# Scientific American vs Mechanical Engineering Mag

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 (#116 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.

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 28, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Scientific American | Mechanical Engineering Mag |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (10K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scientific-american/id514734550/reviews)** | [3.5 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mechanical-engineering-mag/id521147202/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **10K** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 48.5% of reviews | **71.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 months** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#116** | — |
| Size | 19 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **10.2** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Springer Nature America, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/349659425) | [ASME](https://appshunter.io/developer/521147205) |

## What reviewers say

### Scientific American

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scientific-american/id514734550)

**Currently charting:** #116 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (20)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Month Subscription | $5.99 | per month |
| Scientific American - 1 year Subscription | $34.99 | per year |
| 1 Year Subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| Scientific American October 2012 issue | $5.99 | one-time |
| Scientific American February 2013 issue | $5.99 | one-time |
| Scientific American August 2013 issue | $5.99 | one-time |
| Scientific American September 2013 issue | $5.99 | one-time |
| Scientific American January 2014 issue | $5.99 | one-time |
| Scientific American issue for November 2014 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Scientific American issue for September 2015 | $5.99 | one-time |
| SciAm Oct 2023 | $9.99 | one-time |
| SciAm March 2023 | $9.99 | one-time |
| SciAm May 2023 | $9.99 | one-time |
| SciAm January 2023 | $9.99 | one-time |
| SciAm April 2023 | $9.99 | one-time |
| SciAm Jul/Aug 2023 | $9.99 | one-time |
| SciAm June 2023 | $9.99 | one-time |
| SciAm Sept 2023 | $9.99 | one-time |
| SciAm Nov 2023 | $9.99 | one-time |
| SciAm Dec 2023 | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great reading experience
- 👍 Intuitive navigation
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 👍 Broad range of topics
- 👍 Reliable content

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Subscription issues and login problems
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance and crashes
- 🐛 Buggy downloads and lost content
- 🐛 Lack of offline reading options
- 🐛 Outdated and poor app design

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### Mechanical Engineering Mag

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mechanical-engineering-mag/id521147202)

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.

**Highlights:** Current and past issues, Brilliant replica format, Text-formatted articles, Offline reading, Searchable archive, Bookmark articles

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Scientific American free?

Scientific American is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Mechanical Engineering Mag free?

Mechanical Engineering Mag is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Scientific American or Mechanical Engineering Mag?

Scientific American is rated higher. Scientific American averages 4.8 out of 5 from 10K ratings, while Mechanical Engineering Mag averages 3.5 from 6 ratings.

### Do Scientific American or Mechanical Engineering Mag have ads?

Neither Scientific American nor Mechanical Engineering Mag shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Scientific American or Mechanical Engineering Mag?

Scientific American ships an update every 5 months, and Mechanical Engineering Mag every 7 months. Most recently, Scientific American was updated on October 28, 2026 and Mechanical Engineering Mag on October 8, 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.*