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The Economist - News, Podcasts vs its rivals

Side-by-side comparison against The Economist - News, Podcasts's closest competitors — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel.

The Economist - News, Podcasts
This App
WSJ: Exclusive News & Insights
Nemesis
Financial Times: Business News
Contender
Bloomberg: Business News Daily
Contender
NYTimes: US and Global News
Contender
DER SPIEGEL - Nachrichten
Peer
Al Jazeera - الجزيرة
Peer
The Atlantic Magazine
Peer
The Guardian - US & World News
Peer
Core Identity
DeveloperThe EconomistDow Jones & Company, Inc., publisher of The Wall Street Journal.Financial Times Ltd.Bloomberg Finance LPThe New York Times CompanyDER SPIEGEL GmbH und Co. KGAl Jazeera NetworkThe Atlantic Monthly Group LLCGuardian News and Media Limited
CategoryNewsNewsNewsNewsNewsNewsNewsNewsNews
PlatformiOS, AndroidiOS, AndroidiOS, AndroidiOS, AndroidiOS, AndroidAndroid, iOSAndroid, iOSiOS, AndroidiOS, Android
Store Metrics
Rating4.9 / 54.7 / 54.8 / 54.6 / 54.8 / 54.5 / 54.8 / 54.9 / 54.9 / 5
Ratings Count182,228552,01523,42454,529652,1712,80777,905118,828112,402
PriceFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFree
Release DateMay 3, 2018Apr 1, 2010Aug 7, 2017Feb 1, 2019Jan 31, 2019Mar 31, 2011Feb 1, 2021Oct 22, 2010Oct 29, 2013
Last UpdatedApr 16, 2026Apr 9, 2026Mar 18, 2026Apr 2, 2026Apr 13, 2026Mar 24, 2026May 1, 2026Apr 6, 2026May 18, 2026
Sentiment & Reviews
Sentimentexcellentterrible-negativemixedmixedexcellent-mixed
Score90/10018/100-28/10053/10045/10082/100-35/100
Praises
  • High quality of editorial analysis
  • Journalism Quality
  • UI Layout
-
  • High-Quality Journalism
  • Journalistic Integrity
  • Content Variety
  • High quality journalism provides essential insights into German news and international political trends
  • Independent global news coverage provides a credible alternative to domestic media perspectives
-
  • Independent and trustworthy journalism provides a necessary alternative to domestic news outlets
  • Subscription support is viewed as a vital contribution to maintaining independent democratic institutions
Complaints
  • Pricing flexibility
  • Battery Drain & Overheating
  • Subscription & Access Issues
  • Audio & Video UX
-
  • Streaming & Stability Failures
  • Ads for Paid Subscribers
  • Technical Performance Issues
  • Ads for Paid Subscribers
  • Aggressive advertising and subscription popups disrupt the reading experience for paying subscribers
  • Intrusive video autoplay and sound design disrupt the reading experience during quiet hours
-
  • Blank screen rendering issues during article scrolling break the reading experience on Android
  • Mandatory account sign-in requirements frustrate users who prefer anonymous access to news
Requests
  • UI navigation improvements
----
  • Dark mode support is requested to reduce eye strain during evening reading sessions
  • Short-form news status feature requested for rapid consumption of daily highlights
-
  • Restore dark mode functionality to improve readability and reduce eye strain
Strategic Intel
Strengths
  • Editorial brand authority sustains high-intent subscription conversion
  • Audio-first narration creates habit-forming loops for commuters
  • Unrivaled brand authority in business journalism
  • Specialized curation for C-suite roles (CFO, CIO, CMO)
  • Intuitive UI that balances modern and traditional reading styles
-
  • Authoritative brand and journalism quality
  • Exclusive Bloomberg Originals video content
  • CarPlay integration for professional commuters
  • Unrivaled brand equity and global journalistic footprint
  • Successful multi-product bundle (Games, Cooking, Athletic)
  • Strong commercial performance (#2 Grossing News)
  • Editorial authority in German politics sustains organic install velocity
  • High-value offline ePaper utility justifies premium subscription pricing
  • Deep-dive investigative reporting functions as a content-based retention moat
  • Editorial independence functions as a trust-based moat against domestic media bias
  • Global network infrastructure provides unique international reporting depth
-
  • Editorial authority drives high-intent reader funding
  • Puzzles Hub creates a daily-active retention loop
  • My Guardian tab enables personalized content filtering
Weaknesses
  • $289/year annual price point exceeds category median
  • Lack of real-time financial tickers limits utility for active market participants
  • Severe battery drain and device overheating
  • Broken subscription entitlement and login loops
  • Poorly implemented AI-generated content in 'What's News'
-
  • Severe Android performance issues (2.55 rating)
  • Intrusive ads for premium subscribers
  • Audio hijacking and multitasking bugs
  • Critical technical issues (battery drain, audio crashes)
  • UX friction from navigation changes (Games tab relocation)
  • High ad-load for paid subscribers
  • Aggressive ad-to-content ratio disrupts the reading experience
  • Persistent UI regressions reduce accessibility for long-term users
  • High-tier subscription price at 24.99 euros/month exceeds category median
  • Intrusive video autoplay disrupts reading sessions
  • High ad frequency degrades utility
  • Repetitive feed structure causes browsing friction
-
  • Persistent blank-screen rendering bugs on Android
  • Forced login requirements drive anonymous-user churn
  • Inconsistent cross-platform subscription syncing
Pricingsubscriptionsubscriptionfreemiumsubscriptionsubscriptionsubscriptionfreesubscriptionfreemium
MomentumIntenseMaintenanceIntenseMaintenanceMaintenanceIntenseMaintenanceIntenseActive
Update Cadence5 versions5 versions, ~7d avg5 versions3 versions, 1 majors/6mo, ~93d avg3 versions, ~18d avg5 versions4 versions, 2 majors/6mo, ~14d avg5 versions5 versions, ~12d avg

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AI-powered analysis with editorial review, built from publicly available sources. Marlvel.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by The Economist - News, Podcasts, its developer, the app publisher, Apple, or Google Play. All trademarks, logos, and screenshots referenced remain the property of their respective owners.

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