# Variety vs Ad Age

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 (#175 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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Variety | Ad Age |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/variety/id416179538/reviews) | **[4.8 (328 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ad-age/id1537790720/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.7K** | 328 |
| Positive reviews | 14.8% of reviews | **30.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 months** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#175** | — |
| Size | 143 MB | 124 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) | [Crain Communications, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/563390291) |

## What reviewers say

### Variety

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

**Currently charting:** #175 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


### Ad Age

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ad-age/id1537790720)

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.

**Highlights:** Breaking news alerts, In-depth analysis, Industry insights, Creative work showcases, Podcasts and videos, Exclusive data reports

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Variety free?

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

### Is Ad Age free?

Ad Age is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Variety or Ad Age?

Ad Age is rated higher. Variety averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while Ad Age averages 4.8 from 328 ratings.

### Do Variety or Ad Age have ads?

Variety shows ads; Ad Age does not.

### Which is updated more often, Variety or Ad Age?

Variety ships an update every 4 months, and Ad Age every 8 months. Most recently, Variety was updated on September 22, 2026 and Ad Age on September 9, 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.*