Comparison

Shindig! Magazine vs DownBeat Mag

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

Head to head
About

Shindig! Magazine

Explore obscure TV, film, and music from the 60s and 70s. This app features in-depth articles and critiques from international experts on genres like psychedelia, garage rock, and soul. Access current and back issues, with subscription options available.

Highlights
  • Obscure TV and film coverage
  • Psychedelia, folk, rock, funk, and soul music articles
  • Expert international writer contributions
  • Critiques of 60s and 70s culture
  • Purchase current and back issues
  • Subscription options available
Features
Read full description

Shindig! is an eclectic cornucopia overflowing with obscure TV and film, psychedelia, folk, garage rock, folk rock, progressive rock, funk and soul. Contributions from its team of international expert writers ensure that new and intriguing tales about influential artists fill every issue. Shindig has established itself as a cutting edge forum and critique of the glories of 60s and 70s music, film and culture. ---------------------------------------------- This is a free app download. Within the app users can purchase the current issue and back issues. Subscriptions are also available within the application. A subscription will start from the latest regular issue at the time of purchase. -The subscription will renew automatically unless cancelled more than 24 hours before the end of the current period. You will be charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the current period, for the same duration and at the current subscription rate for the product. -You may turn off the auto-renewal of subscriptions through your Account Settings, however you are not able to cancel the current subscription during its active period. -Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when a subscription to that publication is purchased. -If a subscription offers a free trial, at the end of the trial period, you will be charged the full price of the subscription. You may cancel a subscription during its free trial period via the subscription settings on your iTunes account. This must be done 24 hours before the end of the subscription period to avoid being charged. Users can register for/ login to a pocketmags account in-app. This will protect their issues in the case of a lost device and allow browsing of purchases on multiple platforms. Existing pocketmags users can retrieve their purchases by logging into their account. We recommend loading the app for the first time in a wi-fi area so that all issue data is retrieved. If your app will not load past the splash page after a first install or an update, please delete and reinstall the app from the App Store Help and frequently asked questions can be accessed in-app and on pocketmags. If you have any problems at all please do not hesitate to contact us: help@pocketmags.com -------------------- You can find our privacy policy here: http://www.pocketmags.com/privacy.aspx You can find our terms and conditions here: http://www.pocketmags.com/terms.aspx

About

DownBeat Mag

Explore the world of Jazz, Blues, and beyond with in-depth interviews, historical features, and expert reviews. Access back issues and future content through various subscription options.

Highlights
  • In-depth interviews
  • Historical music features
  • World-class reviews
  • Blindfold Test articles
  • Access to back and future issues
  • Subscription options
Features
Read full description

DownBeat is the granddaddy of American music magazines. Our editors, writers and photographers scour the world to bring back the best of Jazz, Blues & Beyond. From insightful interviews and historical gems to world-class reviews and iconic features like the Blindfold Test, DownBeat delivers an insider's guide to jazz, improvised music and all of its offshoots. Auto Renewing subscription: *Back issues and future issues are available for purchase within the App. You can purchase single issues for $3.99 (non-subscription). Future issues are also available through the following auto-renewing subscription(s): DownBeat Magazine subscriptions - 3-month subscription for $9.99, 6-month subscription for $15.99 and a 1-year subscription for $23.99 automatically renewed until canceled. Payment for all purchases will be charged to your iTunes account at the confirmation of your purchase. The subscription will include the current issue if you do not already own it, and subsequently published future issues. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. This subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period, your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. The cost of the renewal will match the initial subscription price. You may turn off auto-renewing subscriptions by going to your user’s Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during your active subscription period. Please find our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy here: https://downbeat.com/site/terms and https://downbeat.com/site/privacy

Screenshots

Shindig! Magazine1 screens
DownBeat Mag3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Shindig! Magazine at 67% against DownBeat Mag's 8%. Shindig! Magazine also leads on rating (4.9 vs 1.5). DownBeat Mag's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 8 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Shindig! Magazine sells 37 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and DownBeat Mag sells 35 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shindig! Magazine holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 1.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 31 and 14 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Shindig! Magazine's written reviews are positive against 8% of DownBeat Mag's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shindig! Magazine ships an update every 8 months, DownBeat Mag every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Shindig! Magazine versus DownBeat Mag: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShindig! MagazineDownBeat Mag
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (31 ratings) — better1.5 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews — better8.3% of reviews
Number of ratings31 — better14
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.2 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB66 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperJellyfish Connect LimitedMaher Publications Inc.

