# Headlines vs Amethyst

The clearest difference is monetization model: Amethyst at free against Headlines's freemium. Amethyst also leads on device support (5 vs 2) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Headlines's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Headlines sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Amethyst sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Headlines ships an update every 9 days, Amethyst monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Headlines | Amethyst |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/headlines-reader-app/id6705131342/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1** | — |
| Positive reviews | — | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 43 MB | 52 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Bradley Purchase](https://appshunter.io/developer/683913434) | [MBRKHRDT LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1492913322) |

## What reviewers say

### Headlines

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/headlines-reader-app/id6705131342)

Follow your favorite websites and read their latest content in a clean, ad-free reader. Organize articles into collections, save them for later, and receive daily reminders. Discover new content and enhance your reading with summarization and note-taking tools.

**Highlights:** Ad-free reading experience, Chronological content feed, Organize content into collections, Save articles for later, Summarize and take notes on articles, Discover new content and sites

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Headlines Pro (Monthly) | $3.99 | per month |
| Headlines Pro (Yearly) | $44.99 | per year |


### Amethyst

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/amethyst-rss-and-news-reader/id6758023629)

A streamlined RSS reader designed for Apple devices, offering customizable feed organization, real-time notifications, and article bookmarking. It supports RSS, Atom, and JSON feeds, syncing seamlessly across your Apple ecosystem.

**Highlights:** RSS, Atom, JSON feed support, Feed grouping and sorting, Real-time push notifications, Article bookmarking, iCloud sync across Apple devices, OPML import/export

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Amethyst Plus - Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Amethyst Plus - Annual | $19.99 | per year |
| Amethyst Plus - Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Headlines free?

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

### Is Amethyst free?

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

### Do Headlines or Amethyst have ads?

Neither Headlines nor Amethyst shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Headlines or Amethyst?

Headlines ships an update every 9 days, and Amethyst monthly. Most recently, Headlines was updated on October 15, 2026 and Amethyst on October 17, 2026.

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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.*