Comparison

Funnel vs theSkimm

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Hourly news podcasts
  • Multiple news sources
  • Siri integration
  • Customizable news phrases
  • Listen anywhere
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Daily news summaries
  • In-depth articles
  • Podcasts
  • Personalized calendar integration
  • Curated recommendations
  • Career, health, and finance topics
Features
Read full description

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

Funnel3 screens
theSkimm4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Funnel versus theSkimm: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFunneltheSkimm
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (1.3K ratings)4.8 (13K ratings) — better
Positive reviews51.8% of reviews — better40.7% of reviews
Number of ratings1.3K13K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB33 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperG2 LLCtheSkimm

Customer experience

Funnel

All ratings1,286 ratings
Positive89.9%
Neutral4.9%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews114 reviews
Positive51.8%
Neutral13.2%
Negative35.1%

theSkimm

All ratings13,230 ratings
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.0%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews150 reviews
Positive40.7%
Neutral7.3%
Negative52.0%

User reviews

Funnel

From 1.3K App Store ratings

What 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 ratings

What 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

1 purchases

Funnel

One-time1
  • Pro Settings$1.99
2 purchases

theSkimm

Subscriptions2
  • theSkimm Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • theSkimm Yearly$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Funnel free?
Funnel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is theSkimm free?
theSkimm is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Funnel or theSkimm?
theSkimm is rated higher. Funnel averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while theSkimm averages 4.8 from 13K ratings.
Do Funnel or theSkimm have ads?
Neither Funnel nor theSkimm shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Funnel or theSkimm?
Funnel ships an update every 5 weeks, and theSkimm every 2 months. Most recently, Funnel was updated on October 24, 2026 and theSkimm on October 29, 2026.

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