Comparison

New Humanist vs Current Archaeology

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

Head to head
About

New Humanist

This app offers a quarterly journal of ideas, science, and culture from a skeptical perspective. It provides witty, incisive commentary and argument, featuring contemporary writing from notable contributors. Access selected pages or subscribe for full access to every issue and a searchable archive.

Highlights
  • Witty and incisive commentary
  • Quarterly journal of ideas
  • Features contemporary writing
  • Searchable archive of issues
  • Offline reading of back issues
  • Zoom and page navigation
  • Link to external websites
Features
Read full description

At a time of rising religious extremism and irrational nonsense New Humanist magazine provides the antidote: witty, incisive and original comment and argument from a sceptical perspective. Relaunched as a quarterly journal of ideas, science and culture in 2013, New Humanist is elegant, independent-minded and provocative. Drawing on a freethinking tradition stretching back more than 120 years but dedicated to the best contemporary writing, New Humanist is a lively and compelling guide to contemporary thought and culture, and an essential voice of reason. Contributors include Suzanne Moore, Philip Pullman, Will Self, Natalie Haynes, Jonathan Rée, Claire Tomalin, Stewart Lee, Stephen Fry, Ricky Gervais, Stephanie Merritt, Martin Rowson, Brenda Maddox, Robin Ince, AL Kennedy, Stuart Hall, Francis Wheen, Laurie Taylor and Christopher Hitchens. New Humanist is published by the Rationalist Association, a 125-year-old charity devoted to reason, science and secularism. To visit our website go here: http://rationalist.org.uk/ The iPad/iPhone edition brings you selected pages from the latest issue as soon as it is published. You can subscribe within the application for full access, which brings you every page of the issue and a searchable archive back to 1884. Issues are not sold individually - for the duration of your subscription you have access to every issue in this archive. During your subscription you can sync back issues to your device. These will remain in place if your subscription expires, unless your device removes them (for example when running low on disk space). Re-downloading issues requires a current subscription. • Swipe or tap the page edges to flip to next/previous page. • Use the animated thumbnail view to flick through the pages. • Pinch or double-tap pages to zoom. • Switch between single or double-page view. • Search the current issue or the archive. • Tap any page links to web sites, email addresses, phone numbers or maps. • Tap contents-page links to jump to a particular article. • Sync back issues to your device for offline reading (requires wi-fi). • Network connection required otherwise. We recommend first running the app within a wi-fi area so it can sync the latest issue to your device - after that you can use it anywhere. Subscribers will receive new issues automatically via Newsstand. Subscriptions are available within the app at the following prices: £3.99 Quarterly £12.99 Annually In addition, please note the following standard features of auto-renewable subscriptions: • Your payment will be charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. • Subscriptions will renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. • You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Apple Account Settings after purchase. • No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. You can find our privacy policy here: exacteditions.com/about/privacy and our terms of service here: exacteditions.com/about/tos

About

Current Archaeology

Access 50 years of British archaeological research with this digital magazine. Explore discoveries from prehistory to modern times, read opinion pieces, and find book and museum reviews. Sync back issues for offline reading.

Highlights
  • 50 years of archaeological research
  • Monthly issues from archaeologists
  • Covers all historical periods
  • Opinion pieces and debates
  • Book and museum reviews
  • Offline reading of back issues
  • Searchable archive
Features
Read full description

Discover everything you need to know about archaeology in Britain with Current Archaeology, the UK's favourite archaeology magazine. A digital subscription to Current Archaeology magazine gives you access to 50 years of the latest ground-breaking archaeological research, at home or on the move, at any time of day or night. Every month you will hear directly from the archaeologists themselves, so you get the full story: why the excavators went there, how they made their discoveries, what they found, why it's important, and, of course, what it all means. But don't take our word for it – through the informative photographs and stunning aerial images you can see the archaeology for yourself. Explore the archaeology of all periods – from Prehistory and ancient human origins, Roman and Anglo-Saxon Britain, and the Middle Ages right through to modern times – Current Archaeology covers it all. Lively opinion pieces keep you informed on all the debates currently taking place within archaeology – and why they matter. Discover the best books to read and which museums you should visit with our discerning review section, and never miss an event with our monthly listings page. During your subscription you can sync back issues to your device. These will remain in place if your subscription expires, unless your device removes them (for example when running low on disk space). Re-downloading issues requires a current subscription. • Swipe or tap the page edges to flip to next/previous page. • Use the animated thumbnail view to flick through the pages. • Pinch or double-tap pages to zoom. • Switch between single or double-page view. • Search the current issue or the archive. • Tap any page links to web sites, email addresses, phone numbers or maps. • Tap contents-page links to jump to a particular article. • Sync back issues to your device for offline reading (requires wi-fi). • Network connection required otherwise. • Bookmark favourite pages or search results to read later. • If your institution has a magazine subscription, you can access it directly from within your registered IP range. Subscribers will receive new issues automatically. Subscriptions are available within the app at the following prices: Monthly £4.49 Annual £54.99 In addition, please note the following standard features of auto-renewable iTunes subscriptions: • Your payment will be charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. • Subscriptions will renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. • You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Apple Account Settings after purchase. • No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. You can find our privacy policy here: https://exacteditions.com/about/privacy and our terms of service here: https://exacteditions.com/about/tos

Screenshots

New Humanist4 screens
Current Archaeology4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Current Archaeology at 5.0 against New Humanist's 3.3. New Humanist's advantage is ratings volume (4 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. New Humanist sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 3 months and Current Archaeology sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Current Archaeology holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

New Humanist ships an update every 5 months, Current Archaeology every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
New Humanist versus Current Archaeology: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNew HumanistCurrent Archaeology
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (4 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 months — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.616.6
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB4 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperThe Rationalist AssociationThe Past Limited

Customer experience

New Humanist

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

Current Archaeology

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

New Humanist

Subscriptions2
  • New Humanist$5.993 Months
  • New Humanist$24.991 Year
2 purchases

Current Archaeology

Subscriptions2
  • Current Archaeology Monthly Subscription$5.491 Month
  • Current Archaeology Annual Subscription$58.991 Year

Questions

Is New Humanist free?
New Humanist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Current Archaeology free?
Current Archaeology is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, New Humanist or Current Archaeology?
Current Archaeology is rated higher. New Humanist averages 3.3 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Current Archaeology averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do New Humanist or Current Archaeology have ads?
Neither New Humanist nor Current Archaeology shows ads.
Which is updated more often, New Humanist or Current Archaeology?
New Humanist ships an update every 5 months, and Current Archaeology every 8 months. Most recently, New Humanist was updated on November 1, 2026 and Current Archaeology on November 2, 2026.

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