# News Widget vs ReadBox

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ReadBox at 100% against News Widget's 18%. ReadBox also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 9 months). News Widget's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

News Widget ships an update every 9 months, ReadBox every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | News Widget | ReadBox |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.6 (36 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/news-widget-offline-reader/id886110749/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **36** | — |
| Positive reviews | 17.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 16 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [BRIDGETECH SOLUTIONS LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/497840921) | [Timofey Yudin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1723226424) |

## What reviewers say

### News Widget

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/news-widget-offline-reader/id886110749)

Access news from hundreds of sources directly on your home screen, even offline. This app intelligently downloads the latest headlines and can read them aloud to you using text-to-speech technology.

**Highlights:** Home screen widget, Offline access, Hundreds of news sources, Custom RSS/Atom feeds, Text-to-speech functionality, Smart news downloading

**Features:** iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases:** none


### ReadBox

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readbox-articles-and-stories/id6745975985)

A minimalist platform for reading and publishing articles and stories. Offers tools for authors to create and promote content, and for readers to discover new posts and save favorites for offline access. Supports Russian and English languages.

**Highlights:** Content publishing with Markdown support, Follow authors and topics, Save articles for offline reading, Minimalist black-and-white interface, Analytics for authors, Adjustable text size

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is News Widget free?

News Widget is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ReadBox free?

ReadBox is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do News Widget or ReadBox have ads?

Neither News Widget nor ReadBox shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, News Widget or ReadBox?

News Widget ships an update every 9 months, and ReadBox every 2 weeks. Most recently, News Widget was updated on November 11, 2026 and ReadBox on November 8, 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.*