Customer experience

Shindig! Magazine

All ratings31 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

DownBeat Mag

All ratings14 ratings
Positive7.1%
Neutral7.1%
Negative85.7%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive8.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative83.3%

In-app purchases

37 purchases

Shindig! Magazine

Subscriptions3
  • Shindig!$4.991 Month
  • Shindig$14.993 Months
  • Shindig Auto-Renewable Subscription$39.991 Year
One-time34
  • Issue 40 (id:381390)$5.99
  • Issue 37 (id:381215)$5.99
  • Issue 53 (id:419597)$5.99
Show 31 more
  • Issue 54 (id:419599)$5.99
  • Issue 55 (id:419601)$5.99
  • Issue 56 (id:419603)$5.99
  • Issue 57 (id:419605)$5.99
  • Issue 58 (id:419607)$5.99
  • Issue 60 (id:419611)$5.99
  • Issue 62 (id:419657)$5.99
  • Issue 63 (id:435695)$5.99
  • NO 144 (id:715102)$5.99
  • NO 145 (id:715100)$5.99
  • NO 150 (pp:1017701)$5.99
  • Issue 50 (id:380907)$5.99
  • Issue 52 (id:371973)$5.99
  • Shindig! (pp:1115866)$5.99
  • Shindig! (pp:1115860)$5.99
  • Shindig! (pp:1115852)$5.99
  • Shindig! (pp:1115850)$5.99
  • NO 141 (id:715108)$5.99
  • Shindig! (pp:1115846)$5.99
  • NO 159 (pp:1017647)$5.99
  • NO 158 (pp:1017653)$5.99
  • NO 157 (pp:1017659)$5.99
  • Issue 68 (id:435705)$5.99
  • NO 156 (pp:1017665)$5.99
  • NO 155 (pp:1017671)$5.99
  • NO 154 (pp:1017677)$5.99
  • NO 153 (pp:1017683)$5.99
  • NO 151 (pp:1017695)$5.99
  • NO 152 (pp:1017689)$5.99
  • The Shindig! Gu... (id:798058)$6.99
  • Shindig! Compen... (id:806093)$7.99
35 purchases

DownBeat Mag

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$2.991 Month
  • 1-Year Subscription$23.991 Year
One-time33
  • DownBeat Mag Jan 2020 Issue$3.99
  • DownBeat Feb 2023 Issue$3.99
  • DownBeat 2022-12$3.99
Show 30 more
  • DownBeat Mag 2021-10$3.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2021-04$3.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2022-03$3.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2021-01$3.99
  • DownBeat December 2021$3.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2023-04$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag May 2023 Issue$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2023-08$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2023-09$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2023-10$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2023-11$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2023-12$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2024-01$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2024-02$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2026-08$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2026-03$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2025-10$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2025-12$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2025-09$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2025-08$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2025-07$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2025-05$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2025-03$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2025-02$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2025-01$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2024-12$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2024-05$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2024-11$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2024-08$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2024-07 Future$4.99

Questions

Is Shindig! Magazine free?
Shindig! Magazine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DownBeat Mag free?
DownBeat Mag is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Shindig! Magazine or DownBeat Mag?
Shindig! Magazine is rated higher. Shindig! Magazine averages 4.9 out of 5 from 31 ratings, while DownBeat Mag averages 1.5 from 14 ratings.
Do Shindig! Magazine or DownBeat Mag have ads?
Neither Shindig! Magazine nor DownBeat Mag shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shindig! Magazine or DownBeat Mag?
Shindig! Magazine ships an update every 8 months, and DownBeat Mag every 3 months. Most recently, Shindig! Magazine was updated on September 23, 2026 and DownBeat Mag on September 24, 2026.

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