Flipboard vs Substack
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Access curated news and trending stories from top publishers and local sources. Personalize your feed by topic or follow creators to build your own digital magazine. Discover inspiration and share articles with a community of curators.
- Curated news from top publishers
- Personalized topic-based magazines
- Follow creators and experts
- Create and share your own magazines
- Local news and events
- Beautiful layouts and clean design
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Get the day's headlines, deep dives and trending stories with the award-winning Flipboard app. Curated from world-renowned publishers, local outlets and creators, Flipboard brings you trusted content to jumpstart your day or let you catch-up in the evening. Known for its beautiful layouts and clean designs, download the app and start flipping through the pages of Flipboard. Pick from hundreds of topics and Flipboard creates a beautiful, always-updated news magazine experience. You can always further personalize by following more topics, Magazines or profiles you discover. If you’re looking for inspiration, browse topics by category in the Explore tab. You’ll find everything from business, health, tech, sports, cooking, travel and more. You can even follow local news and events by selecting ‘add local content’ in your Profile settings. If you find articles or videos you want to collect, use the + (plus) button on any story in Flipboard to add it to your own Magazine. Make your Magazine public to share ideas and interesting stories with an ever-growing community curating on Flipboard. USE FLIPBOARD TO: - Keep up on all your interests with the latest stories from leading national publishers including Associate Press, The Washington Post, ESPN, National Geographic, NPR, TIME, The Atlantic, BBC, CBS, NBC and thousands more. - Follow your city for local updates, regional news, weather, commute, sports, and dining. - Curate stories you find informative or inspiring and share with others: Use the + (plus) button on any article to save it to your own Flipboard Magazine. - Follow other experts and enthusiasts who are curating about topics you love. - Turn on notifications and use the Flipboard widget to get stories delivered to you everyday. GET FLIPBOARD IN YOUR INBOX: Enjoy 10 for Today, our flagship newsletter packed with highlights to inform and inspire your day, plus themed roundups in tech, travel, politics and beyond. Human editors handpick every story, focusing on quality publications and creators. Browse the full lineup at flipboard.com/newsletters. KEEP UP WITH FLIPBOARD: For product updates, the latest from our blog, and tips on how to use Flipboard, follow us on Flipboard and other social platforms: https://flipboard.com/@flipboard https://bsky.app/profile/flipboard.com https://www.threads.com/@flipboard https://flipboard.social/@Flipboard https://www.linkedin.com/company/flipboard-inc/ We’d love to hear what you think! Reach out to our support team under Settings > Help & Feedback. For any other technical issues or questions, contact us at http://flip.it/help.
Substack
Discover creators, ideas, and communities through videos, writing, and podcasts. Subscribe for free or upgrade to access exclusive content and connect directly with creators. Enjoy ad-free media and participate in live events.
- Subscribe to creators
- Ad-free video and podcasts
- Live streams and group chats
- Explore independent ideas
- Read aloud articles
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Substack is a new media app that connects you with the creators, ideas, and communities you care about most. - Support the creators you love: Subscribe for free or upgrade to view original work and connect directly with your favorite writers, artists, and podcasters. - Enjoy ad-free videos and podcasts: Access short-form clips, video episodes, and read-aloud articles without interruptions. - Connect in real time: Join livestreams and live group chats, where top creators bring their biggest supporters into their world. - Explore independent ideas: Discover bold opinions and engaging views across food, sports, politics, fashion, comedy, finance, and more. How it works: 1. Download the Substack app. 2. Claim your handle. 3. Explore the feed to enjoy notes, videos, and clips from creators. 4. Subscribe to your favorites for free, tune into their livestreams and join private group chats.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Flipboard at none against Substack's 24. Flipboard also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Substack's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (72% vs 55%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and device support 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
Both are free to download. Substack sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Flipboard asks for nothing beyond the download.
Substack holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 329K and 561K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of Flipboard's written reviews are positive against 72% of Substack's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | Substack | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (329K ratings) | 4.9 (561K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 55.2% of reviews | 72.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 329K | 561K — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #115 | #4 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 170 MB | 236 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Flipboard Inc. | Substack, Inc. |
Customer experience
Substack
User reviews
What we love
- 🚀 Great news aggregator
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 📰 Diverse content from reliable sources
- 🗞️ Personalized news feed
- 💡 Useful for staying informed
Room to improve
- 🔍 Difficulty finding specific articles
- 🔋 High data consumption
- 📢 Excessive advertising
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🤖 Irrelevant content recommendations
Substack
From 561K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Stable and functional app
- 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Variety of great content
- 👍 Supports independent writers
- 👍 Refreshing alternative to mainstream media
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
- 🐛 Difficult to manage subscriptions
- 🐛 Inconsistent user experience between app and website
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with data collection
- 💤 Slow performance and loading times
Bugs and requests
Reported bugs
4 issues- Articles failing to load
- Inconsistent navigation and UI behavior
- Syncing and state preservation issues
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Offline reading mode
- Improved search and filtering options
- Customizable news feed preferences
- Reduced advertising or paid subscription option
- Better performance optimization
Substack
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login issues and inability to sign in
- Inconsistent behavior when archiving/deleting posts
- Playback issues with audio content
- Incompatibility with older devices or operating systems
Requested features
5 requests- Add search functionality within app
- Improve notification management
- Allow customization of font size and style
- Implement ability to mark articles as read/unread
- Add option to collapse/expand comment threads
In-app purchases
No in-app purchases
Substack
- Hung Up (Monthly)$4.991 Month
- The Dworkin Report (Monthly)$4.991 Month
- Popular Information (Monthly)$5.991 Month
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- Monthly$5.991 Month
- Isolation Journals (Monthly)$5.991 Month
- Ettingermentum (monthly)$5.991 Month
- What To Cook (Monthly)$5.991 Month
- The Present Age (Monthly)$6.991 Month
- The Message Box (Monthly)$7.991 Month
- House Inhabit (Monthly)$8.991 Month
- Noahpinion (Monthly)$9.991 Month
- Slow Boring (Monthly)$9.991 Month
- Razib Khan (Monthly)$10.991 Month
- House of Strauss (Monthly)$11.991 Month
- The Dworkin Report (Annual)$49.991 Year
- Annual$59.991 Year
- Isolation Journals (Annual)$59.991 Year
- Slow Boring (Annual)$99.991 Year









