Scientific American vs Mechanical Engineering Mag
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Scientific American
Access expert insights on groundbreaking science and technology advances. Stay informed with news, commentary, and in-depth features from leading scientists. Explore the modern world through a trusted lens.
- Expert science and technology insights
- News and commentary on current events
- In-depth features by Nobel laureates
- Coverage of important scientific advances
- Essential guide to the modern world
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Founded in 1845, Scientific American provides expert insights on the most important and awe-inspiring advances in science and technology. With news and commentary about current events and in-depth features by experts, including more than 200 Nobel Prize-winning scientists, Scientific American is the essential guide to the modern world. Support Science Journalism. Become a Subscriber. A subscription to Scientific American is available through iTunes for $49.99 annually and is renewed automatically at the end of the subscription term, until canceled. Individual issues are $9.99 each. Payment for all purchases will be charged to your iTunes account. For more information, please visit iTunes Terms and Conditions: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/volume/us/terms.html Founded in 1845, Scientific American provides expert insights on the most important and awe-inspiring advances in science and technology. With news and commentary about current events and in-depth features by experts, including more than 200 Nobel Prize-winning scientists, Scientific American is the essential guide to the modern world. Support Science Journalism. Become a Subscriber. Scientific American Customer Service: Email: help@sciam.com
Mechanical Engineering Mag
Access award-winning monthly engineering content in a digital format. Read current and past issues, with text-formatted articles optimized for mobile. Download content for offline access and search the archive.
- Current and past issues
- Brilliant replica format
- Text-formatted articles
- Offline reading
- Searchable archive
- Bookmark articles
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Mechanical Engineering magazine is the award-winning monthly flagship publication of ASME. Published since 1880, the magazine, and this app, deliver an interdisciplinary view of engineering trends and breakthroughs, giving readers a roadmap to understand today's technology and tomorrow's innovations. MAGAZINE FEATURES: – Current and past issues of Mechanical Engineering magazine. – Brilliant replica format, just like the print edition. – Text-formatted articles designed for maximum mobile readability. – Download each issue and return any time for offline reading. – Search the archive of available issues. – Bookmark your favorite articles. – Share your comments with other readers. Mechanical Engineering magazine is published by ASME, founded as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1880. ASME promotes the art, science and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe. This app includes issues dating back to January 2012. New issues will be available for download monthly. ____________________ This application is powered by GTxcel, a leader in digital publishing technology, provider of hundreds of online digital publications and mobile magazine apps.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Scientific American at 4.8 against Mechanical Engineering Mag's 3.5. Scientific American also leads on ratings volume (10K vs 6) and chart position (#103 vs unranked). Mechanical Engineering Mag's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 20) and review sentiment (71% vs 49%). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Scientific American sells 20 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Mechanical Engineering Mag asks for nothing beyond the download.
Scientific American holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Scientific American has 10K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 49% of Scientific American's written reviews are positive against 71% of Mechanical Engineering Mag's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Scientific American ships an update every 5 months, Mechanical Engineering Mag every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Scientific American | Mechanical Engineering Mag |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (10K ratings) — better | 3.5 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 48.5% of reviews | 71.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 10K — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #103 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 10.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Springer Nature America, Inc. | ASME |
Customer experience
Scientific American
Mechanical Engineering Mag
Bugs and requests
Scientific American
Reported bugs
4 issues- Frequent login issues and lost subscriptions
- Unreliable downloads and disappearing content
- Crashes and performance problems, especially on newer iOS
- Outdated app design and lack of modern features
Requested features
6 requests- Dark mode option
- Improved bookmarking and article saving
- Better search and organization tools
- Ability to adjust font size and display settings
- Seamless sync across devices
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- More interactive and multimedia content
Mechanical Engineering Mag
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Scientific American
- 1 Month Subscription$5.991 Month
- Scientific American - 1 year Subscription$34.991 Year
- 1 Year Subscription$49.991 Year
- Scientific American October 2012 issue$5.99
- Scientific American February 2013 issue$5.99
- Scientific American August 2013 issue$5.99
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- Scientific American September 2013 issue$5.99
- Scientific American January 2014 issue$5.99
- Scientific American issue for November 2014$5.99
- Scientific American issue for September 2015$5.99
- SciAm Oct 2023$9.99
- SciAm March 2023$9.99
- SciAm May 2023$9.99
- SciAm January 2023$9.99
- SciAm April 2023$9.99
- SciAm Jul/Aug 2023$9.99
- SciAm June 2023$9.99
- SciAm Sept 2023$9.99
- SciAm Nov 2023$9.99
- SciAm Dec 2023$9.99
Mechanical Engineering Mag
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Scientific American free?
Is Mechanical Engineering Mag free?
Which has better reviews, Scientific American or Mechanical Engineering Mag?
Do Scientific American or Mechanical Engineering Mag have ads?
Which is updated more often, Scientific American or Mechanical Engineering Mag?
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