TechCrunch vs Ars Technica

TechCrunch lands on Depends, and Ars Technica lands on Worth it.

TechCrunch

techcrunch.com

Analyzed September 18, 2026

Depends

Confidence: Medium

Read the site free if you follow startups . it's a news publication, not a software tool.

Read the full report

Ars Technica

arstechnica.com

Analyzed September 19, 2026

Worth it

Confidence: Medium

Buy the Ars Pro subscription if you read tech news weekly and want ad-free long-form plus forums; the free ad-supported site already covers casual readers.

Read the full report

Add this comparison to your site

Ars Technica earned a Worth it check in this comparison with TechCrunch.

Put the badge on your site.

Visitors see the independent comparison.

The link points here, and search engines follow it.

This is the badge visitors see on your site.

Depends TechCrunch Worth it Ars Technica Independent comparison on Should I Use It

Badge code

<!-- Should I Use It badge. Keep this link. -->
<a href="https://shouldiuse.io/vs/techcrunch/arstechnica" target="_blank" style="display:inline-flex;flex-direction:column;align-items:flex-start;gap:8px;max-width:420px;box-sizing:border-box;padding:14px 16px;border:1px solid #d5dde4;border-radius:14px;background:#ffffff;color:#111111;font-family:Segoe UI,system-ui,sans-serif;line-height:1.25;text-decoration:none;box-shadow:0 8px 20px rgba(17,17,17,0.08);">
  <span style="display:flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;min-width:0;">
    <span style="display:inline-flex;align-items:center;flex:0 0 auto;border-radius:999px;padding:4px 10px;font-size:11px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.06em;text-transform:uppercase;line-height:1.3;background:#fef7e0;color:#7a5510;">Depends</span>
    <span style="font-size:15px;font-weight:700;color:#111111;overflow-wrap:anywhere;">TechCrunch</span>
  </span>
  <span style="display:flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;min-width:0;">
    <span style="display:inline-flex;align-items:center;flex:0 0 auto;border-radius:999px;padding:4px 10px;font-size:11px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.06em;text-transform:uppercase;line-height:1.3;background:#eef8f0;color:#3b7d42;">Worth it</span>
    <span style="font-size:15px;font-weight:700;color:#111111;overflow-wrap:anywhere;">Ars Technica</span>
  </span>
  <span style="font-size:12px;font-weight:500;color:#516271;">Independent comparison on Should I Use It</span>
</a>

Text link

<a href="https://shouldiuse.io/vs/techcrunch/arstechnica">TechCrunch vs Ars Technica on Should I Use It</a>

Paste one snippet. Keep the link as it is. A nofollow tag stops search engines from following it.

TechCrunch versus Ars Technica
Compare	TechCrunch	Ars Technica
Verdict	Depends	Worth it
Best for	Startup and VC news followers	IT professionals and sysadmins
Who it's not for	Anyone shopping for software . it's a magazine, not a tool	Casual skimmers wanting short headlines
Privacy	No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.^¹	No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed; the site's ad slot was reportedly abused in one malware campaign.¹⁶
Support quality	No evidence in sources	No evidence in sources
Public sentiment	Free readers generally value the news firehose, but vocal veterans on Reddit and Hacker News complain quality has declined and coverage skews hype.^⁵	Readers consistently praise the depth and quality of the reporting and recommend subscribing.
Biggest gotcha	TechCrunch+ price not visible in reviewed sources; verify before subscribing^²	Ars Pro/Pro++ pricing not visible in reviewed sources . check the subscribe page before committing¹¹

Pick TechCrunch when

Startup and VC news followers
PR pros tracking tech media
Security teams tracking breaches
Founders eyeing Disrupt networking

When TechCrunch is not a fit

Anyone shopping for software . it's a magazine, not a tool
Teams wanting structured software comparisons . use G2 instead
Consumer startups expecting customers from coverage . readers say it fails there
Paywall-averse readers on a budget . top analysis sits behind TechCrunch+

Pick Ars Technica when

IT professionals and sysadmins
Security news followers
Long-form tech readers
Gadget review shoppers

When Ars Technica is not a fit

Casual skimmers wanting short headlines
Shoppers wanting simple buy/don't-buy verdicts
Non-technical readers
Anyone refusing subscriptions for news

Sources

TechCrunch | Startup and Technology Newstechcrunch.com
official
TechCrunch+ Membership FAQtechcrunch.com
official
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 - Ticketstechcrunch.com
official
TechCrunch - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
news
I think I've finally had enough of TechCrunchreddit.com
review
Has ArsTechnica and TechCrunch lost its waynews.ycombinator.com
review
Just got back from TechCrunch Disrupt 2025reddit.com
review
Security News | TechCrunchtechcrunch.com
security
Ars Technica homepagearstechnica.com
official
Ars Pro and Ars Pro++ Details & FAQarstechnica.com
official
Subscribe to Ars Technicaarstechnica.com
official
Category: Reviewsarstechnica.com
official
Author: Dan Goodin, Senior Security Editorarstechnica.com
official
Editor's Note: Retraction of article containing fabricated quotationsarstechnica.com
news
Ars Technica Fires Reporter Over AI-Generated Quotesreddit.com
review
Ars Technica used in malware campaignreddit.com
security