# Foreign Affairs Magazine vs AA Grapevine

The clearest difference is rating: Foreign Affairs Magazine at 4.8 against AA Grapevine's 4.0. Foreign Affairs Magazine also leads on review sentiment (61% vs 30%) and ratings volume (14K vs 87). AA Grapevine's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Foreign Affairs Magazine sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $39.99 per year and AA Grapevine sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Foreign Affairs Magazine holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Foreign Affairs Magazine has 14K ratings behind it against 87, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of Foreign Affairs Magazine's written reviews are positive against 30% of AA Grapevine's.

Foreign Affairs Magazine ships an update every 6 weeks, AA Grapevine every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Foreign Affairs Magazine | AA Grapevine |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/foreign-affairs-magazine/id575171785/reviews)** | [4.0 (87 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aa-grapevine/id6450056498/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **14K** | 87 |
| Positive reviews | **60.9% of reviews** | 30.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 4 weeks** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #96 | **#77** |
| Size | 26 MB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Council on Foreign Relations](https://appshunter.io/developer/575171788) | [AA Grapevine, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1105305231) |

## What reviewers say

### Foreign Affairs Magazine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/foreign-affairs-magazine/id575171785)

**Currently charting:** #96 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers, #142 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers (US App Store)

Access award-winning commentary on global news and international affairs. Stay informed with daily articles, digital issues, podcasts, and videos from influential thinkers and world leaders. Enjoy offline access and accessibility features for a comprehensive news experience.

**Highlights:** Daily international news articles, Bi-monthly digital magazine issues, Podcasts with leading scholars, Video content on global topics, Audio versions of select articles, Offline reading and listening, Bookmark and share articles

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Foreign Affairs | $39.99 | per year |
| Iran and the Bomb | $8.99 | one-time |
| Foreign Affairs Summer Reading | $8.99 | one-time |
| Masters of International Relations | $8.99 | one-time |
| Foreign Affairs Best of 2013 | $8.99 | one-time |
| JAN/FEB 2013 | $9.99 | one-time |
| July | $9.99 | one-time |
| September/October 2014 | $9.99 | one-time |
| March/April 2016 | $9.99 | one-time |
| November/December 2016 | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Excellent content and analysis
- 🔊 Useful audio versions of articles
- 📚 Diverse range of perspectives
- 🗣 Thought-provoking and insightful
- 🌍 Comprehensive coverage of global affairs

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes and bugs
- 🔄 Loses reading progress when switching apps
- 🔒 Login and subscription issues
- 📱 Subpar user experience and navigation
- 🕰 Slow content downloads

**Reported bugs**

- App crashing when switching between articles
- Subscription not recognized, requiring repeated logins
- Inability to access previously downloaded content
- Outdated content not updating properly
- Formatting and layout issues on larger devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to sync reading progress across devices
- More audio playback controls (speed, rewind, etc.)
- Highlight and note-taking functionality
- Improved search and browsing of past issues
- Offline article downloads


### AA Grapevine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aa-grapevine/id6450056498)

**Currently charting:** #77 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers, #116 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers (US App Store)

Access the international journal of Alcoholics Anonymous, featuring articles, a podcast, and a daily quote. Enhance your sobriety journey with a calculator, events calendar, and exclusive spiritual maintenance tools. Share your experiences and connect with a supportive community.

**Highlights:** Monthly magazine access, Article archives, Podcast player, Daily quote, Sobriety calculator, AA events calendar, Spiritual maintenance checklist

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Grapevine Monthly Subscription | $2.99 | per month |
| Grapevine Annual Subscription | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app concept
- 👍 Helpful individual stories
- 👍 Content is valuable for recovery
- 👍 Audio is great
- 👍 Easy to use (for some)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Constant subscription verification issues
- 🐛 App is buggy
- 🐛 Difficult to recommend app
- 🐛 Restore option never works
- 🐛 Cannot access current issue

**Reported bugs**

- Subscription verification issues
- App is buggy
- Restore subscription option never works
- Cannot access current issue
- App repeatedly states user is not subscribed

**Requested features**

- Native iPad version needed
- Improve iPad usability for visually impaired
- Fix app bugs
- Add a way to change password
- Improve archive search functionality


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Foreign Affairs Magazine free?

Foreign Affairs Magazine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is AA Grapevine free?

AA Grapevine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Foreign Affairs Magazine or AA Grapevine?

Foreign Affairs Magazine is rated higher. Foreign Affairs Magazine averages 4.8 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while AA Grapevine averages 4.0 from 87 ratings.

### Do Foreign Affairs Magazine or AA Grapevine have ads?

Neither Foreign Affairs Magazine nor AA Grapevine shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Foreign Affairs Magazine or AA Grapevine?

Foreign Affairs Magazine ships an update every 6 weeks, and AA Grapevine every 4 weeks. Most recently, Foreign Affairs Magazine was updated on November 1, 2026 and AA Grapevine on October 30, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Foreign Affairs Magazine or AA Grapevine?

Foreign Affairs Magazine currently peaks at #96 in the App Store charts, and AA Grapevine at #77. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*