# Muscular Development vs Essence Magazine

The clearest difference is monetization model: Essence Magazine at free with in-app purchases against Muscular Development's subscription. Essence Magazine also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (980 vs 24). Muscular Development's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 14.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Muscular Development sells 27 in-app purchases, starting at $6.49 per month and Essence Magazine sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Essence Magazine holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Essence Magazine has 980 ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of Muscular Development's written reviews are positive against 29% of Essence Magazine's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Muscular Development ships an update every 3 months, Essence Magazine every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Muscular Development | Essence Magazine |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/muscular-development/id859924939/reviews) | **[4.5 (980 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essence-magazine/id1428985622/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 24 | **980** |
| Positive reviews | **33.3% of reviews** | 29.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 40 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Magzter Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/406791755) | [Essence Communications Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1428985618) |

## What reviewers say

### Muscular Development

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/muscular-development/id859924939)

This app delivers in-depth content on professional bodybuilding, featuring insights from top athletes and experts. It offers cutting-edge research and practical advice on muscle building, fat loss, fitness, and performance enhancement.

**Highlights:** Expert insights from champions and insiders, Cutting-edge research on muscle and fat loss, Fitness and performance enhancement advice, Reality-based editorial direction, Subscription options available

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

**In-app purchases (27)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Muscular Development One Month | $6.49 | per month |
| Muscular Development 30 | $6.99 | per year |
| 1 Year Digital Subscription | $13.99 | per year |
| Muscular Development May 2014 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development November 2014 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development January 2015 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development February 2015 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development May 2015 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development June 2015 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development December 2015 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development January 2016 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development June 2016 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development July 2021 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development July 2023 | $6.99 | one-time |
| November 2023 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development April 2015 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development July 2014 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development August 2014 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development Jun 2021 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development January 2014 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development June 2014 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development October 2014 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development May 2023 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development May 2022 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Muscular Development April 2014 | $6.99 | one-time |
| August 2023 | $6.99 | one-time |


### Essence Magazine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essence-magazine/id1428985622)

Access the latest digital issues of a leading lifestyle, fashion, and beauty magazine for African-American women. Enjoy offline reading of all content from the print edition, conveniently on your mobile device.

**Highlights:** Digital magazine issues, Print edition content, Offline reading, Subscription plans, Single issue purchase

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Essence Magazine 1 month | $1.99 | per month |
| Essence 1 year Subscription | $17.99 | per year |
| Essence Magazine Sep 2018 | $4.99 | one-time |
| December 2018 | $4.99 | one-time |
| February 2019 | $4.99 | one-time |
| April 2019 | $4.99 | one-time |
| May 2019 | $4.99 | one-time |
| July-August 2019 | $4.99 | one-time |
| October 2019 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Mar 2020 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Essence Magazine | $4.99 | one-time |
| Nov 2020 | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💖 Love Essence magazine
- 💻 Love having the magazine on my phone
- 🗓️ Insightful articles, beautiful black people

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App doesn't work, unable to download/access issues
- 🤯 Frustrating app experience, many issues reported
- 🔍 Can't sign in or access subscription content
- 💰 Charged for subscription but can't read new issues

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes, freezes, or is incompatible
- Issues with downloading and accessing content
- Subscription and login problems

**Requested features**

- Restore previous purchases and access to old issues
- Improve login and subscription management
- Ensure timely availability of new issues


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Muscular Development free?

Muscular Development is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Essence Magazine free?

Essence Magazine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Muscular Development or Essence Magazine?

Essence Magazine is rated higher. Muscular Development averages 4.0 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while Essence Magazine averages 4.5 from 980 ratings.

### Do Muscular Development or Essence Magazine have ads?

Neither Muscular Development nor Essence Magazine shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Muscular Development or Essence Magazine?

Muscular Development ships an update every 3 months, and Essence Magazine every 2 months. Most recently, Muscular Development was updated on November 1, 2026 and Essence Magazine on November 2, 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.*