Comparison

Dwell Magazine vs dot.LA

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

Head to head
About

Dwell Magazine

Explore modern architecture and home design with inspiring stories of people and their forward-thinking homes. Discover expert advice and curated product highlights to enhance your living space.

Highlights
  • Modern architecture features
  • Home design inspiration
  • Stories of residents
  • Expert living space advice
  • Product highlights
  • Digital issue purchases
Features
Read full description

Dwell is the leading magazine for modern architecture and home design. We feature forward-looking homes by telling the stories of the people who live in them. We champion design that improves people’s lives, promote new ideas about what a home can and should be, offer expert advice for making your space a better place to live, and highlight the best-designed products available. The Dwell app is free to download and allows you to buy digital issues of Dwell Magazine. You can purchase single issues for USD 9.99 or subscribe for 1 year to get 6 digital issues for USD 19.99. NOTE: Customers who subscribe to Dwell+ or Dwell All Access on dwell.com receive complimentary access to the Dwell app, in addition to all subscriber-only content on our website. If you choose to subscribe in the Dwell app, please note the following: • App subscriptions do not include access to subscriber-only content on our website. • Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. • You will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period, for the same duration, and at the current subscription rate for that product. • You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings after purchase. • Your subscription will begin with the current issue, even if that issue has been purchased separately. • Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Privacy Policy: https://www.ziffdavis.com/privacy Terms and Conditions: https://www.ziffdavis.com/legal

About

dot.LA

Stay informed about the Los Angeles tech and startup ecosystem. Access essential news, event updates, and in-depth analysis trusted by thousands of users.

Highlights
  • LA tech and startup news
  • Event updates
  • Deep dives and analysis
  • Trusted by 17,000+ users
  • Focus on the LA ecosystem
Features
Read full description

Join 17,000+ users who trust dot.LA to bring the most important news, events, and deep dives on the LA tech and startup scene.

Screenshots

Dwell Magazine4 screens
dot.LA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: dot.LA at 5.0 against Dwell Magazine's 4.3. dot.LA also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). Dwell Magazine's advantage is ratings volume (906 vs 5). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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. Dwell Magazine sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. dot.LA asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

dot.LA holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dwell Magazine has 906 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dwell Magazine ships an update every 3 months, dot.LA every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Dwell Magazine versus dot.LA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDwell Magazinedot.LA
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (906 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews13.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings906 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better13.4
Further details — not scored
Size87 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZiff DavisHouseVenture Inc.

Customer experience

Dwell Magazine

All ratings906 ratings
Positive81.3%
Neutral2.5%
Negative16.1%
Written reviews90 reviews
Positive13.3%
Neutral3.3%
Negative83.3%

dot.LA

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Dwell Magazine

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App fails to load new issues
  • Login credentials not recognized
  • Sync issues between devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • Seamless integration with print and web subscriptions
  • Offline reading mode
  • Improved search and content organization

dot.LA

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Dwell Magazine

Subscriptions2
  • Dwell Magazine$1.991 Month
  • Dwell Magazine$19.991 Year
One-time8
  • Dwell November$5.99
  • Dwell_DecJan14$5.99
  • Dwell September 2014$5.99
Show 5 more
  • December January 2015$6.99
  • Dwell March 2015$6.99
  • July August 2015$6.99
  • Single: Dec-Jan 2016$7.99
  • Single: April 2016$7.99
None

dot.LA

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dwell Magazine free?
Dwell Magazine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is dot.LA free?
dot.LA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Dwell Magazine or dot.LA?
dot.LA is rated higher. Dwell Magazine averages 4.3 out of 5 from 906 ratings, while dot.LA averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Dwell Magazine or dot.LA have ads?
Dwell Magazine shows ads; dot.LA does not.
Which is updated more often, Dwell Magazine or dot.LA?
Dwell Magazine ships an update every 3 months, and dot.LA every 2 months. Most recently, Dwell Magazine was updated on October 29, 2026 and dot.LA on October 24, 2026.

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