AARP Now vs CalPenTab
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AARP Now
Access personalized news, events, and member benefits on the go. This app provides a mobile gateway to your membership, offering curated content, digital publications, and local event listings. Easily manage your account and discover exclusive savings.
- Personalized news and alerts
- Digital editions of AARP publications
- Local and virtual event listings
- Member discounts and nearby benefits
- Digital membership card
- Save articles and events for later
- Access to AARP games
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Introducing the new and improved AARP Now. It’s the app that makes your AARP Membership truly mobile. AARP Now connects AARP Members to personalized news, alerts, events and savings that matter to you—whenever you want them. Download AARP Now and your membership is wherever you are. MY AARP The all-new My AARP includes top stories hand curated by our editorial team, uniquely personalized news, events, benefits, and new ways for you to customize your experience with AARP Now. Plus, videos and the latest digital editions of AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. Easily access your digital membership card, Inbox and My account with one tap from My AARP. MORE PERSONALIZED THAN EVER The new AARP Now personalizes recommendations based on your previous activity. Get more of the content you love on My AARP, News, Benefits and Events. ACCESS DIGITAL EDITIONS OF AMERICA’S TWO LARGEST PUBLICATIONS: AARP THE MAGAZINE AND AARP BULLETIN AARP Publications help people 50 and older live their best and most fulfilling lives. Read current and back issues in AARP Now. You’ll find these in the new AARP Publications tile. Don’t have time to read now? Save any magazine article for quick access later. And you can even listen to articles through our new audio feature. NEWS The new AARP Now includes more opportunities to catch up on the latest news in just a few minutes; read the latest Top Stories on the My AARP tab, or dig deeper on the all-new News tab, bringing you even more curated news, plus news uniquely personalized just for you. Save News stories for reading later. And join the conversation by sharing with friends and adding comments! MORE AARP The new More AARP tab lets you tailor your app experience. If you find something you’ll want to access often, use the Customize Your Navigation feature to add it to your navigation bar. SAVE FOR LATER We have expanded the save feature in AARP Now beyond just benefits and events. You can now save news stories and videos, and features in AARP Publications, as well as benefits and events. Access items Saved for Later by tapping the Saved for Later icon on News, Benefits or Events, or tap Saved for Later in My Account or My AARP. DIGITAL CARD/MEMBERSHIP Instantly access your digital membership card and add it to Apple Wallet alongside your other affinity and payment cards. Join AARP or renew your AARP Membership in seconds. Plus, manage your account on the go. EVENTS Explore hundreds of local community events and online virtual events – from farmers markets, movies, documentaries, workshops, fitness classes and more, to kid-friendly activities – and quickly register for them right from the app. MEMBER DISCOUNTS Easily find benefits and discounts in your neighborhood, now with new Nearby view, showing nearby benefits on a map. Offers are added monthly. GAMES Access AARP Games, wherever you are! From Word & Trivia Games to Arcade Games to Solitaire & Mahjongg, there's something for everyone. And if you want even easier access to Games, add Games to your navigation bar with the new Customize Your Navigation feature. NOTIFICATIONS Receive news alerts, reminders for upcoming events or when benefits you have saved are nearby. You can easily manage your notifications in My Account > Notifications. AARP REWARDS Get more from AARP Now with the AARP Rewards program! Earn Rewards points for downloading the app and visiting the app each day, plus synchronize your favorite fitness tracker or the Health app to get even more points for steps, swimming, and cycling. *AARP Membership is not required to use AARP Now, but AARP Members Edition™ exclusive content may require membership. Terms of Service: https://www.aarp.org/about-aarp/terms-of-service/ Privacy Policy: https://www.aarp.org/about-aarp/privacy-policy/
CalPenTab
Connect with your community and stay updated on all events and conversations. Watch videos and engage with content relevant to your interests. This app keeps you informed and involved.
- Join conversations
- Stay updated on events
- Watch videos
- Community engagement
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Stay tuned to everything happening in our community. -Join the conversation. -Stay tuned to events -Watch Videos and more
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: AARP Now at 4.8 against CalPenTab's 3.0. AARP Now also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 15 months) and ratings volume (184K vs 2). CalPenTab's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ads (none vs shown). On price 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. AARP Now sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $20.00 per year. CalPenTab asks for nothing beyond the download.
AARP Now holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AARP Now has 184K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 28% of AARP Now's written reviews are positive against 50% of CalPenTab's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
AARP Now ships an update every 5 weeks, CalPenTab every 15 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AARP Now | CalPenTab |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (184K ratings) — better | 3.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 27.8% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 184K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 15 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #100 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 186 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | AARP | churchme LLC |
Customer experience
AARP Now
CalPenTab
Bugs and requests
AARP Now
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login issues and repeated sign-ins required
- Rewards system not functioning properly
- Video/quiz content not loading or working as expected
- Compatibility problems on certain devices
Requested features
4 requests- Add ability to save/bookmark articles
- Improve navigation and flow between app and browser
- Optimize app for tablet/iPad usage
- Enhance rewards program and make it more reliable
CalPenTab
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
AARP Now
- Annual Membership Subscription1 Year trial$20.001 Year
- AARP Membership 1 Year$20.00
- AARP Membership 3 Years$55.00
- AARP Renew Membership 3 Years$55.00
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- AARP Membership 5 Years$79.00
- AARP Renew Membership 5 Years$79.00
CalPenTab
No in-app purchases
