Photonics Spectra vs SubTel Forum
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Photonics Spectra
Access the leading magazine for the photonics industry on your mobile device. Read articles in a convenient format, download PDF issues, and search through archives of past content. Stay informed about optics, lasers, imaging, and more.
- Mobile-friendly article reading
- Downloadable PDF issues
- Searchable archives
- Comprehensive industry coverage
- Technical and practical information
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Photonics Spectra, the world's leading magazine covering the photonics industry, is also available as a mobile app. Features include the ability to: • Read articles in a mobile-friendly format • Download a pdf of each issue • Search archived issues Since 1967, Photonics Spectra magazine has defined the science and industry of photonics, promoting an international dialogue among the engineers, scientists, and end users who develop, commercialize, and buy photonic products. Photonics Spectra is unique in that it provides both technical and practical information for every aspect of the global industry, integrating all segments of photonics: optics, lasers, imaging, spectroscopy, sensors and detectors, fiber optics, microscopy, displays, light sources, machine vision, and more. This application is powered by GTxcel, a leader in digital publishing technology, provider of hundreds of online digital publications and mobile magazine apps.
SubTel Forum
Stay informed with the latest news and updates in the submarine telecommunications industry. Access the newest editions of industry publications directly through the app.
- Latest industry news notifications
- Access to SubTel Forum Magazine
- Submarine Cable Almanac available
- Submarine Telecoms Industry Report access
- Real-time updates
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The SubTel Forum app keeps you up to date on all the latest news in the world of submarine telecoms - get notified as it happens. The latest edition of each of the SubTel Forum publications are also available - Magazine, Submarine Cable Almanac and Submarine Telecoms Industry Report.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: SubTel Forum at every 5 days against Photonics Spectra's every 10 months. On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Photonics Spectra against 5.0 for SubTel Forum. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.
Photonics Spectra ships an update every 10 months, SubTel Forum every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Photonics Spectra | SubTel Forum |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 29 MB | 44 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Laurin Publishing Co., Inc. | Submarine Telecoms Forum, Inc. |
Customer experience
Photonics Spectra
SubTel Forum
In-app purchases
Photonics Spectra
No in-app purchases
SubTel Forum
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Photonics Spectra free?
Is SubTel Forum free?
Which has better reviews, Photonics Spectra or SubTel Forum?
Do Photonics Spectra or SubTel Forum have ads?
Which is updated more often, Photonics Spectra or SubTel Forum?
Other comparisons
