# Tessera News vs Pickaxe Player

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pickaxe Player at none against Tessera News's 4. Tessera News's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Tessera News sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Pickaxe Player asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Tessera News against 5.0 for Pickaxe Player. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tessera News | Pickaxe Player |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tessera-news-rss-reader/id6761110696/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pickaxe-player/id6794137497/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | — |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 13 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [The Moonshot Lab](https://appshunter.io/developer/1514902833) | [Tampa Bay Coders](https://appshunter.io/developer/1476078506) |

## What reviewers say

### Tessera News

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tessera-news-rss-reader/id6761110696)

Consolidate all your news, videos, and podcasts into a single, elegant feed. Extract full article text, set custom alerts, and enjoy offline reading. Follow any source, including blogs, YouTube, and Reddit.

**Highlights:** Full text article extraction, Home screen widgets, Customizable notifications, Offline reading mode, Support for any source (blogs, YouTube, Reddit, podcasts), Integrated podcast player, OPML import and cross-device sync

**Features:** Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tessera Silver | $3.00 | one-time |
| Tessera Gold | $9.00 | one-time |
| Tessera Black | $17.00 | one-time |
| Tessera Black | $24.90 | one-time |


### Pickaxe Player

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pickaxe-player/id6794137497)

This app lets you curate your podcast listening experience with customizable "Listening Blocks" that automatically order episodes based on your set rules. It prioritizes user control and privacy, with no accounts or cloud storage required. Enjoy private RSS feeds and essential playback features.

**Highlights:** Customizable Listening Blocks for episode ordering, Manual queue management, Support for private RSS feeds, Local-first data storage, no account needed, Background audio and lock-screen controls, Adjustable playback speed and skip intervals

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tessera News free?

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

### Is Pickaxe Player free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Tessera News or Pickaxe Player?

Tessera News and Pickaxe Player are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Tessera News or Pickaxe Player have ads?

Neither Tessera News nor Pickaxe Player shows ads.

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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.*