The Economist
For global professionals, decision-makers, and students seeking high-level political and economic analysis without the clutter of 24-hour news cycles.
The Economist - News, Podcasts
Snapshot
Who is The Economist?
Providing global professionals with independent, analytical journalism and daily briefings to navigate complex world events.
Target audience
Portfolio
Free 2Last updated
The Economist - News, Podcasts
v4.83.1
6mo ago
Publisher DNA
What defines The Economist?
Publisher DNA
Primary focus
Analytical journalism and global news
Scale
indie
Target audience
Global professionals, decision-makers, and students seeking high-level political and economic analysis without the clutter of 24-hour news cycles.
Signature Patterns
- •Strict subscription-based monetization model across the entire portfolio.
- •Heavy emphasis on audio-first features, including narrated articles and podcasts.
- •Focus on curated, analytical content over high-volume real-time news feeds.
- •High-frequency update cycle to maintain premium app stability and feature parity.
Portfolio momentum
Maintained an intense development pace with 12 updates across both active apps in the last 6 months, with the most recent major release occurring within the last 7 days.
Portfolio
What does The Economist ship?
Apps
2 apps analysed
Audio-first narration creates habit-forming loops for commuters
- High quality of editorial analysis
- Pricing flexibility
Distributed across 17 markets, strongest in Europe.
Based on 2 of 2 apps with localized market data · last scanned .
Americas (3)
- Mexico2 / 2
- United States2 / 2
- Brazil1 / 2
Europe (8)
- France2 / 2
- Spain2 / 2
- Germany1 / 2
- Italy1 / 2
- Netherlands1 / 2
›+3 more europe markets
- Portugal1 / 2
- Sweden1 / 2
- Turkey1 / 2
Asia-Pacific (6)
- India1 / 2
- Indonesia1 / 2
- Japan1 / 2
- Singapore1 / 2
- South Korea1 / 2
›+1 more asia-pacific market
- Vietnam1 / 2
Core markets (2/2 apps)
User Sentiment
How do users feel about their apps?
1
Positive apps
0
Neutral / mixed
0
Negative apps
90/100
Avg sentiment score
Rivals
Who does The Economist compete with?
The rivals identified
Nemeses(4)
known for
WSJ: Exclusive News & Insights
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.
Both apps target news consumers through subscription models, competing for the same time-constrained demographic seeking curated analysis of global events.
Both apps compete for the attention of global news consumers, with Espresso offering efficient briefings and The Guardian providing investigative depth. They target the same professional audience seeking daily news context.
A massive competitor with over 650,000 ratings and a high-velocity release schedule that mirrors the target's global news focus.
Contenders(22)
Bloomberg targets the same professional demographic as Espresso but focuses on financial data and investment portfolio monitoring.
The BBC News app provides a trusted, high-authority alternative to Espresso for users seeking real-time global reporting.
Both apps target news consumers seeking high-quality analysis, though Espresso focuses on global brevity while DER SPIEGEL emphasizes investigative reporting for German-speaking audiences.
FOX News serves as a direct news-reporting alternative for users who prefer live-streamed content and expert commentary over Espresso's summaries.
Both apps compete for global news consumers, with Espresso targeting time-constrained professionals through concise summaries and The Guardian appealing to readers seeking independent, investigative journalism.
Both apps compete for the same daily news consumption habit, though Espresso focuses on global editorial analysis while Local News targets hyper-local updates and weather alerts.
SmartNews competes for the same daily-habit user base by using a rewards program to incentivize consistent engagement with aggregated content.
AP News competes for the same audience by providing fact-based, non-profit journalism that functions as a trust-based alternative to Espresso.
Yahoo News competes for the same audience by providing a centralized, personalized feed of multimedia content from various publishers.
This app competes for the same daily news reader by providing a broad range of global and local headlines in a single feed.
Both apps target time-constrained readers seeking concise news, with both offering audio features and subscription-based access to premium content.
Both apps target time-constrained news consumers, but WELT competes by offering live-streamed video and real-time ticker updates, whereas Espresso focuses on curated, three-times-daily briefings.
Directly competes for the same professional, high-intent audience with a focus on real-time business and financial news.
CGTN competes for the same global news audience by providing international coverage and livestreams, directly challenging the time-share of users seeking political and business analysis.
Both apps compete for the attention of news-conscious readers, with Espresso focusing on concise, high-level summaries and The Epoch Times offering broad, long-form political and cultural coverage.
Both apps target international news consumers, but Espresso focuses on high-signal, concise analysis for professionals while Euronews targets a broader audience through live TV and multilingual reporting.
A direct thematic rival in the premium global news space, specifically targeting the same intellectual, business-focused demographic.
Both apps target users seeking global news updates, but France 24 offers 24/7 live video feeds while Espresso focuses on curated, text-based summaries for time-constrained professionals.
