# New Scientist vs Brivfy

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Brivfy at none against New Scientist's 10. Brivfy also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 69%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). New Scientist's advantage is chart position (#107 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. New Scientist sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Brivfy asks for nothing beyond the download.

New Scientist ships an update every 2 months, Brivfy every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | New Scientist | Brivfy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (5.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/new-scientist/id671845403/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **5.7K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 69.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#107** | — |
| Size | 36 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [New Scientist Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1259836343) | [Digital Living Company Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1834665876) |

## What reviewers say

### New Scientist

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

**Currently charting:** #107 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers, #135 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers, #148 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


### Brivfy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brivfy/id6757694622)

Get the day's most important news in concise, 50-word briefings. Designed for busy professionals and curious minds, it cuts through the noise to deliver fact-first summaries in seconds. Stay informed without the overwhelm, covering politics, tech, business, and more.

**Highlights:** 50-word news briefings, Daily curated digest, Multi-topic coverage, Distraction-free reading, Smart notifications, Save and share articles, Fast and lightweight

**Features:** 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 Brivfy free?

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

### Do New Scientist or Brivfy have ads?

Neither New Scientist nor Brivfy shows ads.

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

New Scientist ships an update every 2 months, and Brivfy every 5 weeks. Most recently, New Scientist was updated on November 6, 2026 and Brivfy on November 5, 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.*