Variety vs Ad Age
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Variety
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.
- Breaking news reports
- Award-season coverage
- Feature spotlights
- Industry analysis
- Global perspective
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Variety is the most authoritative and trusted source of entertainment business news, recognized and respected throughout the world. Since 1905, influential producers, executives and talent in entertainment and beyond have turned to Variety for award-winning daily breaking news reports, insightful award-season coverage, must-read feature spotlights and intelligent analysis of the industry’s most prominent players. As the leading publication covering film, television, theater and tech with a global perspective, Variety is the vital read in every entertainment capital in over 84 countries. Privacy - https://pmc.com/privacy-policy/ EULA - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Ad Age
Stay informed with breaking news, in-depth analysis, and insights on marketing, advertising, media, and creative trends. Receive real-time alerts to keep you ahead of industry changes. Access limited content for free, with subscription options for full features.
- Breaking news alerts
- In-depth analysis
- Industry insights
- Creative work showcases
- Podcasts and videos
- Exclusive data reports
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Ad Age delivers breaking news, in-depth analysis, and must-know insights on marketers, ad agencies, media, ad tech, creator trends, AI initiatives—and the best creative work from around the world. Get real-time alerts when news breaks, ensuring you're always informed and prepared for what’s next. The Ad Age app is free to download and provides limited access to articles. Subscribers unlock unlimited access to standard articles, podcasts, and videos. Ad Age All Access members gain even more, including Agency Review Tracker, exclusive data-driven reports, annual rankings and forecasts you won’t find anywhere else. Since 1930, Ad Age has been the industry’s go-to resource for news, insights, analysis, and events, helping marketing and advertising leaders navigate an ever-changing landscape. Download the Ad Age app today and stay at the forefront of the industry.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ad Age at none against Variety's 4. Ad Age also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Variety's advantage is chart position (#176 vs unranked) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 8 months). On price, monetization model, device support and iOS requirement 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. Variety sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $13.99 per month. Ad Age asks for nothing beyond the download.
Ad Age holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Variety has 1.7K ratings behind it against 328, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 15% of Variety's written reviews are positive against 30% of Ad Age's.
Variety ships an update every 4 months, Ad Age every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Variety | Ad Age |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (1.7K ratings) | 4.8 (328 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 14.8% of reviews | 30.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.7K — better | 328 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 8 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | #176 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 143 MB | 124 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | PMC | Crain Communications, Inc. |
Customer experience
Variety
Ad Age
Bugs and requests
Variety
Reported bugs
21 issues- 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
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- Can't use app without notifications on
- VIP+ Membership is useless on iPad
- Navbar too tight on iPhone 13 mini
- Freezes at start on iPad
- Doesn't have OneTrust data to show Banner user interface
- Impossible to Use
- Site keeps crashing
- Awfull app crashes constantly
- 50% of the time, this app just shuts down, out of the blue
- Incredibly slow and glitchy
- Crashes and stutters
- Very unstable on my iPad
- Keeps crashing
- Soooo slow. Problems loading pages
- Unstable
- Article disappears right after you open it in the app
Requested features
4 requests- Real Time Alerts Feature
- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Ability to access magazine issues for direct subscribers
Ad Age
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Variety
- Variety Magazine$13.991 Month
- Variety VIP$39.991 Month
- Variety Magazine$139.991 Year
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- Variety VIP$399.991 Year
Ad Age
No in-app purchases
