AppleInsider vs 9to5Mac
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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).
9to5Mac
Stay informed with the latest news for Apple devices and other tech. Enjoy an ad-free reading experience with a clean layout and push notifications for breaking stories. An optional premium subscription offers enhanced features.
- Latest Apple news
- Ad-free reading
- Push notifications
- Dark Theme
- Optimized layout
- Access to network sites
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9to5Mac is the leading news website for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and more. The 9to5Mac app offers an ad-free way to stay up to date with the latest Apple news, along with connecting you to the full network of 9to5 sites. View the latest stories from 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, Electrek, and more in a layout optimized for the iPhone and iPad with large photography. Take advantage of the Dark Theme for comfortable reading at any time of day. Get push notifications for instant alerts when a new post goes live so you can always stay up to date with the latest stories. The 9to5Mac app is a beautiful companion to the website experience. Give us your feedback and look forward to more updates coming in the future. Upgrade to the Premium Subscription to read stories in the app with an ad-free, privacy-respecting native reading experience. Premium costs $1.99 per month in the US. The subscription automatically renews — but you can cancel at any time.* 9to5Mac Premium is subject to the standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ See Privacy and Additional Terms: https://9to5mac.com/privacy/ *Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within a 24-hour prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: 9to5Mac at 4.7 against AppleInsider's 3.3. 9to5Mac also leads on monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and ads (none vs shown). AppleInsider's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (14.7 vs 17.6). On price 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
Both are free to download. AppleInsider sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and 9to5Mac sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
9to5Mac holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 9to5Mac has 4.8K ratings behind it against 49, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of AppleInsider's written reviews are positive against 41% of 9to5Mac's.
AppleInsider ships an update every 8 months, 9to5Mac every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AppleInsider | 9to5Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (49 ratings) | 4.7 (4.8K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 29.6% of reviews | 40.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 49 | 4.8K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Freemium — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.7 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Crafted | Seth Weintraub |
Customer experience
AppleInsider
9to5Mac
User reviews
AppleInsider
From 49 App Store ratingsWhat 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
9to5Mac
From 4.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Informative content
- 📱 Great app for Apple news
- 🌓 Useful dark mode
- 👍 Modern design
Room to improve
- 🔒 Paywall restricts access
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- ⏱️ Slow content loading
- 💸 Expensive subscription
- 🔍 Lack of search functionality
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
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- Landscape mode support for videos
9to5Mac
Reported bugs
5 issues- Subscription issues
- Inconsistent dark mode support
- Unreliable push notifications
- Crashes when opening articles
- Broken Disqus login functionality
Requested features
7 requests- Dark mode icon support
- Improved notifications
- In-app commenting
- Yearly subscription option
- Faster content updates
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- Accessibility improvements
- Seamless integration with other 9to5 sites
In-app purchases
AppleInsider
- Pro$2.991 Month
- Pro$29.991 Year
- AppleInsider Subscription (1 Month)$0.99
- AppleInsider Subscription (3 Months)$2.99
- AppleInsider Subscription (6 Months)$4.99
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- AppleInsider Subscription (1 Year)$8.99
9to5Mac
- Premium Subscription7 Days trial$1.991 Month









