shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use The Conversation?

Skip to content - theconversation.com

Skip. Theconversation.com is a free nonprofit news publication written by academics — not a software product, so there is nothing to buy. If you expected a tool, you pasted the wrong page; if you want expert journalism, just read it.

Confidence

High. Based on ~20 public sources; several 'review' results referred to the unrelated 1974 film and were excluded. No pricing, security, or user-review data indicates this is a purchasable product.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNo usability evidence
  • Feature depthNot a software product
  • Support qualityEmail contact only, no quality evidence
  • Security postureNo findings either way in sources

Pricing

Free

All content

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Free expert analysis
  • Journalists needing citable academic sources
  • Academics seeking public reach
  • Republishers via Creative Commons

Not for

  • Anyone evaluating software tools
  • Teams needing APIs, seats, or admin controls
  • Buyers expecting trials, SLAs, or support contracts
  • Breaking-news readers wanting wire-speed updates

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Comments have been turned off on many articles, so expect little discussion.

low

Name collides with the 1974 Coppola film; vendor searches return movie reviews.

low

Backed by university partners and foundations like Alfred P. Sloan — see funders page.

low

Support is email only (us-support@theconversation.com); no SLA applies.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Articles written by researchers, edited by professional journalists
  • Free to read; funded by universities and foundations, not subscriptions
  • Republishable under Creative Commons licensing

Cons

  • It's a news publication, not software — nothing to integrate, deploy, or buy
  • Comments reportedly disabled on many articles
  • Search results conflate it with Coppola's 1974 film of the same name
  • Some readers question why it's cited less than mainstream outlets

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/27/2026 - 12 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x4review x5security x1news x2

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free nonprofit journalism
  • Ease of use. No usability evidence
  • Feature depth. Not a software product
  • Support quality. Email contact only, no quality evidence
  • Security posture. No findings either way in sources
  • Free Price Nonprofit; university- and foundation-funded
  • 2011 Founded Launched in Australia; multiple country editions
  • Global Editions US, UK, AU and other country editions

Pricing

All content

Free

  • Nonprofit publication
  • Funded by university partners and foundations

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Reddit threads broadly treat it as a credible source of expert analysis, with some noting disabled comments and limited citation uptake.

Full analysis

Based on ~20 public sources; several 'review' results referred to the unrelated 1974 film and were excluded. No pricing, security, or user-review data indicates this is a purchasable product.

Not software — a free nonprofit news site where academics write. Nothing to buy; just read it.

Methodology

Based on ~20 public sources; several 'review' results referred to the unrelated 1974 film and were excluded. No pricing, security, or user-review data indicates this is a purchasable product.

Sources

  1. The Conversation US — homepagetheconversation.com
    official
  2. The Conversation (website) — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    news
  3. Partners and funderstheconversation.com
    official
  4. Contact ustheconversation.com
    official
  5. Product security pagetheconversation.com
    official
  6. The Conversation US Reviews — Trustpilottrustpilot.com
    review
  7. Thoughts on theconversation.com? — Reddit r/australiareddit.com
    review
  8. Have the comments been stopped? — Reddit r/australiareddit.com
    review
  9. Why isn't it used much as a source? — Reddit r/OpenAussiereddit.com
    review
  10. AskScience AMA with The Conversation membersreddit.com
    review
  11. The Conversation — Made with Creative Commonsmedium.com
    news
  12. BlackVeil security report — theconversation.comblackveilsecurity.com
    security

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