# The National E vs FT Digital Edition

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The National E at none against FT Digital Edition's 2. FT Digital Edition's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 8 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. FT Digital Edition sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $16.99 per month. The National E asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for The National E against 4.8 for FT Digital Edition. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FT Digital Edition has 2.9K ratings behind it against 138, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of The National E's written reviews are positive against 63% of FT Digital Edition's.

The National E ships an update every 8 months, FT Digital Edition every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The National E | FT Digital Edition |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (138 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-national-e-reader/id522987896/reviews) | [4.8 (2.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ft-digital-edition/id6449040684/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 138 | **2.9K** |
| Positive reviews | **66.7% of reviews** | 62.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 45 MB | 47 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PressReader Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/313904714) | [Financial Times Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/322310071) |

## What reviewers say

### The National E

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-national-e-reader/id522987896)

Access and read The National Newspaper exactly as it appears in its print edition. Stay informed with the latest news presented in a familiar layout. This application provides a direct digital replica of the physical publication.

**Highlights:** Read print edition replica, Access latest news, Digital newspaper format, Familiar layout

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### FT Digital Edition

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ft-digital-edition/id6449040684)

Access the daily Financial Times newspaper delivered to your device. Enjoy exclusive digital magazines, translated articles, and a decade of archives. Listen to audio versions of top stories and read offline.

**Highlights:** Daily newspaper delivered to device, Exclusive digital magazines, Translated articles in 30+ languages, Browse 10 years of previous editions, Audio versions of top stories, Download for offline reading, Global editions and classic layout

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FT Digital Edition Monthly | $16.99 | per month |
| FT Digital Edition | $45.00 | per 3 months |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Smooth, savvy, and clean interface
- 👍 Streamlined and intuitive app experience
- 👍 Excellent for offline reading
- 👍 Automatic downloads of the latest edition
- 👍 Ability to access different regional editions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Connectivity issues, app unable to connect at times
- 🐛 Struggles with unfamiliar IP addresses when traveling
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes, especially on the cookie page
- 🐛 Counterintuitive and clunky user interface
- 🐛 Formatting issues, with text and images not rendering properly

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to log in and access the subscription
- Rendering issues with hyphens and other special characters
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between online and offline modes

**Requested features**

- Implement a full-screen mode for better reading experience
- Add a dark mode option for comfortable reading
- Improve the text-to-speech (audio) functionality to handle non-text elements better
- Introduce a search feature to easily find articles and content
- Enhance the offline reading capabilities to ensure consistent availability


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The National E free?

The National E is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is FT Digital Edition free?

FT Digital Edition is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, The National E or FT Digital Edition?

The National E and FT Digital Edition are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 138 and 2.9K ratings respectively.

### Do The National E or FT Digital Edition have ads?

The National E shows ads; FT Digital Edition does not.

### Which is updated more often, The National E or FT Digital Edition?

The National E ships an update every 8 months, and FT Digital Edition every 3 weeks. Most recently, The National E was updated on September 15, 2026 and FT Digital Edition on September 29, 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.*