# The Wire vs New Republic

The clearest difference is rating: New Republic at 4.7 against The Wire's 4.0. New Republic also leads on monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and ratings volume (2.6K vs 7). The Wire's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (45% vs 36%). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. The Wire sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and New Republic sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

New Republic holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: New Republic has 2.6K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 45% of The Wire's written reviews are positive against 36% of New Republic's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 19, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Wire | New Republic |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-wire/id389230218/reviews) | **[4.7 (2.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/new-republic/id454525980/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 7 | **2.6K** |
| Positive reviews | **45.5% of reviews** | 35.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Freemium** |
| Size | 3 MB | 62 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | +12 | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Wire](https://appshunter.io/developer/1311532575) | [The New Republic](https://appshunter.io/developer/358816225) |

## What reviewers say

### The Wire

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-wire/id389230218)

Access a monthly music magazine covering progressive and non-mainstream genres. Enjoy selected pages from the latest issue or upgrade for full access to every page and a searchable archive dating back to 1982. Read offline and navigate with ease.

**Highlights:** Monthly music magazine coverage, Searchable archive from 1982, Offline reading of synced issues, Interactive page navigation, Zoom and multi-page views, Web link integration

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Wire | $5.99 | per month |
| The Wire | $59.99 | per year |
| 30-day access | $5.99 | one-time |


### New Republic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/new-republic/id454525980)

Access in-depth journalism and analysis on social justice, climate change, and political reform. Enjoy the complete magazine, web content, and a podcast. Offers a limited number of free articles before requiring a subscription for unlimited access.

**Highlights:** Read complete magazine issues, Access latest web content, Bookmark articles for offline reading, Listen to podcast, Share articles, Subscribe to newsletters

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The New Republic for iPad | $2.99 | per month |
| TNR for iPad (Current Subscribers) | $2.99 | per month |
| TNR for iPad (Current Subscribers) | $10.99 | per year |
| The New Republic for iPad | $34.99 | per year |
| 25 Historical Covers | $0.99 | one-time |
| February 25, 2013 | $4.99 | one-time |
| April 08, 2013 | $4.99 | one-time |
| May 27, 2013 | $4.99 | one-time |
| June 10, 2013 | $4.99 | one-time |
| August 5, 2013 | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to navigate
- 🚀 Well-categorized articles
- 👍 Thorough and accurate journalism

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Subscription issues
- 🐛 Formatting problems
- 🐛 Outdated content
- 🐛 Buggy app
- 🐛 Login issues

**Reported bugs**

- Issues downloading new issues
- App crashes and freezes
- Login and subscription problems

**Requested features**

- Audio version of articles
- Ability to adjust font size
- Landscape mode support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Wire free?

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

### Is New Republic free?

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

### Which has better reviews, The Wire or New Republic?

New Republic is rated higher. The Wire averages 4.0 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while New Republic averages 4.7 from 2.6K ratings.

### Do The Wire or New Republic have ads?

New Republic shows ads; The Wire does not.

### Which is updated more often, The Wire or New Republic?

The Wire ships an update every 4 months, and New Republic every 4 months. Most recently, The Wire was updated on October 19, 2026 and New Republic on October 19, 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.*