# TED Talks vs Academia.edu

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TED Talks at none against Academia.edu's 3. Academia.edu's advantage is review sentiment (74% vs 44%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.4). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Academia.edu sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. TED Talks asks for nothing beyond the download.

Academia.edu holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10K and 17K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of TED Talks's written reviews are positive against 74% of Academia.edu's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 28, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | TED Talks | Academia.edu |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (10K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ted-talks-watch-and-learn/id376183339/reviews) | **[4.8 (17K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/academiaedu/id1385234213/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 10K | **17K** |
| Positive reviews | 43.7% of reviews | **73.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 112 MB | 52 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [TED Conferences LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/376183342) | [Academia.edu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1385234212) |

## What reviewers say

### TED Talks

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ted-talks-watch-and-learn/id376183339)

Access thousands of inspiring and informative videos on a wide range of topics. Get personalized recommendations, watch with subtitles in over 100 languages, and download content for offline viewing. Stay curious and informed with this educational resource.

**Highlights:** Personalized recommendations, Subtitles in over 100 languages, Browse by topic or curator picks, Stream to Apple TV with AirPlay, Download videos for offline viewing, Watchlist for later, Surprise Me! feature

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great content
- 👍 Inspiring and thought-provoking
- 📚 Variety of topics
- 🎧 Convenient for listening on the go

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and unstable
- 🔍 Poor search functionality
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🔇 Audio/video playback issues
- 📥 Download feature not working as expected

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes frequently
- Videos fail to load or play
- Saved talks disappear from user's list
- Syncing issues with user accounts
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Add ability to create and manage playlists
- Implement background audio playback
- Improve Chromecast support
- Add more customization options (e.g., video playback speed, dark mode)
- Enhance discoverability of new and relevant content


### Academia.edu

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/academiaedu/id1385234213)

Access a vast library of open-access research papers on your mobile device. Discover new studies, track mentions and readership of your work, and connect with fellow scholars. Explore millions of academic papers on diverse topics.

**Highlights:** Discover and read research, Save research papers, Track mentions and readership, Search scholarly topics, Connect with scholars, View colleague activity

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Academia Premium - Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Academia Premium - Annual | $98.99 | per year |
| Academia Premium - Annual | $98.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Helpful for research and learning
- 📚 Comprehensive academic resources
- 🔍 Useful for finding relevant papers
- 🌐 Connects researchers globally
- 💡 Innovative academic platform

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Sudden price increase for Premium
- 🔍 Unintuitive search and navigation
- 🔒 Sign-in issues and frequent log-outs
- 📤 Unwanted notifications and emails
- 🔍 Difficult to access full papers without subscription

**Reported bugs**

- PDF files not loading properly
- Crashing and freezing issues
- Inconsistent behavior across platforms

**Requested features**

- Landscape mode support
- Improved search and filtering options
- Ability to bookmark and organize papers
- Better integration with other research tools
- More transparent pricing and subscription options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is TED Talks free?

TED Talks is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Academia.edu free?

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

### Which has better reviews, TED Talks or Academia.edu?

Academia.edu is rated higher. TED Talks averages 4.6 out of 5 from 10K ratings, while Academia.edu averages 4.8 from 17K ratings.

### Do TED Talks or Academia.edu have ads?

Neither TED Talks nor Academia.edu shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, TED Talks or Academia.edu?

TED Talks ships an update every 2 weeks, and Academia.edu every 2 weeks. Most recently, TED Talks was updated on October 28, 2026 and Academia.edu on October 28, 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.*