AARP Now vs Intelligence Squared+
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/
Intelligence Squared+
Access a vast library of debates and discussions from leading figures in politics, science, and the arts. Engage with speakers live, connect with other subscribers, and enjoy exclusive discounts on events and merchandise.
- Extensive video library of debates
- Live event streaming
- Interactive Q&A with speakers
- Subscriber community
- Discounts on tickets and merchandise
- Premium newsletter
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Spend time with the world’s most brilliant minds today with an Intelligence Squared+ subscription. Brimming with more than 20 years of debates and discussions, our online video-streaming service offers you the chance to hear from some of the biggest and brightest names in politics, journalism, science, technology, and the arts, including: Stephen Fry, Malala Yousafzai, Yuval Noah Harari, Idris Elba, Helena Bonham Carter, Jarvis Cocker, Stacey Abrams, Simon Schama, Tom Hiddleston, Mary Beard, Mehdi Hasan and many more. There’s an endless trove of conversations to explore. You can tune into live events, ask questions to our speakers and talk to other subscribers – all within the app. As an Intelligence Squared+ subscriber you’ll also gain: – ad-free access to all our upcoming and past events online – 15% discounts on tickets to our in-person events and merchandise – discounts on new books – our premium newsletter direct to your inbox Subscribe today to start watching. To access all features and content you can subscribe to Intelligence Squared+ on a yearly basis with an auto-renewing subscription right inside the app.* Pricing can vary by region and will be confirmed before purchase in the app. In app subscriptions will automatically renew at the end of their cycle. All payments will be paid through your iTunes Account and may be managed under Account Settings after the initial payment. Subscription payments will automatically renew unless deactivated at least 24-hours before the end of the current cycle. Your account will be charged for renewal at least 24-hours prior to the end of the current cycle. Any unused portion of your free trial will be forfeited upon payment. Cancellations are incurred by disabling auto-renewal. Terms of Service: https://www.intelligencesquaredplus.com/tos Privacy Policy: https://www.intelligencesquaredplus.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Intelligence Squared+ at 100% against AARP Now's 29%. Intelligence Squared+ also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). AARP Now's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ratings volume (183K vs 1). On price, in-app purchases 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 and Intelligence Squared+ sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Intelligence Squared+ holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AARP Now has 183K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of AARP Now's written reviews are positive against 100% of Intelligence Squared+'s.
AARP Now ships an update monthly, Intelligence Squared+ every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AARP Now | Intelligence Squared+ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (183K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 28.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 183K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | #137 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 16.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 182 MB | 68 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | AARP | Intelligence Squared (UK) Ltd |
Customer experience
AARP Now
Intelligence Squared+
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
Intelligence Squared+
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
Intelligence Squared+
- Intelligence Squared+ Monthly7 Days trial$14.991 Month
- Intelligence Squared+ Yearly7 Days trial$134.991 Year
Questions
Is AARP Now free?
Is Intelligence Squared+ free?
Which has better reviews, AARP Now or Intelligence Squared+?
Do AARP Now or Intelligence Squared+ have ads?
Which is updated more often, AARP Now or Intelligence Squared+?
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