Best Unlimited Magazine App: Magzter vs Readly

What to Look for in a Magazine Reader App?

In today’s digital age, magazines have seamlessly transitioned from paper pages to digital screens, offering readers the convenience of accessing a plethora of content at their fingertips. With numerous magazine reader apps available, it can be overwhelming to choose the best one for your unlimited magazine reading needs. In this article, we’ll delve into a comparison between two popular platforms: Magzter vs Readly, to help you make an informed decision on the best unlimited magazine app for you.

Paging through a magazine is a terrific leisurely activity and a great way to stay informed and pass the time. The best unlimited magazine apps make it easy to stay current with the latest issues on a single device without having to carry around a stack of them everywhere you go.

These apps are designed to make reading a digital magazine just as easy as browsing through a physical one. Of course, it doesn’t hurt when they throw in a few extra features as well. Here are the most important features your best unlimited magazine apps should have:

  • Excellent Selection: The greatest feature of these readers is that they make the latest issues available to you the instant a publisher releases them. The best magazine reader apps also offer you a huge variety, from well-known titles down to smaller niche magazines. Whether you like gossip rags or magazines spanning more general categories like technology, politics, sports, or fashion, any digital best unlimited magazine app worth its weight will make all of them available to you and not just focus on the most popular ones. A few also have books and audiobooks, making them perfect for reading enthusiasts across the board.
  • Device Compatibility: These apps should be available for both Android and iOS smartphones and tablets, so they’re available to the broadest audience possible. Bonus points if they also allow you to read from your desktop or laptop. We also favor readers that offer cloud storage with cross-device syncing, so your magazines are available to you (and keep track of which page you’re on) no matter which device you use.
  • Fair Pricing Options: Most best unlimited magazine apps are free but have you pay for each individual magazine you want a la carte. This is the best option for casual readers who only need one or two magazines per month. However, for avid magazine readers, options with a monthly subscription and unlimited access are better, as they give you access to all of their content without limits.
  • Cost: The subscription cost should align with your budget while providing value for the content offered.
  • Ease of Use: The best unlimited magazine apps have an intuitive interface with clearly labeled options for shopping, reading, and accessing your settings. The app you choose should also be able to remember where you last left off, let you pop out in a bird’s-eye view to move around, and let you customize the text and background options for a more effortless reading experience.
  • Cross-Device Compatibility: A reader app should be accessible on various devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and desktops, ensuring you can read anytime, anywhere.
  • Search and Bookmarking: Robust search functionality and the option to bookmark articles for future reference contribute to an efficient reading experience.

In the UK at least, there are currently two best unlimited magazine apps to consider: Magzter and Readly. They both offer an unlimited subscription for £7.99 a month, although Readly’s offering is far more straightforward.

With Readly, your subscription will allow unlimited access to their entire catalog. Magzter offers their unlimited Magzter Gold service, however not all magazines in Magzter’s library are available in their Gold subscription. You have to look for the little yellow book symbol in the bottom right of the magazine’s thumbnail. Fortunately, you can apply a filter so only magazines available for free are visible, but this feature is tucked away.

Magzter: Unlimited Reading, Unlimited Enjoyment

Magzter stands out as a well-established platform, offering an extensive collection of over 12,000 magazines spanning diverse categories including lifestyle, entertainment, technology, and more. The app’s user interface is clean and easy to navigate, making it accessible for tech enthusiasts and magazine readers of all ages.

One of Magzter’s standout features is its ‘Smart Reading’ capability, which optimizes magazine content for better readability on various devices. This feature ensures that articles are displayed in a user-friendly format, regardless of the screen size.

Magzter also boasts offline reading functionality, allowing users to download their favorite magazines and read them without an internet connection. This is especially useful for those who travel frequently or prefer to read on their daily commute.

The Best Unlimited Magazine App - Magzter vs Readly

If you tend to read a ton of magazines and you’re looking for the most affordable way to do so, Magzter (pricing varies) is the app to choose. The Magzter Lite plan lets you read five issues a month for $4.99 per month (or $49.99 per year), and the Magzter Gold plan gives you unlimited access to over 5,000 magazines and the ability to add up to four family members to your account for $9.99 per month (or $99.99 per year). Magzter also offers an a la carte option, where you can buy individual issues or purchase a subscription solely for your favorite magazines.

Magzter offers best-selling magazine titles across 40 categories like fitness, entertainment, science, automotive, and more. The app uses a responsive layout, so all of your magazines will fill up your device’s screen and display properly—no more zooming or panning. You can read your issues offline, toss in a bookmark if you need a break, and even get a free unlimited reading at designated Smart Reading Zones, so make sure you keep your device’s GPS turned on. Magzter’s flexible plan options and Smart Reading Zones make it a great pick for those who want more control over how they pay for their magazines.

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Readly: Your Gateway to Countless Magazines

Readly takes a slightly different approach, offering access to over 5,000 magazines in a similar range of categories. What sets Readly apart is its user customization. The app allows users to create multiple profiles under one account, making it an excellent choice for families or households with varied interests.

Readly’s user interface is designed with simplicity in mind, providing an uncluttered reading experience. One of its unique features is the ability to bookmark not only entire magazines but also individual pages. This feature is a boon for those who frequently refer back to specific articles.

