# «الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat vs Backup Contacts !

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.

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.

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.

«الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat ships an update every 2 months, Backup Contacts ! every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | «الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat | Backup Contacts ! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (39 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/asharqalawsat/id470905035/reviews) | **[4.7 (35 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backup-contacts/id573970583/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **39** | 35 |
| Positive reviews | 34.5% of reviews | **91.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Subscription |
| Size | 68 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | [Saudi Research and Publishing Co.](https://appshunter.io/developer/404771495) | [Emanuele Floris](https://appshunter.io/developer/597490842) |

## What reviewers say

### «الشرق الأوسط» Asharqalawsat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/asharqalawsat/id470905035)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Backup Contacts !

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backup-contacts/id573970583)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Access | $2.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Access | $9.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and simple backup
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Useful for contact backup
- ✅ Works as advertised
- 💯 Highly recommended

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Fails to back up all contacts
- 🐛 Freezes or doesn't work
- 🐛 Proprietary export format
- 🐛 Limited to 100 contacts (older reviews)
- 🐛 Not compatible with all systems

**Reported bugs**

- Fails to back up all contacts
- Freezes during operation
- Backup file format not compatible
- Issues with large contact lists
- Advertisements present in paid version

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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 10, 2026 and Backup Contacts ! on November 6, 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.*