Funnel vs theSkimm
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Funnel
Access hourly news podcasts from a wide range of reputable sources. Stay informed about global events with curated content, easily accessible from anywhere. Features Siri integration for hands-free listening.
- Hourly news podcasts
- Multiple news sources
- Siri integration
- Customizable news phrases
- Listen anywhere
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Previously featured by Apple, Time Magazine, Product Hunt and many more. "It’s like having a single radio station with a huge variety of content to keep you constantly in the know." - Time Magazine Hourly news podcasts from outlets like BBC, ABC, NPR, WSJ, CBC, VOA, Fox 5 etc. Funnel gives you a clear account of what's going on in the world from a multitude of sources. Just pick your favorite and listen from anywhere. With Siri integration, you can set up a custom phrase and listen to any of your news lighting quick. Legal _____________ Funnel provides you with access to publicly available podcasts. Funnel and G2 LLC are not endorsed by, affiliated with, or claim ownership of any news organizations or the content they provide displayed in the app. All rights are reserved by their respective owners.
theSkimm
Stay informed with daily news summaries, in-depth articles on career, health, and finance, and engaging podcasts. Discover personalized recommendations and integrate events into your calendar to live smarter.
- Daily news summaries
- In-depth articles
- Podcasts
- Personalized calendar integration
- Curated recommendations
- Career, health, and finance topics
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Meet: theSkimm app. We’ve got you covered on all the news and info you need to start your day. Think: news, podcasts, curated picks, and a personalized calendar to help you live your smartest life. Try the app for free. After that, pay less than a cup of coffee a month. Wake up with us. It all starts with the Daily Skimm – the morning newsletter that connects the dots on how the biggest stories affect your life. Dive deeper. We help you navigate the complicated topics around your career, health, and wallet. Listen in. Meet our podcasts: “Skimm This” explains the week’s biggest stories. “Skimm’d from the Couch” features advice from female leaders. Stay up-to-date. Our calendar integrates with yours so you never miss important moments, like awards shows, elections, and more. Discover more. We Skimm your shopping cart, streaming queue, and bookshelf. We'll help you discover things quicker, so you can spend your downtime smarter. ------- In-app purchase subscription required. All monthly subscriptions begin with a free trial, after which a recurring charge of $2.99 per month. All yearly subscriptions are charged $29.99 at the time of purchase, with a recurring charge billed annually. Details: - Subscription options: monthly subscription of $2.99 per month, or yearly subscription of $29.99 per year - 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 - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase - No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period - theSkimm's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use can be visited at http://theskimm.com/privacy - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: theSkimm at 13K against Funnel's 1.3K. Funnel's advantage is review sentiment (52% vs 41%). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. Funnel sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and theSkimm sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
theSkimm holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: theSkimm has 13K ratings behind it against 1.3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 52% of Funnel's written reviews are positive against 41% of theSkimm's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Funnel ships an update every 5 weeks, theSkimm every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Funnel | theSkimm |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (1.3K ratings) | 4.8 (13K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 51.8% of reviews — better | 40.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.3K | 13K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 33 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | G2 LLC | theSkimm |
Customer experience
Funnel
theSkimm
User reviews
Funnel
From 1.3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💻 Simple and efficient
- 🔊 Great for catching up on news
- 🕰️ Convenient hourly updates
- 🗣️ Variety of news sources
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🔌 Issues with background playback
- 🔊 Volume discrepancies between sources
- 🔍 Limited customization options
theSkimm
From 13K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📰 Concise and informative news
- 🗓️ Helpful calendar integration
- 🎧 Useful audio content
- 👍 Easy to stay informed
- 🤗 Entertaining and engaging
Room to improve
- 🤑 Paid subscription required
- 🗣️ Perceived political bias
- 🔗 Accidental link clicks while scrolling
- 🚫 Limited content for non-US users
Bugs and requests
Funnel
Reported bugs
3 issues- BBC news not working
- App crashing when screen goes to sleep
- Auto-play feature not functioning properly
Requested features
5 requests- Add more news sources, especially international and local
- Implement skip forward/backward functionality
- Provide an iPad-optimized version
- Allow users to reorder news sources
- Integrate with CarPlay and other platforms
theSkimm
Reported bugs
2 issues- App crashes and freezes
- Issues with 'Do Not Sell My Information' feature
Requested features
4 requests- Offline content access
- More international news coverage
- Customizable news preferences
- Ability to remove ads for paid subscribers
In-app purchases
Funnel
- Pro Settings$1.99
theSkimm
- theSkimm Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- theSkimm Yearly$29.991 Year









