STARSS vs RiffTrax
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
STARSS
Experience news reading with a futuristic interface. Access your favorite news and blogs through RSS feeds, enhanced with classic design, animations, and sounds. This app offers a unique and engaging way to stay informed.
- Futuristic interface
- RSS feed aggregation
- Classic design elements
- Animations and sounds
- Universal App support
- Retina Display support
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STARSS is a news reader featuring a futuristic interface experience. STARSS provides convenient access to all your favorite news and blog sites via RSS feeds with classic design, animation, and sounds. STARSS is a Universal App, which runs on iPad, iPad Pro, iPhone, and features full support for Retina Displays.
RiffTrax
This app provides access to a library of humorous commentary for movies. Users can stream purchased content or subscribe for unlimited access to a curated selection of videos. Features include offline playback and casting to other devices.
- Stream purchased movie commentary
- Download videos for offline playback
- Subscribe for unlimited streaming access
- AirPlay and Chromecast support
- Curated content playlists
- Friends-only discounts
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At RiffTrax, we make movies funny! With the new mobile app for RiffTrax, you can subscribe to Friends for a low monthly fee, and view your entire Library of purchases from the RiffTrax website. The RiffTrax app allows streaming access to videos in the RiffTrax catalog! Features include: - AirPlay and Chromecast to your network devices - Download your available videos for offline playback - Subscribe to Friends for unlimited streaming access to hundreds of hours of hilarious content from our Friends catalog of video content. - Watch your purchased video content in your Library (subscription not required) - Curated content playlists updated regularly! With a Friends subscription, you'll get access to hundreds of RiffTrax titles from our catalog of streaming videos, plus: - Hand-curated lists of featured content each month - Friends-only Discounts on purchases made on our website - Periodic exclusive Friends content NEW! Introducing Best Friends. All the benefits of Friends, PLUS: - 24/7 "Always on" streams featuring Friends and Best Friends riffs - Fresher titles - 1 year old and older! - 10% discount on RiffTrax.com purchases A subscription is not required to use the app. The app can also be used to watch all purchased content from My Library, as well as watch trailers of releases and view our catalog of releases. Please review the Apple Standard End User License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: STARSS at 4.7 against RiffTrax's 4.1. STARSS also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and review sentiment (81% vs 68%). On price, ads 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. RiffTrax sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. STARSS asks for nothing beyond the download.
STARSS holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: STARSS has 282 ratings behind it against 31, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of STARSS's written reviews are positive against 68% of RiffTrax's.
STARSS ships an update every 3 months, RiffTrax every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | STARSS | RiffTrax |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (282 ratings) — better | 4.1 (31 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 80.5% of reviews — better | 68.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 282 — better | 31 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 79 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Christopher Kriens | RiffTrax, LLC |
Customer experience
STARSS
RiffTrax
Bugs and requests
STARSS
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes when opening certain articles
- RSS feed list disappearing after updates
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Slow or failed feed refreshes
Requested features
5 requests- Expanded LCARS functionality (calendar, calculator, etc.)
- Customizable news categories and sources
- Ability to save/share articles
- Dark mode option
- Support for more platforms (macOS, Android)
RiffTrax
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
STARSS
No in-app purchases
RiffTrax
- Friends (Monthly)7 Days trial$6.991 Month
- Best Friends$12.991 Month
- Friends (annual)$74.991 Year
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- Best Friends (annual)$129.991 Year
