Comparison

Curio vs Nova

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Curio

Expand your general knowledge with daily short stories on art, science, and history. Engage with content through reading, listening to audio versions, and reinforcing learning with quizzes and flashcards. Bookmark favorite stories and track your learning routine.

Highlights
  • Daily short stories
  • Audio versions available
  • Quizzes for comprehension
  • Flashcards for review
  • Bookmark stories
  • Learning routine tracking
Features
Read full description

Learn something new every day with Curio. Build your general knowledge through short stories about art, science and history. Read, listen and revisit ideas with quizzes and flashcards on selected stories. A QUESTION CAN OPEN A NEW WORLD Why does a work of art stay with us? How did an idea change history? What makes a scientific discovery worth understanding? Curio gives your curiosity somewhere to go. Explore short stories about the world, choose a subject that catches your attention, and make learning part of an ordinary day. EXPLORE ART, SCIENCE, HISTORY AND MORE Browse topics and collections to find your next read. Follow a familiar interest or try something outside your usual routine. Search for a subject you want to understand and discover related stories along the way. Curio brings different areas of knowledge together, so your next discovery can start with a painting, a historical event or a question about nature. READ WHEN YOU CAN, LISTEN WHEN YOU LIKE Open a story and read at your own pace. When an audio version is available, press play and listen during a walk, on your commute or while taking a break at home. You can enjoy spoken content when you would rather listen than look at a screen. Story length varies, so choose something that fits the time and attention you have today. COME BACK TO WHAT YOU LEARN On supported stories, quizzes let you check your understanding and flashcards give you another way to revisit key ideas. Use them after reading or return when you feel like reviewing a topic. Audio, quizzes and flashcards are available on selected content; each story shows the features it supports. Explore, reflect and keep following the questions that interest you. MAKE YOUR DISCOVERIES EASY TO FIND Bookmark a story you want to return to. Highlight a passage while reading and revisit saved highlights from your profile. Explore collections when you want to stay with a theme, and use your reading history to find something you have already opened. Premium also includes Listen Later, so you can save audio stories in a queue for another moment. BUILD A ROUTINE THAT FITS YOUR LIFE Choose your interests to guide what you explore. Set a streak goal and keep track of your learning habit as you return to Curio. A quiet morning, a lunch break or the journey home can be an opportunity to discover something interesting. Start with one story and let your curiosity help you choose the next. FOR PEOPLE WHO ENJOY UNDERSTANDING MORE Curio is for curious readers and listeners who want to explore general knowledge in manageable pieces. There is room for the topic you already love and the one you have never thought about. Read for the pleasure of discovering an idea, listen to a story that raises a question, or use a quiz to look at the same subject from another angle. CHOOSE YOUR LANGUAGE AND APPEARANCE The interface supports English, Turkish, German, French, Spanish and Italian. Choose a language in the app and explore the content available in that language. Light and dark themes help you choose the look you prefer. Content and feature availability can vary between stories and languages. FREE CONTENT AND CURIO PREMIUM Explore available free stories. Premium unlocks content and features that require a purchase, including Listen Later. Subscriptions are managed through your Apple account. Available plans, prices and any eligible offers are shown before you confirm a purchase. Bring a little more curiosity to your day. Open Curio, choose a topic and start exploring. PRIVACY & TERMS Privacy Policy: https://www.joincurio.app/privacy-policy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.joincurio.app/terms-of-service Questions, feedback, or content partnership inquiries? Email us at support@joincurio.app — we'd love to hear from you.

About

Nova

Build a consistent learning habit with short, engaging daily lessons. Complex topics are simplified into easy-to-understand chapters, making progress effortless. Reinforce knowledge with quizzes and track your journey with personalized streaks.

Highlights
  • Bite-sized lessons
  • 10+ learning topics
  • Quizzes for retention
  • Streak tracking
  • Daily reminders
  • Offline access
Features
Read full description

Learn something new in just 5 minutes a day. Nova is a microlearning app designed to help you build a consistent learning habit through short, engaging lessons. With Nova, complex topics are broken down into simple, easy-to-understand chapters — making it easier to stay focused and make daily progress. Choose from over 10 categories, including Personal Growth, Psychology, Science, History, Art, and more. Discover lessons like: • Atomic Habits Simplified • The Rise and Fall of Rome • Why We Procrastinate • The Biology of Happiness • Impressionism and Modern Art • Dark Matter & the Big Bang • How to Read a Room • What Is Stoicism? …and much more! Each lesson ends with a brief quiz to reinforce key ideas and improve retention. Track your progress with a daily streak, set custom reminders, and save lessons to revisit any time — even offline. Features: • 100+ bite-sized lessons across 10+ topics • Quizzes after each lesson to review and retain knowledge • Personalized streak tracking • Daily reminder system to build consistent habits • Offline access — learn anytime, anywhere Whether you’re looking to grow personally, expand your knowledge, or simply replace mindless scrolling — Nova makes learning a part of your everyday life. Download Nova and start your journey today. -- Privacy policy: https://positive-mindset.net/privacy/ Terms of use: https://positive-mindset.net/terms/

Screenshots

Curio4 screens
Nova4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Nova at 5.0 against Curio's 4.4. Nova also leads on ads (none vs shown) and device support (3 vs 1). Curio's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (17 vs 2). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Curio sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Nova sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $19.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Nova holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Curio has 17 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 0% and 0% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Curio ships an update fortnightly, Nova every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Curio versus Nova: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCurioNova
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (17 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings17 — better2
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size71 MB57 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHasret OzkanPositive Mindset sp. z o. o.

Customer experience

Curio

All ratings17 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.8%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Nova

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Curio

Subscriptions6
  • Weekly Subscription$4.997 Days
  • Monthly Subscription$4.991 Month
  • Monthly Subscription$12.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Annual Subscription$34.991 Year
  • Annual Subscription$49.991 Year
  • Annual Subscription7 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$99.99
1 purchases

Nova

Subscriptions1
  • Nova Premium7 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Curio free?
Curio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Nova free?
Nova is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Curio or Nova?
Nova is rated higher. Curio averages 4.4 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while Nova averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Curio or Nova have ads?
Curio shows ads; Nova does not.
Which is updated more often, Curio or Nova?
Curio ships an update fortnightly, and Nova every 3 months. Most recently, Curio was updated on November 4, 2026 and Nova on October 30, 2026.

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