# New Scientist vs Environmental Observer

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Environmental Observer at none against New Scientist's 11. Environmental Observer also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). New Scientist's advantage is chart position (#82 vs unranked). On price, 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. Environmental Observer asks for nothing beyond the download.

New Scientist ships an update every 2 months, Environmental Observer weekly. Both last shipped on October 19, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | New Scientist | Environmental Observer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (5.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/new-scientist/id671845403/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **5.6K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 68.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#82** | — |
| Size | 36 MB | 31 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) | [UCPM](https://appshunter.io/developer/1852819653) |

## What reviewers say

### New Scientist

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

**Currently charting:** #82 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers, #112 Top Grossing · News, #147 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


### Environmental Observer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/environmental-observer/id6755249283)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is New Scientist free?

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

### Is Environmental Observer free?

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

### Do New Scientist or Environmental Observer have ads?

Neither New Scientist nor Environmental Observer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, New Scientist or Environmental Observer?

New Scientist ships an update every 2 months, and Environmental Observer weekly. Most recently, New Scientist was updated on October 19, 2026 and Environmental Observer on October 19, 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.*