# Variety vs Loudwire

Variety and Loudwire both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 40% of Loudwire's written reviews are positive against 15% of Variety's. Variety's advantage is ratings volume (1.7K vs 117) and chart position (#182 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Variety sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $13.99 per month and Loudwire sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 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 — 4.5 for Variety against 4.4 for Loudwire. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Variety has 1.7K ratings behind it against 117, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 15% of Variety's written reviews are positive against 40% of Loudwire's.

Variety ships an update every 4 months, Loudwire every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Variety | Loudwire |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/variety/id416179538/reviews)** | [4.4 (117 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/loudwire/id1181053983/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.7K** | 117 |
| Positive reviews | 14.8% of reviews | **40.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#182** | — |
| Size | 143 MB | 76 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [PMC](https://appshunter.io/developer/533209616) | [Townsquare Media, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/433762450) |

## What reviewers say

### Variety

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/variety/id416179538)

**Currently charting:** #182 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers (US App Store)

Access authoritative and trusted entertainment business news from a global perspective. Stay informed with breaking news, award-season coverage, and insightful analysis of the film, television, theater, and tech industries.

**Highlights:** Breaking news reports, Award-season coverage, Feature spotlights, Industry analysis, Global perspective

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Variety Magazine | $13.99 | per month |
| Variety VIP | $39.99 | per month |
| Variety Magazine | $139.99 | per year |
| Variety VIP | $399.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Customizable newsfeed
- 🚀 Trades on the fly!
- 💡 Manager

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes, shows no content
- 🐛 Buggy ads
- 🐛 Slow and buggy
- 🔋 Battery Drain
- 🐛 Multimedia Always Fails

**Reported bugs**

- Articles don't open
- Can't read entire articles
- Only the first paragraph/sentence loads
- Articles Wont Load
- Only the first sentence of every article is displayed

**Requested features**

- Real Time Alerts Feature
- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Ability to access magazine issues for direct subscribers


### Loudwire

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/loudwire/id1181053983)

Stay updated with the latest hard rock and metal news. Watch exclusive videos, read interviews, and get breaking news alerts. Save articles for offline reading and share content easily.

**Highlights:** Latest hard rock and metal news, Original video features, Exclusive artist interviews, Breaking news notifications, Offline article saving, Background audio playback

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ad-Free Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Ad-Free Annual | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Variety free?

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

### Is Loudwire free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Variety or Loudwire?

Variety is rated higher. Variety averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while Loudwire averages 4.4 from 117 ratings.

### Do Variety or Loudwire have ads?

Both Variety and Loudwire show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Variety or Loudwire?

Variety ships an update every 4 months, and Loudwire every 2 months. Most recently, Variety was updated on September 22, 2026 and Loudwire on September 20, 2026.

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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.*