Comparison

AFAR Magazine vs Tablet Hotels

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

Head to head
About

AFAR Magazine

This app offers inspiring travel stories with beautiful photography and fresh design, focusing on connecting with people and understanding cultures. It provides in-depth travel narratives to guide and motivate global explorers.

Highlights
  • Inspiring travel stories
  • Beautiful photography
  • Cultural insights
  • Fresh design
  • Global exploration guidance
Features
Read full description

AFAR is a different kind of travel magazine that guides and inspires those who travel the world seeking to connect with its people, experience their cultures, and understand their perspectives. Every issue delivers intriguing travel stories told with beautiful photos and a fresh design. The terms of the subscription are 1 month and 1 year and your subscription will start with the latest available issue. Purchase Options: 1 issue available for USD $6.99* 1 month subscription USD $1.99*, automatically renewed until cancelled. 1 year subscription USD $19.99*, automatically renewed until cancelled. *For non-US app stores, the equivalent currency charges will apply. AFAR is published 6 times a year Note: This digital edition does not include the cover mount items or supplemental you would find with printed copies. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. You will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period, for the same duration and at the current subscription rate for that product. You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal by going to your 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 you purchase a subscription. We will be collecting information about your use of the app both when you are online and offline. To find out more please see our privacy policy. By purchasing a subscription or downloading an app you agree that your have read and accepted AFAR Media’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. http://about.afar.com/about/guidelines-and-terms/privacy-policy/ http://about.afar.com/about/guidelines-and-terms/terms-of-service/

About

Tablet Hotels

Discover and book unique boutique and luxury hotels worldwide. This app offers a curated selection of stylish accommodations with exceptional service and personality. Enjoy exclusive discounts and personalized assistance from travel experts.

Highlights
  • Curated hotel selection
  • Book best rates
  • Insider Sale discounts
  • Verified guest reviews
  • Concierge-grade customer service
  • Tablet Plus VIP upgrades
Features
Read full description

Tablet Hotels — The original curated hotel selection. Tablet is your source for booking the world’s most exciting hotels — places where you’ll find a memorable experience, not just a room for the night. Along with a hand-picked selection of unforgettable hotels. It’s all the places you want to go, all in one place. For over twenty years the travel experts at Tablet have scoured the earth to find hotels that stand out for their extraordinary style, service, and personality. We don’t have every hotel — we have every hotel that matters. From hip indie boutiques to grand old palaces, the Tablet app allows you to seamlessly book their best rates, including Tablet’s private Insider Sale discounts. To help ensure that our selection stays fresh and vital, reviews from verified Tablet guests are used to create the Tablet Score, a running tabulation of what you think about a hotel. And what you think matters — if a hotel's scores are less-than-stellar, we’ll remove them. App users receive concierge-grade customer service from Tablet’s Travel Specialists, who are available to assist with every step of your journey. There’s no cost to use the app and no membership is required. Sign up for a free 30-day trial of Tablet Plus and you’ll receive VIP upgrades and amenities at hundreds of participating hotels. See new places. Eat amazing meals. Take the Tablet Hotels app wherever you go. Download today.

Screenshots

AFAR Magazine4 screens
Tablet Hotels4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Tablet Hotels at 55% against AFAR Magazine's 5%. Tablet Hotels also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). AFAR Magazine's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and monetization model 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. AFAR Magazine sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Tablet Hotels asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tablet Hotels holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tablet Hotels has 4.3K ratings behind it against 42, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 5% of AFAR Magazine's written reviews are positive against 55% of Tablet Hotels's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AFAR Magazine ships an update every 7 months, Tablet Hotels monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
AFAR Magazine versus Tablet Hotels: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAFAR MagazineTablet Hotels
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (42 ratings)4.9 (4.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews4.8% of reviews54.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings424.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB138 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperAFAR MediaTablet Inc

Customer experience

AFAR Magazine

All ratings42 ratings
Positive54.8%
Neutral7.1%
Negative38.1%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive4.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative95.2%

Tablet Hotels

All ratings4,260 ratings
Positive98.2%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive54.8%
Neutral3.2%
Negative41.9%

Bugs and requests

AFAR Magazine

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Tablet Hotels

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Search functionality not working properly
  • Frequent app crashes and errors
  • Tablet Plus benefits not applying correctly
  • Compatibility issues with older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • More hotel variety and locations
  • Improved search and filtering options
  • Ability to check availability without booking
  • Notification system for bookings
  • iPad-specific app version

In-app purchases

10 purchases

AFAR Magazine

Subscriptions2
  • AFAR Magazine Monthly1 Month trial$1.991 Month
  • AFAR Magazine1 Month trial$19.991 Year
One-time8
  • AFAR Magazine Jan/Feb 2015$6.99
  • March/April 2015$6.99
  • May 2015$6.99
Show 5 more
  • June/July 2015$6.99
  • August/September 2015$6.99
  • AFAR Magazine Nov/Dec 2015 Issue$6.99
  • January/February 2016$6.99
  • March/April 2016$6.99
None

Tablet Hotels

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AFAR Magazine free?
AFAR Magazine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tablet Hotels free?
Tablet Hotels is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, AFAR Magazine or Tablet Hotels?
Tablet Hotels is rated higher. AFAR Magazine averages 3.3 out of 5 from 42 ratings, while Tablet Hotels averages 4.9 from 4.3K ratings.
Do AFAR Magazine or Tablet Hotels have ads?
Neither AFAR Magazine nor Tablet Hotels shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AFAR Magazine or Tablet Hotels?
AFAR Magazine ships an update every 7 months, and Tablet Hotels monthly. Most recently, AFAR Magazine was updated on November 6, 2026 and Tablet Hotels on November 11, 2026.

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