Comparison

«الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat vs Backup Contacts !

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

Head to head
About

«الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat

Stay informed with in-depth news and analysis from a trusted pan-Arab source. Enjoy a rich digital experience with narrated articles, podcasts, live coverage, weather, and engaging puzzles.

Highlights
  • In-depth news and analysis
  • Narrated opinion articles
  • Podcast
  • Live news coverage
  • Weather reports
  • Sudoku and crosswords
Features
Read full description

Access the latest in-depth news and analysis on the move from Asharq Al-Awsat, the Middle East’s most trusted source of pan-Arab news for 45 years. Bringing the same quality journalism to a new digital audience, our rich in-app experience includes the latest articles from Asharq Al-Awsat alongside additional features such as narrated opinion articles, a podcast, live news coverage, weather reports, sudoku, crosswords, user profile enhancements, and more.

About

Backup Contacts !

Easily back up and restore your phone contacts without a computer. Create a backup copy with a single tap and email it to yourself for safekeeping. Restore contacts by simply opening the VCF file from your email.

Highlights
  • Offline backup
  • Email backup file
  • Easy restore via email
  • Transfer contacts between iOS devices
  • Backup as VCF (vCard)
Features
Read full description

Try the easiest way to backup and restore your contacts all from your phone without needing a computer or synchronization. With just one tap you can create your own backup copy of your contacts and send them to you via email. You can restore your contacts by simply opening the file sent by email. Key Features: * Offline Backup. No need to sync to any server. Just email the backup file to yourself. * Easy restore. No need to use any app to restore backup file. Just tap on the *.vcf backup file in the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad mail client. * Easily transfer contacts between iOS Devices using just email client. * Backup Contacts as VCF (VCard) You may purchase an auto-renewing subscription through an In-App Purchase. • Auto-renewable subscription • Monthly with 3-Days Free Trial ($2.99), Annual with 3-Days Free Trial ($9.99) • Your subscription will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and will automatically renew (at the duration selected) unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Privacy Policy: https://sites.google.com/site/privacycoldat/ Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

«الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat4 screens
Backup Contacts !4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Backup Contacts ! at 91% against «الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat's 34%. Backup Contacts ! also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.2) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). «الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, ratings volume, ads 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. Backup Contacts ! sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. «الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Backup Contacts ! holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 39 and 35 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 34% of «الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat's written reviews are positive against 91% of Backup Contacts !'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

«الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat ships an update every 2 months, Backup Contacts ! every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
«الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat versus Backup Contacts !: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter«الشرق الأوسط» AsharqalawsatBackup Contacts !
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (39 ratings)4.7 (35 ratings) — better
Positive reviews34.5% of reviews91.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings39 — better35
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size68 MB17 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperSaudi Research & Publishing CompanyEmanuele Floris

Customer experience

«الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat

All ratings39 ratings
Positive84.6%
Neutral5.1%
Negative10.3%
Written reviews29 reviews
Positive34.5%
Neutral17.2%
Negative48.3%

Backup Contacts !

All ratings35 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews226 reviews
Positive91.2%
Neutral1.8%
Negative7.1%

Bugs and requests

«الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Backup Contacts !

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Fails to back up all contacts
  • Freezes during operation
  • Backup file format not compatible
  • Issues with large contact lists
  • Advertisements present in paid version
Show 3 more
  • Inconsistent backup results
  • Cannot support more than 1000 contacts
  • Backs up only one contact

Requested features

6 requests
  • Full backup functionality
  • Support for cloud storage (e.g., Dropbox)
  • Export in .csv or .xls format
  • Option to back up contact notes
  • Improved handling of large contact lists
Show 1 more
  • Dark mode

In-app purchases

None

«الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Backup Contacts !

Subscriptions2
  • Unlimited Access3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Unlimited Access3 Days trial$9.991 Year

Questions

Is «الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat free?
«الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Backup Contacts ! free?
Backup Contacts ! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, «الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat or Backup Contacts !?
Backup Contacts ! is rated higher. «الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat averages 4.2 out of 5 from 39 ratings, while Backup Contacts ! averages 4.7 from 35 ratings.
Do «الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat or Backup Contacts ! have ads?
Neither «الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat nor Backup Contacts ! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, «الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat or Backup Contacts !?
«الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat ships an update every 2 months, and Backup Contacts ! every 3 weeks. Most recently, «الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat was updated on November 6, 2026 and Backup Contacts ! on November 6, 2026.

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