Comparison

Stella* vs Peapod

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

Head to head
About

Stella*

This app is a user-oriented information gathering tool that optimizes web content for easy reading on any device. It offers customizable appearance, intuitive navigation, and offline reading capabilities, allowing users to control their information sources without relying on external services.

Highlights
  • Optimized web content rendering
  • Customizable font sizes and themes
  • Intuitive and animated UI
  • Offline article storage
  • Extensible information sources
  • One-handed operation support
Features
Read full description

Stella News Reader is a new generation information-gathering tool that is designed to be completely "User-Oriented". Often the information you get from the web can get easily lost in annoying noise, with the character size lacking consistency from site to site and it being difficult to identify important sections, so finding what is truly necessary can be a struggle. This app is equipped with a powerful embedded optimize engine, and publicly published html contents are automatically converted to the display most appropriate for each device, to make, as it were, one unified application UI. Freed from the need to load unnecessary elements, the app operates at high speeds and as the user can freely change the outer appearance and choose the format that the user feels easiest for them to read, the focus can be purely on the content. Users completely take the initiative in relation to the information with unlimited sources of information and the user can expand the source by adding feeds in the same way as with normal readers. Moreover, the UI has been designed carefully in order to enable optimization of screen sizes and rotations for each device, and through extensive use of animation, operation is highly intuitive. Stella is a completely stand alone reader, and can be used without reliance on external services or accounts. You can use the app without divulging your personal information, receiving junk mails or being faced with the possibility of the providers stopping the service. Key Features: - iPhone 6/6 Plus & iOS 8 are fully supported. - All webpages are concurrently parsed by the app's machine learning engine and, rendered as in human-readable appearance form. - Font sizes and themes are customizable for easy reading. You can also select the same appearance as Safari. - Intuitive & animated UI. You can always keep one-handed operation even on landscape mode of iPhone 6 Plus. - No setup is required. In its initial state, the app shows news that is buzzed on major social media. - Sources are extensible as in the manner you like. The app can also be used as an ordinary RSS reader. - Article storing functionality gives you the ability for offline reading. If original pages are deleted from the net, you can keep them forever. - Folders to classify for later reading. Future Updates: We'll work on diversification of available sources and improvements of the app's in-depth customizability, etc.

About

Peapod

A podcast player designed for simplicity and reliability, focusing on your subscribed content. It offers a clean interface and automatic queue updates, with optional premium features for enhanced listening.

Highlights
  • Streamlined library
  • Smart queue updates
  • Clean interface
  • Listening statistics
  • Customization options
  • Custom playback speeds
Read full description

Peapod is a tiny podcast app with no algorithms, no social graph, and no features powered by AI. - New episodes are automatically added to the queue - All data is automatically synced across devices using the same Apple ID - Built for iOS and macOS, with CarPlay For a small fee you can unlock some extras - Listening activity - Custom app icons Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Stella*4 screens
Peapod4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Peapod at 5.0 against Stella*'s 3.5. Peapod also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 64%) and update cadence (every 11 days vs every 5 weeks). Stella*'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (18 vs 2). On price, ads 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. Peapod sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Stella* asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Peapod holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stella* has 18 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Stella*'s written reviews are positive against 100% of Peapod's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Stella* ships an update every 5 weeks, Peapod every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on August 31, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Stella* versus Peapod: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStella*Peapod
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (18 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings18 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, Mac
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB47 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperOwletLabs LLCBrady Valentino

Customer experience

Stella*

All ratings18 ratings
Positive55.6%
Neutral22.2%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews64 reviews
Positive64.1%
Neutral17.2%
Negative18.8%

Peapod

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Stella*

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Peapod

Subscriptions1
  • Peapod+ Monthly$2.991 Month
One-time1
  • Peapod+ Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is Stella* free?
Stella* is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Peapod free?
Peapod is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Stella* or Peapod?
Peapod is rated higher. Stella* averages 3.5 out of 5 from 18 ratings, while Peapod averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Stella* or Peapod have ads?
Neither Stella* nor Peapod shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Stella* or Peapod?
Stella* ships an update every 5 weeks, and Peapod every 11 days. Most recently, Stella* was updated on August 31, 2026 and Peapod on September 19, 2026.

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