Just like Magzter, Readly enables offline reading, giving subscribers the flexibility to enjoy their favorite magazines without an internet connection.

The Best Unlimited Magazine App - Magzter vs Readly

If your family is full of magazine lovers, Readly ($9.99 per month) is the option that’ll cover everybody. With Netflix-style unlimited reading for up to five people on a single plan, everyone in your family can enjoy skimming through over 5,000 magazines. Readly even offers a Parental Control feature wherein you can block inappropriate magazines from ever reaching your kids.

Readly can remind you when new issues of your favorite magazines are available, and it makes it easy to bookmark and share magazines. The app’s Smart Search feature lets you use any keyword to find a specific magazine or article, and any magazine can be downloaded and read offline. Magazines are optimized for mobile reading, though you can also read them on your laptop or desktop computer. With its support for lots of family members, multiple operating systems, and unlimited access to magazines, Readly is the best choice for families.

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Content Galore: What to Expect

The biggest difference between these two best unlimited magazine apps is content. In a nutshell, Readly offers a more narrow range of premium titles, whereas Magzter Gold offers a far broader range, but not as many premium best unlimited magazine apps.

A lot will depend on what you like to read. Many of the BBC titles like BBC Gardener’s World, BBC Music, and BBC Good Food are available on Readly, but not on Magzter.

Also, What HiFi, Stuff, The Spectator, Hello, and Homes and Gardens are available only on Readly, to name just a few.

And children’s best unlimited magazine apps are well represented too like Match, Match of the Day, First News, and Horrible Histories. These are all sadly missing from Magzter Gold.

But there are also significant gaps in Readly’s range. For me, the most significant omissions are computer magazines. None of the big titles like PC Pro, Computer Shopper, and Custom PC are available, but these are all available on Magzter Gold. And more niche hobbies like woodworking are not represented at all, whereas Magzter Gold has The Woodworker, Good Woodworking, and a few others.

Another of my interests, cycling, is better represented on Readly but still has a decent selection on Magzter Gold including Mountain Bike Rider (MBR), Bikes Etc and impressively Cycling Weekly. But Cycling Plus is only on Readly.

Both Magzter and Readly allow you to download back issues, which is a nice bonus and means there is a huge wealth of content available.

Of course, the best way to see if the best unlimited magazine apps you like are available is to take out a free trial (see links at end of article).

Reading the content: A Seamless Experience

Reading a magazine with Magzter
Reading a magazine with Magzter

Apps are available on iOS and Android for both services and Readly also has a Kindle Fire and a Windows Phone app. Both services support adding family members under your subscription for no extra charge (4 extra for Magzter and 5 extra for Readly).

It’s possible to read on a phone, but a tablet with at least a full HD (or Retina) screen is far preferable. Most titles are simply digital versions of the magazines, which does mean there is little interactivity and you will often need to zoom in. A 12.9″ iPad Pro would be a perfect reading companion!

With both apps, you’ll spend some time initially finding magazines that you want to read and starring them. That’s clicking the star icon in both Magzter and Readly.

Actually reading the magazines is a similar experience on both apps, but the Readly app is much slicker overall. Firstly, you’re only presented with content included in your subscription, whereas with Magzter Gold, the opening screen is a news feed of articles they deem of interest. You need to choose the My Collections icon and then tap Faves to actually get to the magazines you’ve selected.

Both services allow you to download magazines for offline viewing and both services attempt to sync your position through a best unlimited magazine apps across devices. Although this is not as reliable on Magzter.

Pros and Cons

Let’s weigh the pros and cons of each best unlimited magazine apps:

Readly

Pros

  • More mainstream magazines are available
  • Apps more polished
  • More magazines for children
  • Available on a wider range of platforms
  • Bookmarking Pages
  • Affordability

Cons

  • Big gaps in content
  • Smaller Library
  • No parental controls

Magzter Gold

Pros

  • Wide range of magazines available
  • Sharing subscription more flexible than with Readly
  • Smart Reading

Cons

  • Some big titles missing
  • Tries to impose its curated newsfeed
  • No parental controls
  • Slightly Higher Price

In Conclusion

Which is The Best Unlimited Magazine App?

When it comes to choosing the best unlimited magazine app, both Magzter and Readly offer compelling features that cater to tech enthusiasts and magazine readers alike. The decision ultimately depends on your personal preferences and priorities. If you value a vast collection and optimized reading experience, Magzter might be your go-to choice. On the other hand, if customization and family sharing are important to you, Readly could be the better option.

In any case, both platforms provide an excellent way to enjoy a multitude of magazines digitally, granting you access to a world of information, entertainment, and inspiration right at your fingertips. Happy reading!

I’d suggest taking the trial on both services and finding which one lets you read the magazines you want.

You can get a free month trial to Readly here and Magzter Gold here.

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Anuhas Dissanayake

Hey, friend!

I’m Anuhas, a tech enthusiast and a digital content creator. On this blog, I review digital tools and services to help entrepreneurs get the right tools for their businesses.

 

I strongly believe in authenticity and transparency. Therefore, I always test, compare, and then publish honest and unbiased reviews.

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