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Best Article Reading Apps for iPhone (2026)

15 apps ranked S through F · · Ranked by AppTierList, computed, never sold · JSON

Medium: Read & Write Stories is the top-ranked of 15 article reading apps on iPhone, at S tier with 4.8/5 from 157,355 ratings.

  1. 1
    Medium: Read & Write StoriesS
    Free download · ★ 4.8 · 157,355 ratings · score 97
  2. 2
    Flipboard: The Social MagazineS
    Free download · ★ 4.7 · 329,127 ratings · score 96
  3. 3
    The Economist: News & AnalysisA
    Free download · ★ 4.9 · 182,190 ratings · score 90
  4. 4
    Nerdish: Learn Something NewA
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.8 · 2,663 ratings · score 90
  5. 5
    The Atlantic MagazineA
    Free download · ★ 4.9 · 140,082 ratings · score 89

What belongs in this list

Read articles and essays on topics I care about in a comfortable reading experience.

Not here: news reader alone; magazine issue reader alone; saving web pages alone; document or PDF viewer alone; language lesson texts alone

How we pick

For this list we ask the App Store the same searches a person would, in several countries, and keep every app it returns. A model reads each app's listing and rejects the ones that only mention the use case. Every app that stays is scored out of 100 from four parts, each 0 to 100 and averaged with no weights: its App Store rating, how many people rated it, where the App Store itself ranks it for this list's searches, and how recently its current version shipped. An app showing Apple's Editors' Choice badge gets a fifth part of 100, which can only lift its score. Tiers follow fixed score bands: S from 90, A from 80, B from 70, C from 60, D from 50, F below. The list's leader is S if it scores 80 or more. On a list of 20 or more ranked apps, a tier from S to D takes in new apps only up to a quarter of the top 40: an app pushed out of a full tier falls to the next tier with room, and F takes the rest. An app already in a tier keeps its place while the tier is at most 2 apps over a quarter; past that, only the apps over that margin go down, lowest score first. Equal scores share a tier, and no app has a better tier than an app ranked above it. An app keeps its tier until its score passes the band edge by more than 1 point, or a full tier or the order above moves it. Only the top 40 of a list get a tier. Read the full method →

S
MediumFlipboard
A
The EconomistNerdishThe AtlanticForeign
B
LondonThe New York
C
ElephantThe Free PressHodinkeeNationalRead by QxMDThe Bulwark
D
None at D yet
F
Scientific

Compare every app

  1. 1
    Medium: Read & Write StoriesS
    Free download · ★ 4.8 · 157,355 ratings · score 97 · best in class
  2. 2
    Flipboard: The Social MagazineS
    Free download · ★ 4.7 · 329,127 ratings · score 96 · best in class
  3. 3
    The Economist: News & AnalysisA
    Free download · ★ 4.9 · 182,190 ratings · score 90 · excellent
  4. 4
    Nerdish: Learn Something NewA
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.8 · 2,663 ratings · score 90 · excellent
  5. 5
    The Atlantic MagazineA
    Free download · ★ 4.9 · 140,082 ratings · score 89 · excellent
  6. 6
    Foreign Affairs MagazineA
    Free download · ★ 4.8 · 14,443 ratings · score 87 · excellent
  7. 7
    London Review of BooksB
    Free download · ★ 4.9 · 3,264 ratings · score 78 · good
  8. 8
    The New York Review of BooksB
    Free download · ★ 4.8 · 4,455 ratings · score 71 · good
  9. 9
    Elephant JournalC
    Free download · ★ 4.9 · 14,322 ratings · score 70 · situational · provisional
  10. 10
    The Free PressC
    Free download · ★ 4.9 · 14,294 ratings · score 70 · situational · provisional
  11. 11
    Hodinkee: All Things WatchesC
    Free download · ★ 4.9 · 9,281 ratings · score 70 · situational · provisional
  12. 12
    National ReviewC
    Free download · ★ 4.7 · 10,439 ratings · score 69 · situational · provisional
  13. 13
    Read by QxMDC
    Free download · ★ 4.8 · 6,038 ratings · score 69 · situational · provisional
  14. 14
    The BulwarkC
    Free download · ★ 4.9 · 2,820 ratings · score 64 · situational · provisional
  15. 15
    Scientific AmericanF
    Free download · ★ 4.8 · 10,232 ratings · score 47 · avoid · provisional

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Questions people ask

What is the best article reading app for iPhone?
Medium: Read & Write Stories, S tier, ranked #1 of 15, rated 4.8 by 157,355 people.
Which article reading apps are free?
15 of 15 are free to download: Medium: Read & Write Stories (S), Flipboard: The Social Magazine (S), The Economist: News & Analysis (A), Nerdish: Learn Something New (A) and more. 1 of them sells in-app purchases.
Which article reading app has the best App Store rating?
The Atlantic Magazine at 4.9 from 140,082 ratings.
How many article reading apps reach S or A tier?
6 of 15. Tiers follow fixed score bands: S from 90, A from 80, B from 70, C from 60, D from 50, F below. The list's leader is S if it scores 80 or more. On a list of 20 or more ranked apps, a tier from S to D takes in new apps only up to a quarter of the top 40: an app pushed out of a full tier falls to the next tier with room, and F takes the rest. An app already in a tier keeps its place while the tier is at most 2 apps over a quarter; past that, only the apps over that margin go down, lowest score first. Equal scores share a tier, and no app has a better tier than an app ranked above it. An app keeps its tier until its score passes the band edge by more than 1 point, or a full tier or the order above moves it. Only the top 40 of a list get a tier.

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