Comparison

Old House Journal vs Architectural Digest

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

Head to head
About

Old House Journal

This app provides practical advice and inspiration for restoring, renovating, and decorating homes built between 1700 and 1960. It features how-to articles, photography, design guidance, and reader stories, along with digital editions and an archive of past issues.

Highlights
  • Restoration and renovation advice
  • Decorating guidance
  • Digital magazine editions
  • Archive of back issues
  • How-to articles
  • Photography and design inspiration
Features
Read full description

The Old House Journal app offers old-house enthusiasts practical hands-on advice for restoration and renovation. Like the print magazine, the Old House Journal digital edition helps homeowners repair, restore, update, and decorate houses 1700–1960, of all architectural styles. Every issue includes useful how-to articles, beautiful photography, hands-on techniques, design guidance, and reader stories. The Old House Journal app contains digital editions of the current issues, as well as an extensive archive of back issues (sold separately).   NEW! THREE FREE BONUSES! A subscription to the Old House Journal digital edition comes with 8 issues of Old House Journal, PLUS three big annual bonus publications, for free:   1 New Old House showcases new homes built with the integrity of yesterday and the modern innovations of today. This unique magazine features beautiful, traditionally designed homes, created to provide a classic feel. Included in these new-old homes are all of the modern conveniences, bringing together a great combination of the past with the present. 2 Arts & Crafts Homes: the Revival brings you contemporary artisans and specialty makers inspired by the original movement and its luminaries:  William Morris, Gustav Stickley, Frank Lloyd Wright, Greene and Greene, and more. See new work and restoration; find sources for your Craftsman house, Bungalow, American Foursquare, Tudor Revival or English Cottage, or artistic new home. House tours, good advice, lavish photography, and HUNDREDS of hand-picked sources for everything from art tile to furniture. 3 Design Center Sourcebook is a hefty compilation of the best (and often hard-to-find) sources for old-house restoration, renovation, and traditional new building. Chapters cover kitchens and baths, walls and ceilings, textiles, hardware and lighting, tile, flooring, building elements—even furniture and accessories. Most companies sell direct to client or consumer, no trade markup. The Old House Journal auto-renewing subscription is $16.99 for one year. It includes eight issues of the magazine, plus one issue each of New Old House, Arts & Crafts Homes and Design Center Sourcebook. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged $16.99 for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. You can find our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use here: https://www.aimmedia.com/privacy-policy/ http://www.aimmedia.com/terms-of-service/ Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication.

About

Architectural Digest

Explore the world's most stunning homes and get insights into architecture and interior design. Discover top talent and exclusive content from the international authority on design.

Highlights
  • Exclusive access to beautiful homes
  • Architecture and interior design insights
  • Information on art, antiques, and travel
  • AD100 list of top architects and designers
  • Complimentary articles for non-subscribers
Read full description

Architectural Digest (AD), the international authority on design and architecture, offers exclusive access to the world’s most beautiful homes and the fascinating people who live in them. Bringing its audience a wealth of information on architecture and interior design, art and antiques, travel destinations, and extraordinary products, its AD100 list of top architects and designers is one of the industry’s most relied-upon indexes of talent. The Architectural Digest digital edition app is free to download. Subscribers receive unlimited access. Non-subscribers may access a selection of complimentary articles each month. AUTOMATIC-RENEWAL: Your payment method will be automatically charged at the frequency and price noted in the subscription offer you select, until you cancel. To cancel, you must update your App Store Subscriptions settings at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription term. No refunds once payment is made.

Screenshots

Old House Journal4 screens
Architectural Digest4 screens

Verdict

The call

Old House Journal and Architectural Digest both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 29% of Architectural Digest's written reviews are positive against 6% of Old House Journal's. Architectural Digest also leads on ratings volume (462 vs 8) and chart position (#103 vs unranked). Old House Journal's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Old House Journal sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Architectural Digest sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Old House Journal holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Architectural Digest has 462 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 6% of Old House Journal's written reviews are positive against 29% of Architectural Digest's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Old House Journal versus Architectural Digest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOld House JournalArchitectural Digest
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (8 ratings) — better4.7 (462 ratings)
Positive reviews6.3% of reviews28.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings8462 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#103 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size100 MB19 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperActive Interest Media, IncAdvance Magazine Publishers Inc.

Customer experience

Old House Journal

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive6.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative93.8%

Architectural Digest

All ratings432 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral1.9%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews118 reviews
Positive28.8%
Neutral7.6%
Negative63.6%

Bugs and requests

Old House Journal

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Architectural Digest

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • Inability to download or access issues
  • Subscription syncing problems across devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Landscape mode for two-page spreads
  • Improved navigation and content organization
  • Seamless subscription management and linking
  • Enhanced image viewing and zoom capabilities
  • Accessibility features for visually impaired users

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Old House Journal

Subscriptions2
  • 1 Month | Old House Journal$2.991 Month
  • Old House Journal Subscription1 Month trial$16.991 Year
One-time8
  • Old-House Journal December-January 2012$0.99
  • Old-House Journal October-November 2011$0.99
  • Old-House Journal August-September 2011$0.99
Show 5 more
  • Old-House Journal June-July 2011$0.99
  • Old-House Journal April-May 2011$0.99
  • Old-House Journal February-March 2012$3.99
  • Old-House Journal June-July 2012$3.99
  • Old-House Journal December 2012-January 2013$3.99
10 purchases

Architectural Digest

Subscriptions3
  • One Month Subscription$3.991 Month
  • Discounted Subscription Holiday 2015$14.991 Year
  • One Year Subscription1 Month trial$29.991 Year
One-time7
  • December 2013$5.99
  • April 2014$5.99
  • June 2014$5.99
Show 4 more
  • July 2014$5.99
  • December 2014$5.99
  • February 2015$5.99
  • March 2016$5.99

Questions

Is Old House Journal free?
Old House Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Architectural Digest free?
Architectural Digest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Old House Journal or Architectural Digest?
Old House Journal is rated higher. Old House Journal averages 4.9 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Architectural Digest averages 4.7 from 462 ratings.
Do Old House Journal or Architectural Digest have ads?
Neither Old House Journal nor Architectural Digest shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Old House Journal or Architectural Digest?
Old House Journal ships an update every 4 months, and Architectural Digest every 4 months. Most recently, Old House Journal was updated on November 1, 2026 and Architectural Digest on November 6, 2026.

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