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Apple News vs FastSpring

Apple News logo

Apple News

Software

All the news you want. From sources you trust.

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
FastSpring logo

FastSpring

Software

Merchant-of-record commerce platform for global payments, subscriptions, and tax compliance

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Apple News has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Apple News apple News+ costs $12.99 per month in USD after the first month, or is included only via the $39.95 per month USD Apple One Premier bundle; FastSpring pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.
  • They diverge on capability: Apple News covers Curated news feed, FastSpring covers Global online payments.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apple News and FastSpring actually diverge.

Attributes where Apple News and FastSpring differ
AttributeApple NewsFastSpring
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumtransaction
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsIos, Macosweb, api
Founded19762006

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Apple News

  • Curated news feed
  • Premium magazines
  • Audio stories
  • Personalization
  • Offline reading
  • iCloud
  • Apple One bundle
  • Siri

Only in FastSpring

  • Global online payments
  • Subscription billing
  • Branded checkout
  • Tax compliance
  • Fraud prevention
  • Digital invoicing and quotes

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Apple News

  • Daily news readingnot FastSpring
  • Magazine subscriptionnot FastSpring
  • News discoverynot FastSpring
  • Staying informednot FastSpring

FastSpring

  • Selling software or SaaS internationally without a local tax entitynot Apple News
  • B2B invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise SaaS dealsnot Apple News
  • Recurring subscription billing for digital productsnot Apple News
  • Reducing fraud and chargebacks on digital purchasesnot Apple News

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Apple News

  • Apple News+ costs $12.99 per month in USD after the first month, or is included only via the $39.95 per month USD Apple One Premier bundle

FastSpring

  • Pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.
  • As a merchant-of-record, FastSpring takes on more control of the checkout and payment relationship than a pure payment gateway like Stripe.
  • Revenue share pricing can become more expensive than flat per-transaction gateway fees at very high volumes.
  • Primarily targeted at software/digital goods sellers, so it is less suited to physical product e-commerce.

Pricing, plan by plan

Apple News

Free
  • Apple NewsFree
    • Free news articles
    • Personalized feed
    • Topic following
  • Apple News+$12.99/month
    • Premium magazines
    • Major newspapers
    • Audio stories

FastSpring

On request
  • Custom$undefined/mo
    • All-in-one transaction-based pricing based on sales volume
    • No subscription fees or per-feature charges
    • Discounted rates for ACH and wire transfers

Which should you pick?

Choose Apple News if

  • You need curated news feed.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Ios, Macos.
  • You also want premium magazines.
Apple News review

Choose FastSpring if

  • You need global online payments.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want subscription billing.
FastSpring review

Questions people ask

Is Apple News or FastSpring better?
Neither clearly leads. Apple News starts at Free and FastSpring at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apple News or FastSpring?
Apple News has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Apple News and On request for FastSpring.
Does Apple News or FastSpring run on more platforms?
Apple News runs on Ios, Macos. FastSpring runs on web, api.
Can I use Apple News for free?
Yes. Apple News has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. FastSpring starts at On request.
What is Apple News best used for?
Apple News is most often used for daily news reading, magazine subscription, news discovery, staying informed. Of those, daily news reading and magazine subscription are not what FastSpring is typically brought in for.
What can Apple News do that FastSpring cannot?
Apple News covers Curated news feed, Premium magazines, Audio stories, Personalization. FastSpring covers Global online payments, Subscription billing, Branded checkout, Tax compliance.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

FastSpring: What does FastSpring cost?

FastSpring uses flat-rate, all-in-one pricing based on transaction volume, with fees withheld from payouts. There is no minimum volume or subscription fee, and pricing is typically quoted based on expected sales volume after contacting their sales team.

Source
FastSpring: Is there a free plan?

FastSpring does not offer a free plan; instead pricing is transaction-based with no upfront subscription cost, and merchants only pay a commission on completed sales.

Source
FastSpring: What does FastSpring integrate with or include compared to a payment gateway like Stripe?

FastSpring bundles international payments, subscription management, tax compliance, fraud prevention, reporting, and B2B invoicing into one price, whereas gateways like Stripe charge separately for many of these features.

Source
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