The Atlantic Magazine vs Substack
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Atlantic Magazine
Access in-depth reporting on politics, tech, and culture. Enjoy curated daily selections, narrated articles, and offline reading. Includes a daily crossword puzzle and accessibility features.
- Daily curated story selections
- Narrated articles and podcasts
- Offline reading capability
- Daily crossword puzzle
- Dark Mode reading
- VoiceOver and large text support
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Open the app, see where The Atlantic takes you. Every day, you’ll find new reporting, bold ideas, and writing to get lost in. Plus games, audio, and more. Unlock unlimited access to all of The Atlantic’s journalism with a subscription. HOME: Discover your next unexpected read. Our editors recommend articles on politics, the economy, technology, health, relationships, and more. LATEST: Find our most recent coverage across all topics including global affairs, business, books, fiction, science, and family. AUDIO: Listen to narrated articles and podcasts like Radio Atlantic, Galaxy Brain, and The Permanent Questions With David Brooks—directly in the app. GAMES: Take a smart break with daily word games like the crossword, Bracket City, and Rabbithole, and explore an archive with hundreds of past puzzles. DISCUSSIONS: Join our subscriber community in the comments. Encounter a new perspective, or share your own. OFFLINE READING: Enjoy all of your saved stories and every article in the Home feed once they’ve loaded in the app. PUSH NOTIFICATIONS: Don’t miss our picks for what to read, from breaking stories to ones that make you think, “I had no idea I was interested in that.” CUSTOMIZATION: Make the app your own with dark mode, adjustable text size, VoiceOver, and more accessibility features. Terms and conditions: https://www.theatlantic.com/terms-and-conditions/ If you have any questions, please contact The Atlantic's Customer Care team at support@theatlantic.com or (855) 940-0585.
Substack
Discover and support creators through videos, writing, and podcasts. Subscribe for free or upgrade to access exclusive content and connect directly with your favorite artists and writers. Enjoy ad-free viewing and listening, and engage in real-time with livestreams and group chats.
- Subscribe to creators
- Ad-free videos and podcasts
- Livestreams and live group chats
- Explore independent ideas
- Connect with communities
- Short-form video clips
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Substack is a new media app that connects you with the creators, ideas, and communities you care about most. - Support the creators you love: Subscribe for free or upgrade to view original work and connect directly with your favorite writers, artists, and podcasters. - Enjoy ad-free videos and podcasts: Access short-form clips, video episodes, and read-aloud articles without interruptions. - Connect in real time: Join livestreams and live group chats, where top creators bring their biggest supporters into their world. - Explore independent ideas: Discover bold opinions and engaging views across food, sports, politics, fashion, comedy, finance, and more. How it works: 1. Download the Substack app. 2. Claim your handle. 3. Explore the feed to enjoy notes, videos, and clips from creators. 4. Subscribe to your favorites for free, tune into their livestreams and join private group chats.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Substack at free with in-app purchases against The Atlantic Magazine's subscription. Substack also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (73% vs 57%). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. The Atlantic Magazine sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and Substack sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for The Atlantic Magazine against 4.9 for Substack. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 142K and 565K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of The Atlantic Magazine's written reviews are positive against 73% of Substack's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.
| Parameter | The Atlantic Magazine | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (142K ratings) | 4.9 (565K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 56.6% of reviews | 72.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 142K | 565K — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #13 | #3 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 62 MB | 239 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | The Atlantic Monthly Group LLC | Substack, Inc. |
Customer experience
The Atlantic Magazine
Substack
User reviews
The Atlantic Magazine
From 142K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent journalism
- 🌟 High-quality writing
- 👍 Beautiful app design
- 🎨 Elegant dark mode
- 🔊 Useful audio features
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Lack of search functionality
- 🤔 Unintuitive navigation
- 📵 Excessive ads for subscribers
- 💾 Issues with offline access
Substack
From 565K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Stable and functional app
- 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Variety of great content
- 👍 Supports independent writers
- 👍 Refreshing alternative to mainstream media
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
- 🐛 Difficult to manage subscriptions
- 🐛 Inconsistent user experience between app and website
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with data collection
- 💤 Slow performance and loading times
Bugs and requests
The Atlantic Magazine
Reported bugs
5 issues- Repeated sign-in issues
- Inability to access saved articles
- Blank screens and loading problems
- Incompatibility with certain devices
- Unreliable issue downloading
Requested features
5 requests- Add comprehensive search function
- Improve sync between app and website
- Provide better reading progress tracking
- Allow sharing of articles within the app
- Introduce customizable content feeds
Substack
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login issues and inability to sign in
- Inconsistent behavior when archiving/deleting posts
- Playback issues with audio content
- Incompatibility with older devices or operating systems
Requested features
5 requests- Add search functionality within app
- Improve notification management
- Allow customization of font size and style
- Implement ability to mark articles as read/unread
- Add option to collapse/expand comment threads
In-app purchases
The Atlantic Magazine
- The Atlantic Magazine14 Days trial$8.991 Month
- The Atlantic Magazine14 Days trial$89.991 Year
- December 2010 Issue$4.99
- January 2011 Issue$4.99
- The Atlantic March 2011$4.99
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- The Atlantic April 2011$4.99
- The Atlantic May 2011$4.99
- The Atlantic June 20111$4.99
- The Atlantic July/August 2011$4.99
- The Atlantic Civil War Memorial Issue$8.99
Substack
- Hung Up (Monthly)$4.991 Month
- The Dworkin Report (Monthly)$4.991 Month
- Monthly$5.991 Month
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Isolation Journals (Monthly)$5.991 Month
- Ettingermentum (monthly)$5.991 Month
- What To Cook (Monthly)$5.991 Month
- The Message Box (Monthly)$7.991 Month
- House Inhabit (Monthly)$8.991 Month
- Noahpinion (Monthly)$9.991 Month
- Slow Boring (Monthly)$9.991 Month
Questions
Is The Atlantic Magazine free?
Is Substack free?
Which has better reviews, The Atlantic Magazine or Substack?
Do The Atlantic Magazine or Substack have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Atlantic Magazine or Substack?
Which is more popular, The Atlantic Magazine or Substack?
Other comparisons
