# Utne Reader vs Daily Beast

Utne Reader and Daily Beast both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 32% of Daily Beast's written reviews are positive against 0% of Utne Reader's. Daily Beast also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (7.7K vs 16). Utne Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.4). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Utne Reader sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per 6 months and Daily Beast sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Utne Reader against 4.8 for Daily Beast. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Daily Beast has 7.7K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 0% of Utne Reader's written reviews are positive against 32% of Daily Beast's.

Utne Reader ships an update every 3 months, Daily Beast fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Utne Reader | Daily Beast |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/utne-reader/id735180387/reviews)** | [4.8 (7.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/daily-beast/id898117224/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 16 | **7.7K** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **32.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#83** |
| Size | 48 MB | 93 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Ogden Publications, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/450808661) | [The Daily Beast Company LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/359917657) |

## What reviewers say

### Utne Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/utne-reader/id735180387)

This app curates essential stories from independent voices, focusing on environmental issues, marginalized communities, and political events. It also highlights the impact of art, philosophy, and spirituality.

**Highlights:** Independent voices, Cultural zeitgeist focus, Environmental crisis coverage, Marginalized communities spotlight, Political strife analysis, Art, philosophy, spirituality appreciation

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Utne Reader - The best of the alternative press | $17.99 | per 6 months |
| Utne Reader - The best of the alternative press | $35.99 | per year |
| November/December 2013 | $6.99 | one-time |
| March/April 2014 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Winter 2014 | $6.99 | one-time |
| September 2016 Digital | $6.99 | one-time |
| Utne Reader Feed 2 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Utne Reader Feed 3 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Winter 2016 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Winter 2017 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Summer 2018 | $9.99 | one-time |


### Daily Beast

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/daily-beast/id898117224)

**Currently charting:** #83 Top Grossing · News, #145 Top Free · News (US App Store)

Access award-winning original reporting and sharp opinion on politics, pop-culture, and world news. Enjoy top stories updated on demand and available for offline reading, plus a smart news summary.

**Highlights:** Award-winning original reporting, Sharp opinion pieces, Politics and pop-culture coverage, World news updates, Offline reading, The Cheat Sheet™ news summary

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MONTHLY | $4.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| MONTHLY | $5.99 | per month |
| The Daily Beast | $5.99 | per month |
| Annual | $34.99 | per year |
| ANNUAL | $49.99 | per year |
| Annual | $49.99 | per year |
| The Daily Beast | $59.99 | per year |
| The Daily Beast | $119.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and up-to-date reporting
- 👍 Concise and easy-to-understand articles
- 💡 Unique and insightful perspectives
- 🚀 Convenient and accessible app
- 👍 Informative and entertaining content

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and glitches
- 💰 Excessive ads even for paid subscribers
- 🔒 Difficult login and account management
- 🔍 Lack of search functionality
- 📚 Fewer articles than the website version

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on launch or during use
- Frequent log-out issues for subscribers
- Inability to refresh content or load new articles
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
- Inconsistent performance across different devices

**Requested features**

- Add a search feature to find articles easily
- Improve login and account management experience
- Introduce a dark mode option for better readability
- Provide more customization options for users
- Sync content between app and website seamlessly


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Utne Reader free?

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

### Is Daily Beast free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Utne Reader or Daily Beast?

Utne Reader is rated higher. Utne Reader averages 4.9 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Daily Beast averages 4.8 from 7.7K ratings.

### Do Utne Reader or Daily Beast have ads?

Both Utne Reader and Daily Beast show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Utne Reader or Daily Beast?

Utne Reader ships an update every 3 months, and Daily Beast fortnightly. Most recently, Utne Reader was updated on October 9, 2026 and Daily Beast on October 17, 2026.

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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.*