# New Scientist vs Sen

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sen at none against New Scientist's 11. Sen also leads on review sentiment (84% vs 69%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). New Scientist's advantage is ratings volume (5.6K vs 11) and chart position (#94 vs unranked). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. New Scientist sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Sen asks for nothing beyond the download.

Sen holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: New Scientist has 5.6K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of New Scientist's written reviews are positive against 84% of Sen's.

New Scientist ships an update every 2 months, Sen every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 21, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | New Scientist | Sen |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (5.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/new-scientist/id671845403/reviews) | **[5.0 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sen/id1597987034/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5.6K** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | 68.7% of reviews | **84.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#94** | — |
| Size | 36 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [New Scientist Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1259836343) | [Sen Corporation Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1597987036) |

## What reviewers say

### New Scientist

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

**Currently charting:** #94 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers, #132 Top Grossing · News, #134 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers (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 (11)**

| 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 |
| Essential Guide 10 | $9.99 | 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


### Sen

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sen/id1597987034)

Experience live 4K video streams of Earth from space, offering unique astronaut perspectives. Witness real-time views of continents, cities, and spacecraft docking at the ISS. This app aims to democratize space exploration through accessible video data.

**Highlights:** Live 4K Earth video streams, Astronaut and ISS perspectives, Views of continents and cities, Spacecraft docking and undocking footage, Democratizes space exploration

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is New Scientist free?

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

### Is Sen free?

Sen is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, New Scientist or Sen?

Sen is rated higher. New Scientist averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5.6K ratings, while Sen averages 5.0 from 11 ratings.

### Do New Scientist or Sen have ads?

Neither New Scientist nor Sen shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, New Scientist or Sen?

New Scientist ships an update every 2 months, and Sen every 3 weeks. Most recently, New Scientist was updated on October 21, 2026 and Sen on October 21, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*