Comparison

AppleInsider vs iDB app

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

Head to head
About

AppleInsider

Stay informed with the latest Apple news, rumors, and expert commentary on your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Get breaking news alerts, access video reviews, and listen to podcasts. Subscribers enjoy an ad-free experience.

Highlights
  • Breaking news push notifications
  • AI YouTube video library
  • Weekly podcasts
  • Live Apple event coverage
  • Ad-free subscription option
  • Optimized for iPhone and iPad
  • Apple Watch experience
Features
Read full description

The official AppleInsider app for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch serves as the most up-to-date and reliable source for all things Apple. Since 1997, AppleInsider has been the best destination for Apple-related news, rumors, reviews, expert commentary and more. And with the AppleInsider app, you can take all those news, tips, commentary, and reviews with you on the go, staying a step ahead of your friends with breaking news alerts and finger-tip access to the latest Apple news and rumors.   Features: - Be the first to know about breaking news and major announcements with push notifications sent directly to your device as they happen. - Access the AI YouTube video library to view product reviews, tutorials and more. - Listen to weekly podcasts and keep current with live Apple event coverage. - Subscribers can enjoy an ad-free viewing experience for $29.99 per year with an auto-renewable, annual subscription, or $2.99 a month. - Optimized for both iPhone and iPad. - Refreshed Apple Watch experience.   AppleInsider Pro subscription available: Besides one year of ad-free content for $29.99, a one-month subscription is available for $2.99. Both subscription tiers will automatically renew until canceled.   AppleInsider Pro Automatic-Renewal Feature: Your AppleInsider Pro digital subscription will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of your current period. Your iTunes account will automatically be charged at the same price for renewal, $29.99 per year, within 24 hours prior to the end of your current period.   Current subscriptions may not be canceled during the active subscription period, but you can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renewal by visiting your iTunes Account Settings after purchase.   For complete terms and conditions, please see our Terms of Use (http://www.appleinsider.com/terms-of-use) and Privacy Policy (http://www.appleinsider.com/privacy).

About

iDB app

Stay informed with the latest Apple news, app reviews, and accessory updates. Get breaking news alerts, bookmark articles for later, and engage with a community of Apple enthusiasts. Unlock premium features like ad removal and offline reading through in-app purchases or a subscription.

Highlights
  • Latest Apple news headlines
  • Push notifications for important stories
  • Bookmark articles for later reading
  • Comment and share articles
  • Ad removal and offline reading
  • Community engagement
Features
Read full description

iDownloadBlog keeps you in touch with everything Apple! Stay up to date with the latest Apple news, tips, apps, and accessory reviews, directly from your iPhone, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. BROWSE the latest headlines from your favorite Apple blog. BE NOTIFIED about important stories published on the site via push notification. READ stories, including breaking news, must-have apps, cool new accessories and tutorials. BOOKMARK articles to read later. COMMENT on articles and share your point of view with the rest of the iDB community. SHARE your favorite articles to Twitter, Facebook, and more. UNLOCK more features such as the ability to remove ads, access unlimited bookmarking, and offline reading via in-app purchase. WE LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK We love to hear from you, so feel free to get in touch at app@idownloadblog.com, or @iDownloadBlog on Twitter. ABOUT THE SUBSCRIPTION You can subscribe for unlimited access to all features and content offered for purchase within iDB app. Subscriptions are for one month or one year at a time. Subscriptions are billed monthly or annually at the rate selected depending on the subscription plan. Subscriptions automatically renew monthly or annually at the cost of the chosen package, unless cancelled 24 hours in advance prior to the end of the current period. The subscription fee is charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. You may manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings after purchase. Terms of Use: http://www.idownloadblog.com/terms-of-service/ Privacy Policy: http://www.idownloadblog.com/privacy-policy/

Screenshots

AppleInsider3 screens
iDB app4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: iDB app at 3.9 against AppleInsider's 3.3. iDB app also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and review sentiment (64% vs 30%). AppleInsider's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, ratings volume, 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. AppleInsider sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and iDB app sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iDB app holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 49 and 79 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of AppleInsider's written reviews are positive against 64% of iDB app's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AppleInsider ships an update every 8 months, iDB app every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
AppleInsider versus iDB app: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAppleInsideriDB app
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (49 ratings)3.9 (79 ratings) — better
Positive reviews29.6% of reviews64.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4979 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS14.713.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCraftedSebastien Page

Customer experience

AppleInsider

All ratings49 ratings
Positive46.9%
Neutral12.2%
Negative40.8%
Written reviews216 reviews
Positive29.6%
Neutral13.4%
Negative56.9%

iDB app

All ratings79 ratings
Positive69.6%
Neutral7.6%
Negative22.8%
Written reviews128 reviews
Positive64.1%
Neutral9.4%
Negative26.6%

User reviews

AppleInsider

From 49 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Wide range of topics
  • 👍 Informative and educational
  • 👍 Excellent podcast
  • 👍 Number one source for Apple news

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Cluttered and unintuitive UI
  • 🐛 Crashes and loading issues
  • 🔍 Ineffective search functionality
  • 💰 Excessive price increase for subscription
  • 🔍 New layout hides latest news

iDB app

From 79 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth and fast navigation
  • 👍 Clean and intuitive UI design
  • 💡 Unique card-based article browsing
  • 🔒 Secure login integration with 1Password

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional app crashes and freezes
  • 💸 Intrusive full-screen ads
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 📱 Lack of iPad support

Bugs and requests

AppleInsider

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on iOS 14 and newer
  • Articles not loading properly
  • Widget functionality broken
  • Subscription issues and lack of cancellation options

Requested features

6 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Customizable notification settings
  • Ability to mark articles as read
  • App badge to show unread articles
  • iPad-optimized layout
Show 1 more
  • Landscape mode support for videos

iDB app

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Embedded videos not playing in landscape mode
  • Article links sometimes redirecting to homepage

Requested features

4 requests
  • Search function for articles
  • Customizable article view (list, grid, etc.)
  • Push notifications for new articles
  • Dark mode option

In-app purchases

6 purchases

AppleInsider

Subscriptions2
  • Pro$2.991 Month
  • Pro$29.991 Year
One-time4
  • AppleInsider Subscription (1 Month)$0.99
  • AppleInsider Subscription (3 Months)$2.99
  • AppleInsider Subscription (6 Months)$4.99
Show 1 more
  • AppleInsider Subscription (1 Year)$8.99
2 purchases

iDB app

Subscriptions2
  • Subscription$0.991 Month
  • Subscription$8.991 Year

Questions

Is AppleInsider free?
AppleInsider is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is iDB app free?
iDB app is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, AppleInsider or iDB app?
iDB app is rated higher. AppleInsider averages 3.3 out of 5 from 49 ratings, while iDB app averages 3.9 from 79 ratings.
Do AppleInsider or iDB app have ads?
Both AppleInsider and iDB app show ads.
Which is updated more often, AppleInsider or iDB app?
AppleInsider ships an update every 8 months, and iDB app every 2 months. Most recently, AppleInsider was updated on September 30, 2026 and iDB app on September 25, 2026.

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