Both apps target time-constrained professionals with curated news summaries and audio integration, creating direct competition for daily reading habits.
Both applications target time-constrained professionals and students by condensing global news into short-form content. They compete directly for the attention of users who require efficient information consumption during daily routines.
Both apps target time-constrained professionals seeking daily news briefings, with Espresso's The World in Brief directly competing against Washington Post's The 7 feature.
Both apps target time-constrained professionals seeking global news, with Espresso focusing on curated editorial briefings and Reuters providing real-time reporting and financial market data.
Same space(30)
This app targets the same general news consumer as Espresso but emphasizes a social network component for discussing local and national topics.
Snap News competes for the same attention-limited audience by using AI to curate local and global news into a concise format.
This app competes for the same time-constrained user base by using an AI algorithm to filter thousands of daily articles into a personalized feed.
Feedly serves the same professional demographic as Espresso but offers a high-volume aggregation tool rather than a curated briefing.
PressReader provides an alternative for global news consumption by offering authentic print-replica access rather than Espresso's summarized analysis.
This app serves as a primary source for Indian news, competing with Espresso for users who require real-time updates and expert journalism.
Die Presse provides a regional, editor-curated news experience that mirrors the editorial focus of Espresso for the Austrian market.
Global Times provides a specific regional perspective on international affairs, acting as a niche alternative for readers interested in Chinese-focused reporting.
Provides a global perspective with a strong focus on video and live reporting, overlapping with the target's multimedia goals.
Daily News acts as a general-purpose aggregator for trending headlines, lacking the deep editorial investigative focus that defines The Economist.
CBC News competes for the same Canadian audience by providing free, ad-supported access to trusted national and regional journalism.
Daily Mail targets the same daily-habit reader as Espresso but combines breaking news with interactive games to sustain engagement.
fresh functions as a broader news aggregator, providing a customizable feed that contrasts with the curated, editor-led approach of Espresso.
Exopid News integrates community discussion into the news consumption loop, offering a social alternative to the solitary reading experience of Espresso.
Foreign Affairs Magazine offers high-level geopolitical and policy analysis, sharing a similar intellectual audience with The Economist but focusing on long-form academic commentary.
Haystack News competes for the same audience by offering a video-first approach to local and world news aggregation.
EconoDay competes for the same daily-habit segment by providing bite-sized economic learning, though it lacks the subscription-based editorial depth of Espresso.
NBC News competes for the same audience by offering live-streamed investigative journalism, though it gates more content behind a subscription.
Newsweek serves as an alternative for readers seeking context-heavy journalism, though it lacks the concise, bite-sized format of Espresso.
Nikkei Asia provides regional business intelligence on Asian markets, serving as a specialized alternative for professionals who also read The Economist for global coverage.
World Monitor provides a spatial intelligence dashboard for power users, offering a map-based alternative to the daily briefings found in Espresso.
This app targets the same general news reader as Espresso by aggregating headlines from major newspapers into a single daily feed.
This app competes for the same UK-based audience by using AI to filter global and local news into a personalized feed.
Competes for the same 'smart takes' audience, focusing on long-form analysis rather than breaking news.
The Financial Times targets the same professional audience as Espresso but focuses on deep financial intelligence rather than concise summaries.
The Information targets tech industry professionals with proprietary scoops, providing a more focused, data-driven alternative to the broader global coverage of The Economist.
The Observer provides a broad, newspaper-style experience that covers culture and politics, serving as a general-interest alternative to the specialized economic focus of The Economist.
City A.M. targets the UK financial professional demographic, offering concise market commentary that complements the deeper, global analysis provided by The Economist.
ET AI acts as a vertical-specific aggregator for the artificial intelligence sector, targeting professional users who require niche market intelligence.
MS NOW serves a similar political-news audience but relies on a cable-authenticated model, creating a different access barrier than the subscription-first approach of The Economist.
New entrants(4)
World Monitor: GlobeAlert provides real-time situational awareness of global threats, serving as a tactical complement to the strategic, analytical reporting of The Economist.
The Memo targets the same professional audience as Espresso by providing a daily digital newspaper focused on global markets and geopolitics.
Good News Digest targets the same time-constrained reader as Espresso but focuses exclusively on constructive, evidence-backed positive news.
Zeteo News provides independent, personality-driven media that contrasts with the traditional editorial structure of The Economist, appealing to readers seeking alternative viewpoints.
The Analyst's Read
The bottom line on The Economist
Bottom line
The Economist is a benchmark for legacy-to-digital transitions, leveraging high-utility features like audio editions to defend premium subscription pricing. Their disciplined focus on analytical depth creates a strong moat against generic news aggregators.
Frequently asked questions
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What fed this analysis
- Apps analyzed:
- 2
- With full intel:
- 0
- With overview:
- 2
- Website scraped:
- yes
- Social presence:
- no