The Bulwark vs Pickaxe Player
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Bulwark
Access exclusive news, analysis, and commentary from pro-democracy experts in an ad-free environment. Enjoy features like read-to-me, saved articles, personalized feeds, and audio versions of shows. Engage with a community dedicated to liberal democracy.
- Ad-free reading experience
- Listen to articles on the go
- Save articles and shows
- Personalized 'For You' feed
- Audio-only show versions
- Adjustable text size and dark mode
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The Bulwark App is for Bulwark+ members and features an ad-free environment to read, watch or listen to your favorite Bulwark commentators. The app was designed with members in mind and includes new features to enhance your subscriber experience: • Read to me - listen to articles on the go • Save articles or shows for later • A “For You” feed where you can follow what you love • Audio-only versions of all our shows • Resize text • Switch to dark mode • Dedicated Read tab • Dedicated Watch & Listen tab Bulwark+ is powered by Substack. Use your Substack profile to sign in to the app to get unfettered access to everything we publish and engage with The Bulwark community in the comments. About Us The Bulwark is home to Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller, Jonathan V. Last, Sam Stein, Catherine Rampell and more. We are the largest pro-democracy bundle on Substack for news and analysis. The Bulwark was founded to provide analysis and reporting in defense of America’s liberal democracy. We publish written articles and newsletters. We create podcasts and videos. We publish political analysis from experts. We’re supported in this effort by a community built on good faith who know that the only way through is together.
Pickaxe Player
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You decide what plays next. Pickaxe Player builds your Up Next from Listening Blocks — ordering rules you set once — so every session starts exactly where you want it, not where an algorithm guesses. Stack blocks in the order you want your day to sound: morning news up top, current events next, long serials to finish. Each block arranges its own episodes — grouped by show or interleaved, oldest or newest first — and refreshing brings in new episodes without losing your place. LISTENING BLOCKS Standing rules that keep Up Next arranged your way. Pick the shows, choose the order, drag blocks to rearrange your day. New episodes slot in where your rules say they belong. A QUEUE THAT ALWAYS COMES FIRST Want something specific right now? Add it to the Queue and it plays before everything else. Reorder by hand anytime — the plan works around what you place. PRIVATE FEEDS, FIRST-CLASS Members-only RSS plays like any other show. Feed URLs and tokens stay on your device and are sent only to the feed's own server. LOCAL-FIRST. NO ACCOUNT. There's no sign-up and no cloud. Subscriptions, progress, and rules live on your device, and feed refreshes are built to preserve your progress, queue, and played states. THE ESSENTIALS Background audio, lock-screen and headphone controls, playback speed, and adjustable skip intervals. PRIVACY No accounts, no analytics, no tracking. The app doesn't collect data, so there's nothing for anyone else to see. Full policy: https://player.pickaxe.media/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is chart position: The Bulwark at #65 against Pickaxe Player's unranked. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | The Bulwark | Pickaxe Player |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (2.9K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 92.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2.9K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Best chart rank | #65 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Center Enterprises, Inc. | Tampa Bay Coders |
In-app purchases
The Bulwark
No in-app purchases
Pickaxe Player
No in-app purchases









