Science Now vs New Scientist
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Science Now
Stay updated with the latest scientific research and discoveries delivered directly to your mobile device. Explore space exploration, technological breakthroughs, and environmental data from leading organizations.
- Latest scientific research and discoveries
- Space exploration and innovation news
- Technological breakthroughs
- Radiation readings and space weather
- Data and imagery from NASA, NIST, NOAA
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Science Now directs the latest scientific research and discoveries to your mobile device, including information on space exploration, discovery, technology, and innovation from NASA, technical and scientific breakthroughs from NIST, the latest radiation readings from worldwide monitors and space weather from NOAA. All data and imagery is courtesy of NASA, NIST, NOAA, and SafeCast. The Premium Upgrade subscription price of 0.99 USD (in your local currency) will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and, for each renewal, within 24 hours prior to the end of the current month. You can cancel the subscription at any time through your iTunes account settings, but you must do so at least 24 hours before the end of the current month to avoid being charged, and ads will show again at the start of the subsequent month. Terms of use: https://www.kellytechnology.com/privacy/tac.html Privacy policy: https://www.kellytechnology.com/privacy/privacy_policy.html
New Scientist
Access award-winning journalism on science and technology. Read daily news, watch videos, and listen to podcasts covering topics from AI to quantum physics. Log in with your subscription for full access.
- Daily news updates
- Latest issue access
- Science videos
- Weekly podcast
- Audio articles
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Discover award-winning journalism with the New Scientist app. From artificial intelligence to climate change, and the latest innovations in healthcare to the mysteries of quantum physics and the human mind, New Scientist is your trusted, impartial source of information about what is going on in the world. Read daily news updates and our latest issues Watch fascinating videos – from robotics to rare animal behaviour Listen to our weekly podcast and audio articles Download the app for free now. Already a subscriber? Log in with your newscientist.com account to unlock your full access. Need help? Visit newscientist.com/help Terms of Use: https://www.newscientist.com/terms/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: New Scientist at none against Science Now's shown. New Scientist also leads on review sentiment (69% vs 43%) and ratings volume (5.7K vs 140). Science Now's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Science Now sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and New Scientist sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
New Scientist holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: New Scientist has 5.7K ratings behind it against 140, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of Science Now's written reviews are positive against 69% of New Scientist's.
Science Now ships an update every 3 months, New Scientist every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Science Now | New Scientist |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (140 ratings) | 4.8 (5.7K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 42.9% of reviews | 68.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 140 | 5.7K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #92 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 69 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Kelly Technology Inc. | New Scientist Ltd |
Customer experience
Science Now
New Scientist
Bugs and requests
Science Now
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
New Scientist
Reported bugs
4 issues- App fails to recognize active subscriptions
- Downloading and accessing content is unreliable
- Frequent crashes and performance issues
- Inconsistent user experience across platforms
Requested features
4 requests- Add dark mode option
- Improve navigation and ability to resume reading
- Implement better syncing and cross-device access
- Provide more customization options for text size and font
In-app purchases
Science Now
- Premium Upgrade$0.991 Month
- Space Weather$4.99
- Remove Ads$6.99
New Scientist
- 1 Month Subscription1 Month trial$9.991 Month
- 3 Month Subscription$49.993 Months
- 1 Year Subscription$99.991 Year
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- 12 Month Subscription$179.991 Year
- August 30 2014$1.99
- October 04 2014$1.99
- July 16 2016$1.99
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- September 03 2016$1.99
- October 01 2016$1.99
- November 19 2016$1.99
- Essential Guide 10$9.99
Questions
Is Science Now free?
Is New Scientist free?
Which has better reviews, Science Now or New Scientist?
Do Science Now or New Scientist have ads?
Which is updated more often, Science Now or New Scientist?
Other comparisons
