Comparison

SPH Mag vs Lion's Roar

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

Head to head
About

SPH Mag

Access a wide selection of popular Asian magazines covering fashion, lifestyle, and business. Subscribe to your favorite titles for digital delivery and manage your subscriptions easily.

Highlights
  • Access to popular Asian magazines
  • Fashion, lifestyle, and business titles
  • Magazine subscriptions available
  • Automatic renewal options
  • Subscription management via account settings
Features
Read full description

The SPH Magazines App features popular titles from the Asian region including flagship titles such as Her World Singapore, Nuyou Singapore,Home & Decor Singapore, HWM Singapore,The Peak Singapore, ICON Singapore amongst others; each a leader in their respective categories. Magazine Subscriptions are available for purchase inside this app. One year subscription (automatically renewed until cancelled) 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. If you have any questions or feedback on the new The SPH Magazines App, do email us at magazines@sph.com.sg. Privacy Policy .  :  http://www.magzter.com/ns/privacy-policy.html Terms & Conditions : http://www.magzter.com/ns/terms_condition.html

About

Lion's Roar

Access Buddhist teachings and insights on modern life through a digital magazine. Explore practical wisdom, philosophy, and meditation techniques from renowned teachers and writers. Enjoy enhanced readability and social sharing features.

Highlights
  • Digital magazine edition
  • Easy-to-read design
  • Social sharing functionality
  • Integrated website content
  • Buddhist teachings
  • Practical life insights
Features
Read full description

The Lion's Roar digital edition delivers all the same great content from the print edition, now enhanced with an easy-to-read design, social sharing functionality, and integrated with must-reads from the website. Today’s most widely-read Buddhist magazine, Lion's Roar offers accessible, practical, and profound teachings from across the Buddhist spectrum. Lion's Roar applies Buddhist insight, philosophy, and meditation techniques to all the important issues in life today—from livelihood, parenting, and relationships to politics, social action, and the arts. In the pages of Lion's Roar, ancient wisdom shares the stage with some of today’s finest writers, thinkers, and teachers, including Pema Chödrön, Thich Nhat Hanh, the Dalai Lama, Sylvia Boorstein, bell hooks, Pico Iyer, Diane Ackerman, George Saunders, Charles Johnson—and many others. Lion's Roar Pricing: • Subscription 6 Month - USD 12.99* • Subscription 1 Year - USD 24.99* * For non-US app stores, the equivalent currency charges will apply. Please note: App subscriptions do not include access to subscription-only content on our website. Additional Subscription Information: • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. • 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. Privacy Policy - https://bit.ly/2J5Ujfh Terms of Use - https://bit.ly/2J1YZqL • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable.

Screenshots

SPH Mag4 screens
Lion's Roar4 screens

Verdict

The call

SPH Mag and Lion's Roar both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 51% of Lion's Roar's written reviews are positive against 0% of SPH Mag's. Lion's Roar also leads on ratings volume (1.6K vs 1). SPH Mag's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. SPH Mag sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per year and Lion's Roar sells 19 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per 6 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for SPH Mag against 4.9 for Lion's Roar. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lion's Roar has 1.6K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 0% of SPH Mag's written reviews are positive against 51% of Lion's Roar's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SPH Mag ships an update every 3 weeks, Lion's Roar every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
SPH Mag versus Lion's Roar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSPH MagLion's Roar
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.9 (1.6K ratings)
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews51.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings11.6K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size77 MB63 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMagzter Inc.Lion's Roar Foundation

Customer experience

SPH Mag

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral6.3%
Negative93.8%

Lion's Roar

All ratings1,627 ratings
Positive97.6%
Neutral0.7%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews39 reviews
Positive51.3%
Neutral10.3%
Negative38.5%

Bugs and requests

SPH Mag

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Lion's Roar

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App not functioning or loading content
  • Subscription issues and inability to access past issues
  • Login problems and app crashes

Requested features

3 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Highlighting and dictionary features
  • Improved accessibility for visually impaired users

In-app purchases

10 purchases

SPH Mag

Subscriptions5
  • World Of Watches Indonesia$8.991 Year
  • GlobeAsia 1 Year$21.991 Year
  • Majalah Investor 1 Year$33.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • Investor Daily 1 Year$69.991 Year
  • The Peak Indonesia 1 Year$199.991 Year
One-time5
  • Digital Magazine Issue$0.99
  • Digital Magazine Issue$1.99
  • Digital Magazine Issue$2.99
Show 2 more
  • Digital Magazine Issue$3.99
  • Digital Magazine Issue$5.99
19 purchases

Lion's Roar

Subscriptions2
  • 6 Months Subscription$12.996 Months
  • Lion's Roar magazine1 Month trial$24.991 Year
One-time17
  • November 2015$7.99
  • January 2016$7.99
  • March 2016$7.99
Show 14 more
  • May 2016$7.99
  • July 2016$7.99
  • September 2016$7.99
  • November 2016$7.99
  • January 2017$7.99
  • Lion's Roar Feed 72$7.99
  • Lion's Roar Feed 67$7.99
  • Lion's Roar Feed 70$7.99
  • Lion's Roar Feed 71$7.99
  • Lion's Roar Feed 65$7.99
  • Lion's Roar Feed 63$7.99
  • Lion's Roar Feed 64$7.99
  • Lion's Roar Feed 62$7.99
  • Lion's Roar Feed 60$7.99

Questions

Is SPH Mag free?
SPH Mag is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lion's Roar free?
Lion's Roar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SPH Mag or Lion's Roar?
SPH Mag is rated higher. SPH Mag averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Lion's Roar averages 4.9 from 1.6K ratings.
Do SPH Mag or Lion's Roar have ads?
Lion's Roar shows ads; SPH Mag does not.
Which is updated more often, SPH Mag or Lion's Roar?
SPH Mag ships an update every 3 weeks, and Lion's Roar every 6 months. Most recently, SPH Mag was updated on October 18, 2026 and Lion's Roar on October 24, 2026.

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