# New Scientist vs The Week Junior

The clearest difference is update cadence: New Scientist at every 2 months against The Week Junior's every 13 months. New Scientist also leads on ratings volume (5.7K vs 76) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). The Week Junior's advantage is review sentiment (84% vs 69%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

New Scientist holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: New Scientist has 5.7K ratings behind it against 76, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 69% of New Scientist's written reviews are positive against 84% of The Week Junior's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

New Scientist ships an update every 2 months, The Week Junior every 13 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | New Scientist | The Week Junior |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (5.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/new-scientist/id671845403/reviews)** | [4.5 (76 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-week-junior/id1503694471/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.7K** | 76 |
| Positive reviews | 68.7% of reviews | **84.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 13 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#93** | — |
| Size | 36 MB | 18 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [New Scientist Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1259836343) | [Future plc](https://appshunter.io/developer/378460265) |

## What reviewers say

### New Scientist

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

**Currently charting:** #93 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers, #116 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers, #128 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


### The Week Junior

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-week-junior/id1503694471)

This app delivers a weekly digital magazine for children aged 8-14, packed with engaging content on science, nature, animals, and role models. It aims to spark curiosity, encourage critical thinking, and boost reading comprehension through interactive puzzles and videos.

**Highlights:** Weekly digital magazine content, Interactive puzzles and videos, Access to past and latest issues, Content on science, nature, animals, Focus on role models and places, Encourages reading and critical thinking

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Month Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| 3 Month Subscription | $29.99 | per 3 months |
| 6 month subscription | $48.99 | per 6 months |
| 1 Year subscription | $119.99 | per year |
| TWJ 271 | $1.99 | one-time |
| TWJ 310 | $1.99 | one-time |
| TWJ 317 | $1.99 | one-time |
| TWJ 325 | $2.99 | one-time |
| TWJ 329 | $2.99 | one-time |
| TWJ 546 | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Handy digital access
- 👍 Up-to-date information
- 👍 Fun activities
- 👍 Exciting delivery
- 👍 Interesting content

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Incredibly laggy on older devices
- 🐛 Needs a free to read option
- 🐛 Hard to move between pages
- 🐛 Confusing interface
- 🐛 Swipe to switch pages doesn't work

**Reported bugs**

- Incredibly laggy on older devices
- Swipe to switch pages doesn't work
- Screen freezes
- Hold down shapes not working on iPad
- Cannot find puzzle page

**Requested features**

- Free to read option
- Zoom function
- Update app for better iPad functionality
- Improve layout/interface
- Include puzzle page


## Frequently asked questions

### Is New Scientist free?

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

### Is The Week Junior free?

The Week Junior is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, New Scientist or The Week Junior?

New Scientist is rated higher. New Scientist averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5.7K ratings, while The Week Junior averages 4.5 from 76 ratings.

### Do New Scientist or The Week Junior have ads?

Neither New Scientist nor The Week Junior shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, New Scientist or The Week Junior?

New Scientist ships an update every 2 months, and The Week Junior every 13 months. Most recently, New Scientist was updated on November 1, 2026 and The Week Junior on November 3, 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.*