Comparison

MacHash News vs AppleInsider

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

Head to head
About

MacHash News

Stay updated on Apple, Mac, and iPhone news and rumors. This app curates top stories, reviews, and discussions into a streamlined feed. It includes a full-screen browser with reader and dark modes, plus robust sharing options.

Highlights
  • Curated news feed
  • Full-screen web browser
  • Reader mode
  • Dark mode
  • RSS feeds
  • Sharing options
  • Accessibility features
Features
Read full description

MacHash is the app to follow news and rumors about Apple, Macs and iPhones. Get your daily dose of news about Apple products and services. The days top news, reviews, rumors and discussions are curated into one streamlined news feed. Featuring a full screen web browser with an optional automatic reader mode and a dark mode visual theme. Browse the latest news or check out our collection of individual rss fees from the web's best Apple focused websites and blogs. Robust sharing options and sharing shortcuts make sending your posts to social media a snap. Tap and hold on an article to share, email, tweet, and save articles. Proudly optimized for accessibility and ease of use. We support automatic dark mode and dynamic type for larger and smaller font sized depending on the system setting. MacHash has been going strong since 2008, download today and keep up with the latest.

About

AppleInsider

Stay informed with the latest Apple news, rumors, and expert commentary on your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Get breaking news alerts, access video reviews, and listen to podcasts. Subscribers enjoy an ad-free experience.

Highlights
  • Breaking news push notifications
  • AI YouTube video library
  • Weekly podcasts
  • Live Apple event coverage
  • Ad-free subscription option
  • Optimized for iPhone and iPad
  • Apple Watch experience
Features
Read full description

The official AppleInsider app for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch serves as the most up-to-date and reliable source for all things Apple. Since 1997, AppleInsider has been the best destination for Apple-related news, rumors, reviews, expert commentary and more. And with the AppleInsider app, you can take all those news, tips, commentary, and reviews with you on the go, staying a step ahead of your friends with breaking news alerts and finger-tip access to the latest Apple news and rumors.   Features: - Be the first to know about breaking news and major announcements with push notifications sent directly to your device as they happen. - Access the AI YouTube video library to view product reviews, tutorials and more. - Listen to weekly podcasts and keep current with live Apple event coverage. - Subscribers can enjoy an ad-free viewing experience for $29.99 per year with an auto-renewable, annual subscription, or $2.99 a month. - Optimized for both iPhone and iPad. - Refreshed Apple Watch experience.   AppleInsider Pro subscription available: Besides one year of ad-free content for $29.99, a one-month subscription is available for $2.99. Both subscription tiers will automatically renew until canceled.   AppleInsider Pro Automatic-Renewal Feature: Your AppleInsider Pro digital subscription will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of your current period. Your iTunes account will automatically be charged at the same price for renewal, $29.99 per year, within 24 hours prior to the end of your current period.   Current subscriptions may not be canceled during the active subscription period, but you can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renewal by visiting your iTunes Account Settings after purchase.   For complete terms and conditions, please see our Terms of Use (http://www.appleinsider.com/terms-of-use) and Privacy Policy (http://www.appleinsider.com/privacy).

Screenshots

MacHash News4 screens
AppleInsider3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: MacHash News at 76% against AppleInsider's 29%. MacHash News also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.3) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). 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. MacHash News sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and AppleInsider sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MacHash News holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MacHash News has 1.7K ratings behind it against 49, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of MacHash News's written reviews are positive against 29% of AppleInsider's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MacHash News ships an update every 2 months, AppleInsider every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
MacHash News versus AppleInsider: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMacHash NewsAppleInsider
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (1.7K ratings) — better3.3 (49 ratings)
Positive reviews75.6% of reviews — better29.4% of reviews
Number of ratings1.7K — better49
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 8 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS13.1 — better14.7
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGlassWave LLCCrafted

Customer experience

MacHash News

All ratings1,702 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral3.9%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews365 reviews
Positive75.6%
Neutral3.6%
Negative20.8%

AppleInsider

All ratings49 ratings
Positive46.9%
Neutral12.2%
Negative40.8%
Written reviews218 reviews
Positive29.4%
Neutral13.3%
Negative57.3%

User reviews

MacHash News

From 1.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great app for Apple news
  • 🚀 Comprehensive and up-to-date content
  • 💡 Useful feature to customize news sources

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and connection issues
  • 📢 Intrusive and excessive ads
  • 🔍 Poor navigation and article browsing experience

AppleInsider

From 49 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Wide range of topics
  • 👍 Informative and educational
  • 👍 Excellent podcast
  • 👍 Number one source for Apple news

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Cluttered and unintuitive UI
  • 🐛 Crashes and loading issues
  • 🔍 Ineffective search functionality
  • 💰 Excessive price increase for subscription
  • 🔍 New layout hides latest news

Bugs and requests

MacHash News

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App freezes and fails to load content
  • Broken links and 500 error messages
  • Background activity draining battery

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add push notifications for breaking news
  • Implement a dark mode option
  • Improve article sharing capabilities

AppleInsider

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on iOS 14 and newer
  • Articles not loading properly
  • Widget functionality broken
  • Subscription issues and lack of cancellation options

Requested features

6 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Customizable notification settings
  • Ability to mark articles as read
  • App badge to show unread articles
  • iPad-optimized layout
Show 1 more
  • Landscape mode support for videos

In-app purchases

3 purchases

MacHash News

One-time3
  • Kind Tip$9.99
  • Generous Tip$24.99
  • Amazing Tip$69.99
6 purchases

AppleInsider

Subscriptions2
  • Pro$2.991 Month
  • Pro$29.991 Year
One-time4
  • AppleInsider Subscription (1 Month)$0.99
  • AppleInsider Subscription (3 Months)$2.99
  • AppleInsider Subscription (6 Months)$4.99
Show 1 more
  • AppleInsider Subscription (1 Year)$8.99

Questions

Is MacHash News free?
MacHash News is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is AppleInsider free?
AppleInsider is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MacHash News or AppleInsider?
MacHash News is rated higher. MacHash News averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while AppleInsider averages 3.3 from 49 ratings.
Do MacHash News or AppleInsider have ads?
Both MacHash News and AppleInsider show ads.
Which is updated more often, MacHash News or AppleInsider?
MacHash News ships an update every 2 months, and AppleInsider every 8 months. Most recently, MacHash News was updated on November 1, 2026 and AppleInsider on November 6, 2026.

Other comparisons