Comparison

Rue Morgue vs The Darkside

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Rue Morgue

Access the world's leading horror culture and entertainment brand. Explore digital archives of past issues and receive new ones annually. Discover news, interviews, and reviews on horror films, books, music, games, and more.

Highlights
  • Digital magazine issues
  • Extensive digital archive
  • News and interviews
  • Reviews of films, books, music, games
  • Horror culture content
Features
Read full description

Launched in 1997 by Rodrigo Gudiño, RUE MORGUE is the world’s leading horror in culture and entertainment brand, spearheaded by its multiple award-winning magazine, RUE MORGUE and RUE MORGUE DIGITAL; RUE MORGUE TV specialty horror channel; RUE MORGUE LIBRARY book series; RUE MORGUE PRESENTS FRIGHTMARE IN THE FALLS horror expo and RUE MORGUE PRESENTS CINEMACABRE MOVIE NIGHTS monthly film series. Each issue features the latest news, interviews and reviews on new, classic and cult fright films, horror books, morbid music, comics, games, toys, art, culture and more. Get full access to every issue we’ve ever published in the digital archive — plus a full year of new issues. Annual Subscription: $35.99 USD Single issues: 6.99 USD When purchasing through iTunes your account will be charged at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will auto-renew unless you turn this off 24 hours before the subscription runs out. You can turn off auto-renewal at any time from your iTunes account settings. You can manage your subscription through your account settings after purchase on your device. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Privacy Policy: https://www.rue-morgue.com/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://www.rue-morgue.com/terms-and-conditions/

About

The Darkside

Explore the world of horror cinema with Britain's oldest horror magazine. Get news, reviews, and in-depth features on classic and modern horror films, including interviews with industry professionals. Access content on film history and more.

Highlights
  • Horror film news and reviews
  • In-depth articles on horror history
  • Interviews with stars, writers, and directors
  • Coverage of Hammer classics to modern masterpieces
  • Purchase current and back issues
  • Subscription options available
Features
Read full description

Britain’s oldest Horror Magazine brings you news, reviews and features about the world of horror on film. From Hammer classics to modern masterpieces, we cover it all. With in-depth articles on the history of horror and interviews with stars, writers and directors both old and new, we have your horror needs fully covered. ---------------------------------------------- This is a free app download. Within the app users can purchase the current issue and back issues. Subscriptions are also available within the application. A subscription will start from the latest issue. Available subscriptions are: 12 months: £15.99 / €20.99 / $20.99 (9 issues) -The subscription will renew automatically unless cancelled more than 24 hours before the end of the current period. You will be charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the current period, for the same duration and at the current subscription rate for the product. -You may turn off the auto-renewal of subscriptions through your Account Settings, however you are not able to cancel the current subscription during its active period. -Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when a subscription to that publication is purchased. Bundles of single issues can be also be bought within the application. To use purchased credits, simply click on the issue price and select ‘use credit’. This allows you to purchase back issues at reduced prices. Users can register for/ login to a pocketmags account in-app. This will protect their issues in the case of a lost device and allow browsing of purchases on multiple platforms. Existing pocketmags users can retrieve their purchases by logging into their account. We recommend loading the app for the first time in a wi-fi area so that all issue data is retrieved. If your app will not load past the splash page after a first install or an update, please delete and reinstall the app from the App Store Help and frequently asked questions be accessed in-app and on pocketmags. If you have any problems at all please do not hesitate to contact us: help@pocketmags.com -------------------- You can find our privacy policy here: http://www.pocketmags.com/privacy.aspx You can find our terms and conditions here: http://www.pocketmags.com/terms.aspx

Screenshots

Rue Morgue4 screens
The Darkside4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: The Darkside at 5.0 against Rue Morgue's 2.3. The Darkside also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 13.0). Rue Morgue's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 16 months) and ratings volume (26 vs 6). On price, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Rue Morgue sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $59.99 per year and The Darkside sells 21 in-app purchases, starting at $28.49 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Darkside holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 26 and 6 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rue Morgue ships an update every 3 months, The Darkside every 16 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Rue Morgue versus The Darkside: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRue MorgueThe Darkside
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.3 (26 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews26.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings26 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 16 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size99 MB28 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperMARRS Media IncJellyfish Connect Limited

Customer experience

Rue Morgue

All ratings26 ratings
Positive30.8%
Neutral3.8%
Negative65.4%
Written reviews50 reviews
Positive26.0%
Neutral12.0%
Negative62.0%

The Darkside

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Rue Morgue

Subscriptions1
  • Rue Morgue 1 Year AutoRenew$59.991 Year
One-time9
  • Rue Morgue #116$4.99
  • Rue Morgue #127$4.99
  • Rue Morgue #129$4.99
Show 6 more
  • Rue Morgue Magazine’s 200 Alternative Horror Films You Need to See$4.99
  • Rue Morgue #164$4.99
  • Rue Morgue #166$4.99
  • Rue Morgue #170$4.99
  • Rue Morgue #171$4.99
  • Rue Morgue 1 Year Subscription$19.99
21 purchases

The Darkside

Subscriptions1
  • The Darkside Auto Renewable Subscription$28.491 Year
One-time20
  • Issue 186: Sale... (id:440626)$1.99
  • Issue 168: Chri... (id:383377)$2.99
  • Issue: 163 25Yr... (id:374509)$2.99
Show 17 more
  • ssue 154: The H... (id:397499)$2.99
  • Issue 152: Cult... (id:397503)$2.99
  • Issue 148: The ... (id:397523)$2.99
  • Issue 174: Pola... (id:422865)$2.99
  • Issue 197: Babe... (id:455551)$2.99
  • Issue 198: Colo... (id:455549)$2.99
  • Issue 200: The ... (id:459984)$2.99
  • Issue 184: Unho... (id:440630)$2.99
  • Issue 185: Goth... (id:440628)$2.99
  • The Dark Side 2... (id:484923)$2.99
  • issue245 (id:708125)$3.99
  • The Dark Side 254 (pp:1035068)$3.99
  • The Dark Side 262 (pp:1035028)$3.99
  • The Dark Side 258 (pp:1035048)$3.99
  • The Dark Side 261 (pp:1035033)$3.99
  • The Dark Side 260 (pp:1035038)$3.99
  • The Dark Side 253 (pp:1035073)$3.99

Questions

Is Rue Morgue free?
Rue Morgue is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Darkside free?
The Darkside is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Rue Morgue or The Darkside?
The Darkside is rated higher. Rue Morgue averages 2.3 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while The Darkside averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.
Do Rue Morgue or The Darkside have ads?
Neither Rue Morgue nor The Darkside shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Rue Morgue or The Darkside?
Rue Morgue ships an update every 3 months, and The Darkside every 16 months. Most recently, Rue Morgue was updated on October 22, 2026 and The Darkside on October 20, 2026.

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