# MLI Plus vs Lightning（ライトニング）

The clearest difference is update cadence: MLI Plus at every 15 months against Lightning（ライトニング）'s every 44 months. Lightning（ライトニング）'s advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 11.2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MLI Plus sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 2 months and Lightning（ライトニング） sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

MLI Plus ships an update every 15 months, Lightning（ライトニング） every 44 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MLI Plus | Lightning（ライトニング） |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightning/id973769890/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **2** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 15 months** | Every 44 months |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 50 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 11.2 | **8.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Key Publishing](https://appshunter.io/developer/780595569) | [DENTSU INC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/326362308) |

## What reviewers say

### MLI Plus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mli-plus/id844177060)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MLI Plus Subscription | $7.99 | per 2 months |
| MLI Plus Subscription | $17.49 | per 6 months |
| MLI Plus Subscription | $29.99 | per year |
| Issue 207 (id:744204) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Issue 205 (id:740539) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Issue 204 (id:740981) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Issue 200 (id:739647) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Issue 185 (id:741496) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Issue 171 (id:740540) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Issue 219 (id:740541) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Issue 214 (id:741397) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Issue 178 (id:739650) | $4.99 | one-time |


### Lightning（ライトニング）

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightning/id973769890)

This lifestyle magazine app offers curated content on American culture, including fashion, cars, and hobbies. It provides a digital reading experience with subscription options and automatic downloads for new issues.

**Highlights:** American culture focus, Fashion and car content, Hobby and leisure features, Digital magazine format, Subscription options, Automatic download of new issues

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lightning（ライトニング） | $6.99 | per month |
| Lightning（ライトニング） | $19.99 | per 3 months |
| Lightning（ライトニング） | $39.99 | per 6 months |
| Lightning（ライトニング） 2015年5月号 Vol.253 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Lightning（ライトニング） 2015年7月号 Vol.255 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Lightning（ライトニング） 2016年3月号 Vol.263 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Lightning 2018年8月号 Vol.292 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Lightning 2018年9月号 Vol.293 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Lightning 2018年10月号 Vol.294 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Lightning 2018年11月号 Vol.295 | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MLI Plus free?

MLI Plus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Lightning（ライトニング） free?

Lightning（ライトニング） is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do MLI Plus or Lightning（ライトニング） have ads?

Neither MLI Plus nor Lightning（ライトニング） shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MLI Plus or Lightning（ライトニング）?

MLI Plus ships an update every 15 months, and Lightning（ライトニング） every 44 months. Most recently, MLI Plus was updated on September 25, 2026 and Lightning（ライトニング） on September 22, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*