# The Atlantic Magazine vs Substack

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 (72% vs 57%). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. The Atlantic Magazine sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and Substack sells 18 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 — 137K and 537K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of The Atlantic Magazine's written reviews are positive against 72% of Substack's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Atlantic Magazine | Substack |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (137K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-atlantic-magazine/id397599894/reviews) | [4.9 (537K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/substack/id1581650857/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 137K | **537K** |
| Positive reviews | 56.7% of reviews | **72.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | #14 | **#5** |
| Size | 53 MB | 223 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [The Atlantic Monthly Group LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/389643427) | [Substack, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1581650859) |

## What reviewers say

### The Atlantic Magazine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-atlantic-magazine/id397599894)

**Currently charting:** #14 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers, #16 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers, #24 Top Grossing · News, #35 Top Free · News (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** Daily curated story selections, Narrated articles and podcasts, Offline reading capability, Daily crossword puzzle, Dark Mode reading, VoiceOver and large text support

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Atlantic Magazine | $8.99 | per month |
| The Atlantic Magazine | $89.99 | per year |
| December 2010 Issue | $4.99 | one-time |
| January 2011 Issue | $4.99 | one-time |
| The Atlantic March 2011 | $4.99 | one-time |
| The Atlantic April 2011 | $4.99 | one-time |
| The Atlantic May 2011 | $4.99 | one-time |
| The Atlantic June 20111 | $4.99 | one-time |
| The Atlantic July/August 2011 | $4.99 | one-time |
| The Atlantic Civil War Memorial Issue | $8.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent journalism
- 🌟 High-quality writing
- 👍 Beautiful app design
- 🎨 Elegant dark mode
- 🔊 Useful audio features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Lack of search functionality
- 🤔 Unintuitive navigation
- 📵 Excessive ads for subscribers
- 💾 Issues with offline access

**Reported bugs**

- Repeated sign-in issues
- Inability to access saved articles
- Blank screens and loading problems
- Incompatibility with certain devices
- Unreliable issue downloading

**Requested features**

- 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/substack/id1581650857)

**Currently charting:** #5 Top Free · News, #16 Top Grossing · News, #194 Top Free (US App Store)

Discover creators, ideas, and communities through videos, writing, and podcasts. Subscribe for free or upgrade to access exclusive content and connect directly with creators. Enjoy ad-free media and participate in live events.

**Highlights:** Subscribe to creators, Ad-free video and podcasts, Live streams and group chats, Explore independent ideas, Read aloud articles

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (18)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hung Up (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| The Dworkin Report (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Popular Information (Monthly) | $5.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| Isolation Journals (Monthly) | $5.99 | per month |
| Ettingermentum (monthly) | $5.99 | per month |
| What To Cook (Monthly) | $5.99 | per month |
| The Present Age (Monthly) | $6.99 | per month |
| The Message Box (Monthly) | $7.99 | per month |
| House Inhabit (Monthly) | $8.99 | per month |
| Noahpinion (Monthly) | $9.99 | per month |
| Slow Boring (Monthly) | $9.99 | per month |
| Razib Khan (Monthly) | $10.99 | per month |
| House of Strauss (Monthly) | $11.99 | per month |
| The Dworkin Report (Annual) | $49.99 | per year |
| Annual | $59.99 | per year |
| Isolation Journals (Annual) | $59.99 | per year |
| Slow Boring (Annual) | $99.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Stable and functional app
- 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Variety of great content
- 👍 Supports independent writers
- 👍 Refreshing alternative to mainstream media

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
- 🐛 Difficult to manage subscriptions
- 🐛 Inconsistent user experience between app and website
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with data collection
- 💤 Slow performance and loading times

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Atlantic Magazine free?

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

### Is Substack free?

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

### Which has better reviews, The Atlantic Magazine or Substack?

The Atlantic Magazine and Substack are both rated 4.9 out of 5 on the App Store, from 137K and 537K ratings respectively.

### Do The Atlantic Magazine or Substack have ads?

The Atlantic Magazine shows ads; Substack does not.

### Which is updated more often, The Atlantic Magazine or Substack?

The Atlantic Magazine ships an update weekly, and Substack weekly. Most recently, The Atlantic Magazine was updated on September 25, 2026 and Substack on September 25, 2026.

### Which is more popular, The Atlantic Magazine or Substack?

The Atlantic Magazine currently peaks at #14 in the App Store charts, and Substack at #5. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*