The Economist is a news and analysis app providing global reporting, podcasts, and video for professional readers on iOS and Android.
Product velocity
Intense
Daily rank 🇺🇸
#80
News · free
Sentiment
4.9
262k reviews
Nemesis
WSJ: Exclusive News & Insights
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
Users hire the app for curated, fact-checked intelligence that cuts through the noise of daily headlines, serving the need for high-level decision-making context.
For Professionals and globally-minded readers seeking in-depth analysis and fact-checked reporting on politics, business, and technology.
Key features
Premium video series featuring senior editors explaining current events and future implications
Interactive puzzles including mini crosswords and history quizzes
Customizable playlist creation for narrated articles and podcasts
How much does it cost?
Subscription-only model anchored by a 50% discount offer on annual billing to drive conversion.
Velocity
Intense developmentShow more...
5 versions in history. Development pace: intense.
Who built it?
User Sentiment
What do users think recently?
Fresh user feedback skews thrilled. Users appreciate high quality of editorial analysis, but report pricing flexibility.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
What users say, by theme
- High quality of editorial analysis
- Pricing flexibility
Unlock 1 user request, each backed by review evidence.
Access the full report for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for The Economist - News, Podcasts
How's the News market?
The Economist maintains a top-20 grossing position in the News category across major global markets, signaling high monetisation efficiency. The gap between its free-chart rank and grossing rank confirms the subscription-first strategy effectively filters for high-intent, high-LTV users.
Read the market outlookThe rivals identified
By Dow Jones & Company, Inc., publisher of The Wall Street Journal.
With over 550,000 ratings and a high-velocity release cadence, WSJ represents the most direct, high-scale competitor in the premium global news niche.
- Maintains a high-frequency release cycle of 16 updates in six months, ensuring rapid feature iteration.
- Focuses on exclusive, high-value financial and political insights that command a premium subscription audience.
- Provides deep integration with Dow Jones market data, creating a functional lock-in for business professionals.
NYTimes: US and Global NewsContender
Bloomberg: Business News DailyContender
Financial Times: Business NewsContenderUnlock the head-to-head verdict: where this rival wins, and where it loses.
Access the full report for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for The Economist - News, Podcasts
Where is it heading?
The premium news market is consolidating around bundled lifestyle and financial utility, putting pressure on standalone editorial apps. The Economist remains advantaged by its brand, but must evolve its feature set to include real-time data or risk losing the professional segment to more integrated rivals.
- Consistent high-grossing chart performance across global markets confirms the subscription-first model effectively captures high-intent, high-LTV users.
- The lack of real-time market data leaves a clear competitive gap that Bloomberg is actively exploiting to drain the professional user base.
The SWOT
- Editorial brand authority sustains high-intent subscription conversion
- Audio-first narration creates habit-forming loops for commuters
- Untapped B2B education partnerships for distribution
- Integration of wearable-friendly audio controls
Next best moves
Ship a modular audio-only subscription tier because users request more flexible pricing → capture price-sensitive segments
+ 1 more prioritized moveThe counter-intuitive read
The Economist's high annual price is not a…
Read the full takeFeature gaps
Real-time market data tickers (available in Bloomberg but absent here) +1
Since the last report: The app has refined its competitive positioning by acknowledging specific feature gaps against financial rivals and introducing interactive content to improve retention.
Bottom line
The Economist holds its category lead through high-value editorial content but faces churn risk from more agile, feature-rich business news rivals, so revenue growth hinges on diversifying the entry-level pricing tiers.
Unlock 2 critical frictions, 2 market threats, 1 more prioritized move and the analyst’s take.
Access the full report for freeFAQ
Is The Economist app worth the subscription price?
How does The Economist compare to Bloomberg?
Does the app have an offline reading mode?
What is a free alternative to The Economist?
Report last updated