alerts Feature
- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Ability to access magazine issues for direct subscribers


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Slate.com free?

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

### Is Variety free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Slate.com or Variety?

Slate.com and Variety are both rated 4.5 out of 5 on the App Store, from 9.1K and 1.7K ratings respectively.

### Do Slate.com or Variety have ads?

Both Slate.com and Variety show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Slate.com or Variety?

Slate.com ships an update every 5 weeks, and Variety every 4 months. Most recently, Slate.com was updated on September 26, 2026 and Variety on September 25, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Slate.com or Variety?

Slate.com currently peaks at #84 in the App Store charts, and Variety at #191. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*