Comparison

iPhone Life vs Outside

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

Head to head
About

iPhone Life

This magazine provides in-depth content for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users. Discover app reviews, accessory evaluations, and practical tips. Explore business solutions and user profiles.

Highlights
  • App reviews
  • Accessory reviews
  • How-to guides
  • User profiles
  • Business solutions
Features
Read full description

Apple’s macOS, watchOS, and iPadOS are constantly evolving—and iPhone Life’s Core Guides help you stay ahead with practical, easy-to-follow tips and instructions. Each issue is packed with step-by-step tutorials, hands-on tips, hidden features, practical recommendations, and important security and privacy settings designed for everyday users who love technology. By downloading the iPhone Life app, you can purchase individual issues or subscribe to the offers below: Single issue: US$19.99 1 year subscription (3 issues per year): US$49.99 (Automatically renewed until canceled) Payment will be charged to your Apple account upon confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. You can manage your subscription in your Apple account settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during an active subscription period. Apple, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, macOS, watchOS, and iPadOS are trademarks of Apple Inc. SINGLE ISSUE PRICE: $19.99 SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: $49.99 for new subscribers Existing subscribers keep $19.99 Terms of Service: https://www.iphonelife.com/privacy Privacy Policy: https://www.iphonelife.com/privacy

About

Outside

Access content from 15 outdoor and wellness publications in one app. Discover articles, videos, training plans, recipes, and gear guides tailored to your interests. Share your favorite content with friends and stay inspired for your next adventure.

Highlights
  • Content from 15 publications
  • Personalized content feed
  • Trending articles and videos
  • Gear reviews and buying guides
  • Training plans and recipes
  • Content sharing
Features
Read full description

Fuel all your adventures with the latest from 15 brands across the Outside Network, including Outside, Velo, Yoga Journal, Vegetarian Times, and more. Plus, watch trending videos from the palm of your hand. Start using this free app by logging in with your Outside+ subscription. Your daily destination for content from: Outside • Outside Watch • Backpacker • Clean Eating • Climbing • National Park Trips • SKI • Trail Runner • Triathlete • Vegetarian Times • Velo • Women’s Running • Yoga Journal • And More Get inspired to get outside with these app features: - Explore content tailored to your interests, and fill your feed with what you love – choose from running, cycling, backpacking, climbing, nutrition, snow sports, triathlon, yoga, strength training, and more. - Get the latest new and greatest stories from across the Outside Network – long reads, breaking news, in-depth event coverage (Tour de France, IRONMAN, and more), gear reviews & buying guides, opinion pieces, training plans for all levels, yoga practices, recipes, meal plans, and more. - See which articles and videos are trending. - Spread the stoke, and share your favorite content with your favorite adventure buddies. Terms of Use: https://www.outsideinc.com/terms-of-use/

Screenshots

iPhone Life4 screens
Outside4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Outside at every 3 weeks against iPhone Life's every 4 months. Outside also leads on ratings volume (1.8K vs 119) and chart position (#136 vs unranked). iPhone Life's advantage is review sentiment (41% vs 22%). On price, rating, 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. iPhone Life sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $49.99 per year and Outside sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $89.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for iPhone Life against 4.6 for Outside. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Outside has 1.8K ratings behind it against 119, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 41% of iPhone Life's written reviews are positive against 22% of Outside's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iPhone Life ships an update every 4 months, Outside every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
iPhone Life versus Outside: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriPhone LifeOutside
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (119 ratings)4.6 (1.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews41.4% of reviews — better21.6% of reviews
Number of ratings1191.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#136 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size88 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMango Life MediaOutside Television Inc

Customer experience

iPhone Life

All ratings119 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral1.7%
Negative10.1%
Written reviews99 reviews
Positive41.4%
Neutral6.1%
Negative52.5%

Outside

All ratings1,795 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral3.1%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews88 reviews
Positive21.6%
Neutral14.8%
Negative63.6%

User reviews

iPhone Life

From 119 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📚 Comprehensive Apple product information and tips
  • 👍 Helpful how-to guides and tutorials
  • 🎯 Useful app recommendations and reviews
  • 📱 Accessible on multiple Apple devices
  • 🎨 Well-designed magazine layout and format

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription pricing
  • 🔐 Difficult unsubscribe process
  • 📵 Requires paid subscription for content
  • 🚫 Pushes expensive third-party apps
  • ⚠️ Poor customer service responsiveness

Outside

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Terrific content
  • 👍 Awesome but
  • 🚀 Amazing outdoor adventures

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Horrible app
  • 🐛 Extremely buggy
  • 🐛 Crashes constantly
  • 🐛 Formatting issues
  • 🐛 App doesn't load

Bugs and requests

iPhone Life

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • App crashes when opening news section
  • Login failures with valid credentials
  • Subscription restoration not working
  • Magazine won't load after subscription renewal
  • Blurry and pixelated display
Show 7 more
  • Hyperlinks disappear after highlighting
  • Service unavailable errors
  • Incompatibility with older iOS versions
  • App crashes on older iPhone models
  • Freezing when zooming or loading ads
  • Text too small to read on iPhone
  • Double-tap zoom expands beyond screen

Requested features

8 requests
  • Offline reading capability
  • Page position memory between sessions
  • Retina display support
  • iPhone 5 screen optimization
  • iPad-specific formatting
Show 3 more
  • Free trial issue
  • Improved navigation interface
  • Better text resizing functionality

Outside

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login issues
  • Incompatible with older devices
  • Crashing on video playback
  • Content not updating frequently

Requested features

4 requests
  • Apple Watch support for Trailforks
  • Ability to save articles
  • Better article organization and sorting
  • Separate apps for each publication

In-app purchases

10 purchases

iPhone Life

Subscriptions1
  • iPhone Life magazine:$49.991 Year
One-time9
  • Special Report: iPhoneography, by PixelMags$1.99
  • iPhone Life magazine: Mar/Apr 2013$5.99
  • iPhone Life magazine: Jan/Feb 2013$5.99
Show 6 more
  • iPhone Life magazine: Nov/Dec 2012$5.99
  • iPhone Life magazine: Sept/Oct 2012$5.99
  • iPhone Life magazine: Jul/Aug 2012$5.99
  • iPhone Life magazine: May/Jun 2012$5.99
  • July Special Report, by PixelMags$5.99
  • Jul/Aug 2013, by PixelMags$5.99
1 purchases

Outside

Subscriptions1
  • Outside+ All Access$89.991 Year

Questions

Is iPhone Life free?
iPhone Life is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Outside free?
Outside is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, iPhone Life or Outside?
Outside is rated higher. iPhone Life averages 4.5 out of 5 from 119 ratings, while Outside averages 4.6 from 1.8K ratings.
Do iPhone Life or Outside have ads?
Neither iPhone Life nor Outside shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iPhone Life or Outside?
iPhone Life ships an update every 4 months, and Outside every 3 weeks. Most recently, iPhone Life was updated on October 16, 2026 and Outside on October 16, 2026.

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