News Subscriptions · pricing · Updated September 2026
The Economist pricing (2026)
The Economist starts at $6.9/mo (Podcasts+) as checked on 2026-09-03, read from apps.apple.com — the public source it was captured from, not a The Economist page; 3 plans. Best for Global affairs and policy readers who want weekly depth over daily breaking news. Every figure below links to its source and the date we captured it.
At a glance
- Entry price: $6.9/mo (Podcasts+) · 17% off with annual billing
- Free tier: No
- Compliance: HIPAA — · SOC 2 — · GDPR —
- Best for: Global affairs and policy readers who want weekly depth over daily breaking news; Audio-first consumers who want a full spoken-word magazine, not just clips; Commuters wanting CarPlay and Apple Watch integration
As of · every figure below links to its source
The Economist plans & pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Billing | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Monthly | $29 | — | flat | Full digital access to The Economist app and economist.com, weekly edition, archive and podcasts, billed monthly. | apps.apple.com |
| Digital Annual | $24.08 | — | flat | Same full digital access billed annually at $289/year (equiv. $24.08/month); ~17% cheaper than paying monthly. | apps.apple.com |
| Podcasts+ | $6.9 | −17% | flat | Audio-only subscription to The Economist podcasts; $6.90/month or $69/year (equiv. $5.75/month, ~17% off). | apps.apple.com |
Last verified 2026-09-03. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-economist-news-analysis/id1239397626 (official Economist US App Store listing, In-App Purchases, accessed 2026-06-13) Re-verified 2026-09-03 against the live pricing page; published figures unchanged.
Price changes
Price on record
$6.9/moFirst on record 2026-06-27
A new dated entry is stamped here each time the price moves — the record builds itself.
Tracked since June 2026. No change record has cleared two sources yet, so nothing is published on the wire.
Capabilities
Integrations: iOS 17.6+, iPadOS, macOS, Apple Watch, Apple TV, CarPlay, Android, web.
Key features: Weekly print edition available digitally with offline download; Full audio edition of each weekly issue (MP3, available Thursday 9pm London time); Award-winning podcasts: The Intelligence (daily), Babbage (tech), Money Talks (finance); Economist Podcasts+ standalone audio subscription; Espresso app: daily briefing curated by editors (included for subscribers); World in Brief: quick news summary feature; News games: crosswords, history quizzes, current events trivia; Short videos distilling major news topics; Article bookmarking, dark mode, adjustable text size; Global coverage across 200+ countries.
Plan limits: Non-subscribers can read a limited number of free articles per month before paywall; Podcasts+ plan: audio only, no article access; Weekly edition downloads require active subscription.
Frequently asked questions
How much does The Economist cost?
The Economist starts at $6.9/mo (Podcasts+); it has 3 published plans. Verified 2026-09-03.
Is The Economist cheaper billed annually?
Yes. The Economist publishes a 17% discount for paying annually (on the Podcasts+ plan). Verified 2026-09-03.
What are cheaper alternatives to The Economist?
Cheaper news subscriptions than The Economist (entry $6.9/mo) include The New York Times at $4.99/mo, Financial Times at $4.99/mo, The Athletic at $6/mo. Verified 2026-09-03.
Does The Economist support HIPAA?
The Economist HIPAA support: —. SOC 2: —. GDPR: —.
Does The Economist have a free plan?
The Economist free tier: No.
The Economist vs alternatives
Compare all news subscriptions · The Economist alternatives · Open data · MCP
Cheaper news subscriptions alternatives
- The Athletic from $6/mo
- The New York Times from $4.99/mo
- Financial Times from $4.99/mo
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Related categories
Display this standing
The Economist currently holds a gold deskmark here — Rank 2 of 8 · News Subscriptions. Anyone may show it. There is nothing to apply for, nothing to pay, and displaying it changes no score: the standing comes from the published algorithm and money never touches it.
The image is drawn from our live data, so it follows the standing rather than freezing it: if The Economist moves up or down a tier, the plaque on your own site says so at our next publish. Nothing is tracked beyond the ordinary web-server log that records any image request.