# Layman vs Iris

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Layman at none against Iris's 2. Layman also leads on ratings volume (39 vs 4) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Iris sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Layman asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Layman against 5.0 for Iris. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Layman has 39 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Layman | Iris |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (39 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/layman-simple-news/id6760647329/reviews) | [5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iris-personal-podcastreader/id6761699072/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **39** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 47 MB | 62 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Layman Corp](https://appshunter.io/developer/1885493502) | [Iris Audio LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1890969225) |

## What reviewers say

### Layman

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/layman-simple-news/id6760647329)

Stay informed with concise, easy-to-understand news summaries on business, tech, and startups. This app breaks down complex topics into short, swipeable stories, perfect for busy schedules. An AI chatbot provides quick, simple answers to your questions.

**Highlights:** Short, swipeable news stories, Plain English summaries, Business, tech, and startup focus, AI chatbot for quick answers, Aggregated from top sources, No jargon or long articles

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Iris

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iris-personal-podcastreader/id6761699072)

This app transforms articles and newsletters into personalized audio episodes using AI-powered text-to-speech. It automatically discovers subscriptions from your Gmail and allows you to schedule daily audio briefings. Listen to any web article by sharing it directly to the app.

**Highlights:** Article to podcast conversion with AI voices, Automatic Gmail subscription discovery, Scheduled daily audio episodes, Share any web article for listening, Background playback and queue management, Light and dark mode support

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Iris Pro - Monthly Subscription | $8.99 | per month |
| Iris Pro - Yearly Subscription | $59.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Layman free?

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

### Is Iris free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Layman or Iris?

Layman and Iris are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 39 and 4 ratings respectively.

### Do Layman or Iris have ads?

Neither Layman nor Iris shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Layman or Iris?

Layman ships an update weekly, and Iris weekly. Most recently, Layman was updated on October 25, 2026 and Iris on October 24, 2026.

---

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