# Slate.com vs Publishers Weekly

The clearest difference is rating: Slate.com at 4.5 against Publishers Weekly's 1.9. Slate.com also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 9 months). Publishers Weekly's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (10.2 vs 15.1). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Slate.com sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Publishers Weekly sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $18.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Slate.com holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 1.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Slate.com has 9.1K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Slate.com's written reviews are positive against 14% of Publishers Weekly's.

Slate.com ships an update every 5 weeks, Publishers Weekly every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Slate.com | Publishers Weekly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (9.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/slatecom/id357555242/reviews)** | [1.9 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/publishers-weekly/id792782165/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **9.1K** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | **33.2% of reviews** | 14.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 9 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#98** | — |
| Size | 60 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **10.2** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Slate Group, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/796274625) | [PWxyz, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/792782168) |

## What reviewers say

### Slate.com

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

**Currently charting:** #98 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers, #134 Top Grossing · News, #191 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


### Publishers Weekly

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/publishers-weekly/id792782165)

Access the latest international news and reviews for the book publishing and bookselling industries. Enjoy a mobile-friendly replica of the weekly magazine, with offline reading and article bookmarking features. Stay updated with author interviews and industry analysis.

**Highlights:** Replica format of print edition, Text-formatted articles for mobile, Offline reading of downloaded issues, Searchable archive, Bookmark favorite articles, Share comments with readers

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Publishers Weekly Magazine Subscription | $18.99 | per month |
| Publishers Weekly: 20141210142100 | $8.99 | one-time |
| Publishers Weekly: 20151204115846 | $8.99 | one-time |
| Publishers Weekly: 20151204115849 | $8.99 | one-time |
| Publishers Weekly: 20151204115850 | $8.99 | one-time |
| Publishers Weekly: 20151204115855 | $8.99 | one-time |
| Publishers Weekly: 20151204115903 | $8.99 | one-time |
| Publishers Weekly: 20151204115913 | $8.99 | one-time |
| Publishers Weekly | $8.99 | one-time |
| Publishers Wee: 20250108151813 | $8.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Slate.com free?

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

### Is Publishers Weekly free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Slate.com or Publishers Weekly?

Slate.com is rated higher. Slate.com averages 4.5 out of 5 from 9.1K ratings, while Publishers Weekly averages 1.9 from 11 ratings.

### Do Slate.com or Publishers Weekly have ads?

Slate.com shows ads; Publishers Weekly does not.

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

Slate.com ships an update every 5 weeks, and Publishers Weekly every 9 months. Most recently, Slate.com was updated on October 16, 2026 and Publishers Weekly on October 9, 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.*