# New Scientist vs Central Banking

The clearest difference is monetization model: New Scientist at free with in-app purchases against Central Banking's subscription. New Scientist also leads on ratings volume (5.7K vs 41) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 months). Central Banking's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 69%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. New Scientist sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Central Banking sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for New Scientist against 4.7 for Central Banking. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: New Scientist has 5.7K ratings behind it against 41, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 69% of New Scientist's written reviews are positive against 100% of Central Banking's.

New Scientist ships an update every 2 months, Central Banking every 7 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | New Scientist | Central Banking |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (5.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/new-scientist/id671845403/reviews)** | [4.7 (41 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/central-banking/id1033550204/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.7K** | 41 |
| Positive reviews | 69.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#103** | — |
| Size | 36 MB | 35 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [New Scientist Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1259836343) | [Infopro Digital Services Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/355023054) |

## What reviewers say

### New Scientist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/new-scientist/id671845403)

**Currently charting:** #103 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers, #118 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers, #139 Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

Access award-winning journalism on science and technology. Read daily news, watch videos, and listen to podcasts covering topics from AI to quantum physics. Log in with your subscription for full access.

**Highlights:** Daily news updates, Latest issue access, Science videos, Weekly podcast, Audio articles

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Month Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| 3 Month Subscription | $49.99 | per 3 months |
| 1 Year Subscription | $99.99 | per year |
| 12 Month Subscription | $179.99 | per year |
| August 30 2014 | $1.99 | one-time |
| October 04 2014 | $1.99 | one-time |
| July 16 2016 | $1.99 | one-time |
| September 03 2016 | $1.99 | one-time |
| October 01 2016 | $1.99 | one-time |
| November 19 2016 | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fascinating and informative content
- 🚀 Accessible and easy to read
- 🤓 Covers a wide range of scientific topics
- 📚 Valuable source of up-to-date science news

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app with login and subscription issues
- 🔒 Difficult to manage subscriptions and access content
- 💰 Expensive subscription fees
- 🙄 Forced subscription model and lack of transparency

**Reported bugs**

- App fails to recognize active subscriptions
- Downloading and accessing content is unreliable
- Frequent crashes and performance issues
- Inconsistent user experience across platforms

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode option
- Improve navigation and ability to resume reading
- Implement better syncing and cross-device access
- Provide more customization options for text size and font


### Central Banking

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/central-banking/id1033550204)

This app delivers global coverage, comment, and analysis on central banking topics. It features news, interviews, and in-depth articles on monetary policy, financial stability, and economics, sourced from daily news and the Central Banking journal.

**Highlights:** Global coverage of central banking, News, features, and interviews, Monetary policy and financial stability analysis, Offline article viewing, Save and share favorite stories, Customizable content types

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Volume XXXVII Number 3 | $899.99 | one-time |
| Volume XXXVII Number 4 | $899.99 | one-time |
| Volume XXXVIII Number 1 | $899.99 | one-time |
| Volume XXXVIII Number 2 | $899.99 | one-time |
| Volume XXXVI Number 3 | $899.99 | one-time |
| Volume XXXVI Number 4 | $899.99 | one-time |
| Volume XXXVII Number 1 | $899.99 | one-time |
| Volume XXXVII Number 2 | $899.99 | one-time |
| Vol XXXV Number 4 | $899.99 | one-time |
| Vol XXXVI Number 2 | $899.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is New Scientist free?

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

### Is Central Banking free?

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

### Which has better reviews, New Scientist or Central Banking?

New Scientist is rated higher. New Scientist averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5.7K ratings, while Central Banking averages 4.7 from 41 ratings.

### Do New Scientist or Central Banking have ads?

Neither New Scientist nor Central Banking shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, New Scientist or Central Banking?

New Scientist ships an update every 2 months, and Central Banking every 7 months. Most recently, New Scientist was updated on November 6, 2026 and Central Banking on November 6, 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.*