Comparison

Poolside vs Aesthetica

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

Head to head
About

Poolside

Features
Read full description

Poolside is Australia’s premier pool publication. Full-colour, large format magazines, they reach prospective pool buyers and existing pool owners right across the country. Each issue of Poolside contains informative features on design issues, maintenance questions, new materials and stylish poolside accessories. Also, more than 100 individual designs are featured in each issue. Poolside’s photographers are the best in the business, providing stunning images that captivate readers. Each issue of Poolside contains informative features on design issues, maintenance questions, new materials and stylish poolside accessories. Also, more than 100 individual designs are featured in each issue. ---------------------------------------------- This is a free app download. Within the app users can purchase the current issue and back issues. Subscriptions are also available within the application. A subscription will start from the latest regular issue at the time of purchase. -The subscription will renew automatically unless cancelled more than 24 hours before the end of the current period. You will be charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the current period, for the same duration and at the current subscription rate for the product. -You may turn off the auto-renewal of subscriptions through your Account Settings, however you are not able to cancel the current subscription during its active period. -Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when a subscription to that publication is purchased. -If a subscription offers a free trial, at the end of the trial period, you will be charged the full price of the subscription. You may cancel a subscription during its free trial period via the subscription settings on your iTunes account. This must be done 24 hours before the end of the subscription period to avoid being charged. Users can register for/ login to a pocketmags account in-app. This will protect their issues in the case of a lost device and allow browsing of purchases on multiple platforms. Existing pocketmags users can retrieve their purchases by logging into their account. We recommend loading the app for the first time in a wi-fi area so that all issue data is retrieved. If your app will not load past the splash page after a first install or an update, please delete and reinstall the app from the App Store Help and frequently asked questions can be accessed in-app and on pocketmags. If you have any problems at all please do not hesitate to contact us: help@pocketmags.com -------------------- You can find our privacy policy here: http://www.pocketmags.com/privacy.aspx You can find our terms and conditions here: http://www.pocketmags.com/terms.aspx

About

Aesthetica

This app delivers a visually stunning mix of contemporary art and visual culture through a bi-monthly digital magazine. It explores global art, film, music, and performance, offering critical debate and engaging content. Subscribers can sync back issues for offline reading and access content from registered IP ranges.

Highlights
  • Sync back issues for offline reading
  • Searchable archive
  • Interactive page navigation
  • Bookmark favorite pages
  • Share content via social media
  • Institutional IP access
Features
Read full description

Aesthetica is a visually stunning mix of photography, debate and stimulating features. It is an essential magazine for readers looking to keep up to date with contemporary art and visual culture. Published bi-monthly, Aesthetica engages with the arts both in the UK and internationally, combining dynamic content with compelling critical debate and exploring the best in visual art, film, music and performance. During your subscription you can sync back issues to your device. These will remain in place if your subscription expires, unless your device removes them (for example when running low on disk space). Re-downloading issues requires a current subscription. • Swipe or tap the page edges to flip to next/previous page. • Use the animated thumbnail view to flick through the pages. • Pinch or double-tap pages to zoom. • Switch between single or double-page view. • Search the current issue or the archive. • Tap any page links to web sites, email addresses, phone numbers or maps. • Tap contents-page links to jump to a particular article. • Sync back issues to your device for offline reading (requires wi-fi). • Network connection required otherwise. • Bookmark favourite pages or search results to read later. • Share links to pages via social media. • If your institution has a magazine subscription, you can access it directly from within your registered IP range. We recommend first running the app within a wi-fi area so it can sync the latest issue to your device - after that you can use it anywhere. Subscribers will receive new issues automatically. Subscriptions are available within the app at the following prices: Two months £4.49 Annual £21.99 In addition, please note the following standard features of auto-renewable subscriptions: • Your payment will be charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. • Subscriptions will renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. • You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Apple Account Settings after purchase. • No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. You can find our privacy policy here: https://exacteditions.com/about/privacy and our terms of service here: https://exacteditions.com/about/tos

Screenshots

Poolside1 screens
Aesthetica4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Aesthetica at none against Poolside's shown. Aesthetica also leads on update cadence (every 6 months vs every 28 months). Poolside's advantage is iOS requirement (11.2 vs 16.6). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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. Poolside sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 6 months and Aesthetica sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.49 per 2 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Poolside ships an update every 28 months, Aesthetica every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Poolside versus Aesthetica: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPoolsideAesthetica
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.7 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 28 monthsEvery 6 months — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Subscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.2 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size44 MB3 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperUniversal Magazines Pty LtdAesthetica Magazine Ltd

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Poolside

Subscriptions3
  • Poolside Auto-Renewable Subscription$2.996 Months
  • Poolside Auto-Renewable Subscription$3.991 Year
  • Poolside Auto-Renewable Subscription1 Month trial$5.991 Year
One-time7
  • Nov Issue#46 Y/Bk 15$2.99
  • Poolside Bundle$2.99
  • ISSUE 56 Poolside$2.99
Show 4 more
  • February Issue#41 2013$3.99
  • April Issue#43 2014$3.99
  • October Issue#42 Y-BOOK 2013$3.99
  • May Issue#45 2015$4.99
2 purchases

Aesthetica

Subscriptions2
  • Aesthetica$5.492 Months
  • Aesthetica$25.491 Year

Questions

Is Poolside free?
Poolside is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Aesthetica free?
Aesthetica is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Poolside or Aesthetica have ads?
Poolside shows ads; Aesthetica does not.
Which is updated more often, Poolside or Aesthetica?
Poolside ships an update every 28 months, and Aesthetica every 6 months. Most recently, Poolside was updated on September 16, 2026 and Aesthetica on September 27, 2026.

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