Comparison

FastBack vs NewsPal

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

Head to head
About

FastBack

This browser offers a unique "back" function that instantly displays the previous page without reloading. It's designed for a smoother news browsing experience, allowing users to navigate between articles and main pages seamlessly.

Highlights
  • Instant page recall on back
  • No reloads when navigating back
  • Smooth news browsing experience
  • Remembers frequently visited sites
Features
Read full description

"FastBack - the browser that doesn't reload when you go back." The name says it all. Amazingly, this is in contrast to all other iOS browsers. - When tapping "back", the previous page displays instantly. It does NOT reload, scroll, jump, redraw or update in any annoying way (as every other browser does), making the back step fast. - This is great for browsing news sites: You scroll down a long main page, tap a link, read, tap back, tap another link, tap back etc – and everything is just smooth. News browsing the way it was meant to be. - There are almost NO other features. OK, your frequently visited sites are remembered but that's it. Less is more. - I wrote this app so I could browse my morning news sites without going crazy. Enjoy!

About

NewsPal

Save your favorite websites to read later without an internet connection. Automatically download fresh content while you sleep, with AI-powered updates. Enjoy an ad-free experience and keep your data private.

Highlights
  • Offline website reading
  • Scheduled content downloads
  • AI-powered auto-updates
  • Ad and tracker removal
  • Privacy-focused, no login required
  • Expandable download limits via subscription
Features
Read full description

THE PLACE FOR UNINTERRUPTIBLE READING EXPERIENCE. Are you sick and tired of being forced to play games when you're stuck on the subway? So were we, so we built NewsPal - an app which saves your favorite websites and let you read them later, without any Internet connection. NewsPal downloads every single layer of a website, allowing you to navigate and access your content from anywhere, even in your underground bunker. SET IT AND FORGET IT! NewsPal provides the ability to set download schedulers. This means that you can set NewsPal to automatically grab the latest version of your favorite websites while you sleep and every day you have a fresh copy ready to go for the morning commute. We use an AI-powered autoupdate feature, which will learn your usage pattern, and will adjust your content refresh time respectively. NO ADS, YOUR DATA IS YOURS! Enjoy Ad-Free reading - NewsPal automatically attempts to remove the advertisements and trackers of any website it downloads. You do not need to login to NewsPal: we do not collect your personal information, preferences and interests, and will never sell your data. NEWSPAL PREMIUM You can buy a NewsPal Premium subscription to expand beyond the free-tier 200 MB download limit. NewsPal Premium subscription price starts at $0.99 USD/month or $7.99 USD/year. Prices are in US dollars, may vary in countries other than the US and are subject to change without notice. If you choose to purchase NewsPal Premium, payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Auto-renewal may be turned off at any time by going to your settings in the iTunes Store after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchases a subscription. Privacy policy: https://www.forestudio.ca/newspal/policy.html Terms & Conditions: https://www.forestudio.ca/newspal/terms.html

Screenshots

FastBack2 screens
NewsPal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: NewsPal at 75% against FastBack's 0%. NewsPal also leads on rating (4.0 vs 3.0) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 16 months). FastBack's advantage is monetization model (free vs freemium). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. FastBack sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and NewsPal sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NewsPal holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NewsPal has 24 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of FastBack's written reviews are positive against 75% of NewsPal's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FastBack ships an update every 16 months, NewsPal every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 22, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
FastBack versus NewsPal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFastBackNewsPal
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings)4.0 (24 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings224 — better
Update frequencyEvery 16 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB14 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperStudio MeeFORE STUDIO LTD.

Customer experience

FastBack

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

NewsPal

All ratings24 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral4.2%
Negative20.8%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative12.5%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

FastBack

One-time1
  • Unlock$1.99
6 purchases

NewsPal

Subscriptions6
  • Bronze - Up to 500 MB$0.991 Month
  • Gold - Up To 2 GB$1.991 Month
  • Platinum - Up to 10 GB$3.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Bronze - Up to 500 MB$7.991 Year
  • Gold - Up to 2 GB$15.991 Year
  • Platinum - Up to 10 GB$29.991 Year

Questions

Is FastBack free?
FastBack is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NewsPal free?
NewsPal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FastBack or NewsPal?
NewsPal is rated higher. FastBack averages 3.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while NewsPal averages 4.0 from 24 ratings.
Do FastBack or NewsPal have ads?
Neither FastBack nor NewsPal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FastBack or NewsPal?
FastBack ships an update every 16 months, and NewsPal every 2 months. Most recently, FastBack was updated on August 22, 2026 and NewsPal on September 7, 2026.

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