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Apple News vs Memberful

Apple News logo

Apple News

Software

All the news you want. From sources you trust.

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Memberful logo

Memberful

Software

Membership platform for creators to sell subscriptions, courses and gated content

From
$49/month
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; Memberful charges a 4.9% transaction fee on top of the flat monthly fee on the Standard plan.
  • They diverge on capability: Apple News covers Curated news feed, Memberful covers Membership checkout.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Apple News and Memberful differ
AttributeApple NewsMemberful
Starting priceFree$49/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsIos, Macosweb, api
Founded19762013

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 Memberful

  • Membership checkout
  • Flexible subscriptions
  • Member management
  • Landing page builder
  • Dynamic paywalls
  • Third-party integrations

What people use each for

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

Apple News

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

Memberful

  • Selling paid membership subscriptions from an existing websitenot Apple News
  • Gating podcast, newsletter or course content behind a paywallnot Apple News
  • Running a WordPress site with paid member-only contentnot Apple News
  • Offering one-time purchases alongside recurring membershipsnot 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

Memberful

  • Charges a 4.9% transaction fee on top of the flat monthly fee on the Standard plan.
  • Requires a separate Stripe account, adding setup complexity compared to all-in-one checkout platforms.
  • Lacks built-in course-hosting depth found in dedicated learning management platforms.
  • No free plan beyond the pre-launch trial period; charges begin once payments go live.

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

Memberful

$49/month
  • Standard$49/month
    • 4.9% transaction fee
    • Full platform access
    • Free until you go live
  • Enterprise$undefined/mo
    • Custom volume-based rates
    • Premium services and success management
    • Dedicated migration support

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 Memberful if

  • You need membership checkout.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want flexible subscriptions.
Memberful review

Questions people ask

Is Apple News or Memberful better?
Neither clearly leads. Apple News starts at Free and Memberful at $49/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apple News or Memberful?
Apple News has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Apple News and $49/month for Memberful.
Does Apple News or Memberful run on more platforms?
Apple News runs on Ios, Macos. Memberful 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. Memberful starts at $49/month.
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 Memberful is typically brought in for.
What can Apple News do that Memberful cannot?
Apple News covers Curated news feed, Premium magazines, Audio stories, Personalization. Memberful covers Membership checkout, Flexible subscriptions, Member management, Landing page builder.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Memberful: What does Memberful cost?

Memberful's Standard plan costs $49/month plus a 4.9% transaction fee, while larger organizations can get custom volume-based rates on the Enterprise plan.

Source
Memberful: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Memberful can be used for free while setting up a membership site, with no charges incurred until the creator goes live and starts accepting payments.

Source
Memberful: What does Memberful integrate with?

Memberful integrates with WordPress, Mailchimp, Discord and Kit, among other tools, to connect membership data with existing sites and marketing systems.

Source
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