Make vs Circuit Cellar
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Make
Access a digital version of a popular magazine for DIY enthusiasts, hackers, and tinkerers. Explore full project tutorials, skill builders, maker profiles, and inspiration for electronics, 3D fabrication, woodworking, and more.
- Full project tutorials
- Skill builders
- Maker profiles and interviews
- Detailed photos and diagrams
- Project inspiration
- Electronics, robots, 3D fabrication, woodworking
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Make: is the premiere magazine for makers who are DIY enthusiasts, hackers, and tinkerers. The Make: app is the digital magazine format of Make: magazine that you can take on the go, and enjoy on any smart device. It has everything you’ll find in the magazine’s pages and more. In each digital issue you’ll find: • Full project tutorials and skill builders, ranging from electronics and robots to 3D fabrication and woodworking • Maker profiles and interviews • Detailed photos and diagrams to help your builds • Project inspiration • And more! Make: magazine is published by Make: Community, a growing, global association of makers who are shaping the future of education and democratizing innovation. Through Make: magazine, 200+ annual Maker Faires, Make: books, and more, editors share the know-how of makers and promote the practice of making in schools, libraries, homes, and businesses. Subscriptions will auto-renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the current subscription ends. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active subscription period. You can turn off the auto-renewal any time within your iTunes account settings. Make: magazine is available under the following terms: A single issue for $8.75 (non-subscription). One-year subscription (four issues) for $25.00, automatically renewed until canceled. Payment for all purchases will be charged to your iTunes account at the confirmation of your purchase. Your digital subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your iTunes account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period for the digital subscription price, which is $25.00 per year or $8.75 quarterly. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication. Privacy policy and Terms of Use: https://make.co/terms-and-privacy-policy/#privacy-policy Support: http://makezine.com/ipadhelp/
Circuit Cellar
Access in-depth engineering tutorials, microcontroller projects, and industry news for electrical engineers and electronics enthusiasts. Explore topics like embedded development, signal processing, and IoT. Subscriptions are available within the app.
- Engineering tutorials
- Microcontroller projects
- Embedded systems news
- Signal processing articles
- IoT project guides
- Robotics content
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Circuit Cellar magazine features engineering tutorials, detailed microcontroller-based projects, and embedded systems industry news for professional electrical engineers, EE/ECE academics, and highly skilled electronics enthusiasts. Since 1988, Circuit Cellar has featured projects and tutorials from the world's top engineers on subjects such as embedded development (e.g., prototyping and programming), signal processing (e.g., DSP chips and signal conditioning), programmable logic (e.g., FPGA projects), sensor systems (e.g., smart sensors and MEMS), 'Net-connected devices (e.g., IoT projects and protocol stacks), robotics (e.g., robotic systems and proximity sensing), and much more. Circuit Cellar is the ultimate resource for all of your electrical engineering-related needs. Magazine Subscriptions are available for purchase inside this app. Three months subscription - $24.99 (automatically renewed until canceled) Six months subscription - $39.99 (automatically renewed until canceled) One year subscription - $34.99 (automatically renewed until canceled) Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Your iTunes account will automatically be charged at the same price for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period unless you change your subscription preferences in your account settings. You can manage your subscriptions through your account settings after purchase on your device. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Please visit http://www.magzter.com/ns/privacy-policy.html for our Privacy Policy and http://www.magzter.com/ns/terms_condition.html for our Terms & Conditions
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Make at 2.0 against Circuit Cellar's 1.5. Make also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and review sentiment (17% vs 0%). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Make sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 3 months and Circuit Cellar sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $23.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Make holds the better App Store score, 2.0 against 1.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Make has 25 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of Make's written reviews are positive against 0% of Circuit Cellar's.
Make ships an update every 15 months, Circuit Cellar every 16 months. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Make | Circuit Cellar |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.0 (25 ratings) — better | 1.5 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 16.8% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 25 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 15 months — better | Every 16 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.2 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 97 MB | 33 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Make Community, LLC | Magzter Inc. |
Customer experience
Make
Circuit Cellar
Bugs and requests
Make
Reported bugs
14 issues- App crashes on launch or during use
- Login credentials not accepted despite working on website
- Subscription not recognized after purchase
- Issues fail to download or only show preview pages
- App hangs during verification process
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Purchased content disappears from library
- Login field clips last digit of account number
- App incompatible with iOS updates
- Restore Purchases function missing or non-functional
- Latest issues not appearing in app despite availability online
- Pages fail to load with infinite download loops
- Authentication failures on specific devices
- App won't recognize iTunes purchases
- Subscription renewal not processed despite Apple charging account
Requested features
10 requests- Integration with native iOS Newsstand app
- PDF download option from website
- Restore Purchases button in app
- Help and contact support within app
- Better navigation between issues
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Offline reading without required downloads
- Unsubscribe option in app
- Better iPad Pro optimization
- Password reset functionality
- Account number display on app or subscription materials
Circuit Cellar
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Make
- Make: Subscriptions_300_90$7.993 Months
- Make: Subscriptions$25.991 Year
- Make: Ultimate Kit Guide$5.99
- Ultimate Guide to 3D Printing 2014$6.99
- Make: 36$7.99
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Make: 37$7.99
- Make 38$7.99
- Make 42: 3D Evolution$7.99
- Make 44: Drone Racing$7.99
- Make 49: Super Cheap Computers$7.99
Circuit Cellar
- Circuit Cellar 30$23.991 Year
- Circuit Cellar 1 Year$34.991 Year
- Circuit Cellar - December 2016$8.99
- Circuit Cellar - November 2016$8.99
- Circuit Cellar - January 2017$8.99
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Circuit Cellar - July 2017$8.99
- December 2017$8.99
- July 2018$8.99
- March 2018$8.99
- Circuit Cellar November 2018$8.99
Questions
Is Make free?
Is Circuit Cellar free?
Which has better reviews, Make or Circuit Cellar?
Do Make or Circuit Cellar have ads?
Which is updated more often, Make or Circuit Cellar?
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