Network vs WIRED
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Network
A minimalist podcast player designed for simplicity and efficiency. It offers automatic volume leveling, offline episode downloads, and smart storage management. Enjoy features like variable playback speeds, a sleep timer, and easy podcast importing.
- Sound Check for consistent volume
- Automatic offline episode downloads
- Smart storage management
- Variable playback and skip rates
- Sleep Timer
- OPML import and URL subscription
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A simple, clean and efficient podcast app. - Sound Check: Automatically ensures episodes play at a more consistent volume, boosting quieter podcasts. - Offline: Automatically downloads new episodes as they become available. (the app will wait for opportunities to download when connected over Wi-Fi, user initiated downloads within the app can use both cellular/Wi-Fi). - Storage: Automatically deletes episodes from the device when played. - Other Features: Stream older episodes without downloading (cellular/Wi-Fi). Import podcasts from OPML files. Subscribe to podcasts from URL's copied to the clipboard. Variable playback rates. Variable skip rates. Sleep Timer.
WIRED
Stay informed with breaking tech news, expert analysis, and in-depth reporting on science, culture, and business. Personalize your news feed, listen to narrated articles, and watch exclusive video content. Engage with the community and save stories for later.
- Personalized Daily Digest
- Article narration
- Dedicated topic channels
- Original video content
- Interactive livestreams
- Save and share articles
- Community discussions
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Download the WIRED app for breaking tech news, expert analysis, and the stories shaping tomorrow. WIRED is obsessed with what comes next. Through rigorous investigations and game-changing reporting, WIRED tells the stories of the people, technologies, and forces transforming our world. A WIRED EXPERIENCE BUILT FOR YOU * Start your day with a personalized Daily Digest, curated around the topics and journalists that matter most to you. * Get notified the moment new stories go live that will be of greatest interest to you. * Explore dedicated channels for AI, security, science, culture, business, and more. LISTEN TO WIRED * Listen to narrated versions of WIRED articles, hands-free, on any commute. * Explore the Audio tab for curated playlists and suggestions for what to listen to next. * Listen for as long as you’d like and pick up right where you left off. WATCH AND GO DEEPER * Tune into original WIRED video in a dedicated Watch tab. * Join interactive livestreams hosted by WIRED staff and expert guests. * Watch interviews, explainers, and behind-the-story video journalism that brings WIRED’s reporting to life. SAVE, SHARE, AND JOIN THE CONVERSATION * Save articles to read later, on your schedule. * Share stories instantly with friends, colleagues, and followers. * Join the WIRED community and take part in conversations with WIRED reporters and readers in our moderated comments. From the latest breakthroughs in AI to the forces reshaping science, business, culture, and society, WIRED helps you understand not just what's happening now, but what it means for what comes next. By downloading the WIRED app, you agree to: * Our User Agreement: http://condenast.com/user-agreement * Our Class Action Waiver and Arbitration Provisions: https://www.condenast.com/user-agreement#introduction-arbitration-notice * Our Privacy Policy: https://www.condenast.com/privacy-policy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: WIRED at Free against Network's $2.99. WIRED also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (55 vs 11). Network's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (72% vs 48%). On update cadence, in-app purchases, chart position 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
WIRED is free to download; Network costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
WIRED holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WIRED has 55 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 72% of Network's written reviews are positive against 48% of WIRED's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Network ships an update monthly, WIRED every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Network | WIRED |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.2 (11 ratings) | 4.5 (55 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 72.1% of reviews — better | 47.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 11 | 55 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Ad-supported — better |
| Best chart rank | #35 — better | #59 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 75 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Andrew Conlan | Advance Magazine Publishers Inc. |
Customer experience
Network
WIRED
In-app purchases
Network
No in-app purchases
WIRED
No in-app purchases
