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The Economist Review

Depends

Should I use The Economist?

Go beyond breaking news - economist.com

· 1 month ago

Buy if you want rigorous weekly global analysis and will genuinely read it every week. Skip if you skim headlines — free podcasts and newsletters cover the basics for less.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~15 usable public sources; several Reddit/Quora snippets were truncated, limiting quote depth.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNo usability evidence found
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support evidence found
  • Security posture

Pricing

$29 per 4 weeks, auto-renews

Digital subscription

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Long-term subscription$29 per 4 weeks, auto-renews
StudentDiscounted
Podcasts+$7 per 4 weeks

Best for

  • Weekly deep-read news junkies
  • Policy and finance professionals
  • Podcast commuters
  • Students (discounted rate)

Not for

  • Casual headline skimmers
  • Anyone unwilling to manage auto-renewal
  • Budget buyers wanting free daily news
  • Readers who only need breaking headlines

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Promo rates (Groupon, 50% off 2-year) revert to full price at renewal.

medium

Auto-renews at $29 every 4 weeks; set a renewal reminder before subscribing.

medium

Long-term subscriptions also auto-renew at $29 every 4 weeks unless cancelled.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Weekly deep analysis, pitched 'beyond breaking news'
  • Publishing since 1843; long editorial track record
  • Discounted student subscriptions offered
  • Cheaper Podcasts+ add-on at $7 per 4 weeks
  • App Store reviewer calls it 'wonderful'

Cons

  • Auto-renews at $29 every 4 weeks (~$377/year)
  • Pricing structure publicly criticized as defying economics
  • Enough complaints to warrant a published complaint-filing guide
  • No published security page found

Sources & method

- 15 sources - No published security page; two dated incidents on record — nothing recent found in sources.

official x4review x6security x3news x2
  • Anti-ad blocker script hacked, The Economist's anti-ad blocker was hacked, reportedly exposing users.
  • Bloomberg breach settlement (2012), Bloomberg paid The Economist Group over a security breach involving CQ data.
  • CVE-1999-1400 (screen saver), Unscored 1999 vulnerability in The Economist's screensaver; long obsolete.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 3/5

    Rating

  • $29 per 4 weeks, auto-renews

    Starting price

  • 15

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 3/5. Strong content, but recurring pricing complaints
  • Ease of use. No usability evidence found
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Deep weekly analysis, not quick news
  • Support quality. No support evidence found
  • Security posture: 3/5. Two dated incidents; no security page
  • 1843 Founded Per Wikipedia
  • $29/4 weeks Entry price Auto-renews
  • 863 Trustpilot reviewers Rating not shown in sources
  • $7/4 weeks Podcasts+ add-on Billed separately

Pricing

Digital subscription

$29 per 4 weeks, auto-renews

  • Full digital access
  • Auto-renewal

Long-term subscription

$29 per 4 weeks, auto-renews

  • Multi-year commitment
  • Discounted entry offers

Student

Discounted

  • Reduced rate
  • Cancel auto-renewal anytime

Podcasts+

$7 per 4 weeks

  • Podcast access
  • Billed separately

Security

No published security page; two dated incidents on record — nothing recent found in sources.

  • Anti-ad blocker script hackedThe Economist's anti-ad blocker was hacked, reportedly exposing users.13
  • Bloomberg breach settlement (2012)Bloomberg paid The Economist Group over a security breach involving CQ data.14
  • CVE-1999-1400 (screen saver)Unscored 1999 vulnerability in The Economist's screensaver; long obsolete.15

What users say

Redditors and Quora users actively debate whether the subscription is worth the price, while App Store reviewers praise the content.

“The Economist is wonderful.”
App Store review
“Is The Economist worth it?”
Reddit, r/theeconomist (thread title)
Full analysis

Based on ~15 usable public sources; several Reddit/Quora snippets were truncated, limiting quote depth.

Prestigious weekly analysis at $29/4 weeks, auto-renewing. Worth it only if you'll actually read it.

Methodology

Based on ~15 usable public sources; several Reddit/Quora snippets were truncated, limiting quote depth.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Subscribe to The Economistsubscribenow.economist.com
    official
  2. Purchase a Long Term Subscriptionsubscribenow.economist.com
    official
  3. Discounted Student Subscriptionsubscribenow.economist.com
    official
  4. Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+subscribenow.economist.com
    official
  5. The Economist - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    news
  6. The Economist Reviews | Trustpilottrustpilot.com
    review
  7. Economist pricing : r/theeconomistreddit.com
    review
  8. Is The Economist worth it? : r/theeconomistreddit.com
    review
  9. The Economist: News & Analysis - App Storeapps.apple.com
    review
  10. The Economist's digital pricing regime defies economicshalcrawford.substack.com
    review
  11. The Economist Coupons | Groupongroupon.com
    news
  12. How to File a Complaint with The Economist19pine.ai
    review
  13. The Economist's anti-ad blocker was hackedqz.com
    security
  14. Bloomberg Pays Economist Group Over Security Breachadweek.com
    security
  15. CVE-1999-1400: The Economist Screen Saver Vulnerabilitystrix.ai
    security

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