Espresso from The Economist

Pierre Maraval

4 months ago

This app has become bloated and buggy over the years, going away from daily info to add random content. It takes a lot of space on my device, doesn't work offline anymore, seeing the previous days' content is not possible anymore. Sometimes the app switches to the new day while I'm reading the articles, or randomly bugs. Some features are more or less welcome but understandable (accessibility, topic selection) but others seem useless, such as a trivia quizz, AI translation or video shorts.

Daniel Christopher Band

1 month ago

Probably the best brief news app I have ever used, great for a quick summary of the days current events.

Matthew Berning

4 months ago

app breaks often, does not perform basic function, if you try to play the current edition of the world in brief, it plays the previous one. there is no way to reset or force it to play the most recent story

Marco Del Mancino

4 months ago

very bad value for money - generic news that can be found everywhere for free. lack of the "the economist depth" - insufficient daily update - too British accent voices if you like the economist (like I do) pay a bit more for the full app. this is waste of money

A Google user

6 years ago

Great review of the major days events. Variety of stories which are not based on personal interest therefore gives a broader view of the world. I hate the news apps that focus on what they think interests you. I want to be exposed to new and different subjects in news and culture this app does that in five minutes of material funnily enough just enough time to consume an espresso

A Google user

3 years ago

Highly, and effectively condensed snapshot of global affairs. I appreciate each story having a footer referencing a more developed economist article. Also, the daily quotations are a nice touch and sometimes feature the characteristic economist humor. UPDATE: I use the app on android devices and have never had a problem. Right now it's a Samsung device running android 11.

Stephanie B

3 years ago

My previous review (2019) was 5 star. They have recently released the "new" version. It is decidedly inelegant and now resembles every other news app available. The writing remains good but the visual clunkiness of the interface and the stunning fact that they chose to remove the daily market data have made it no better than the rest. Heartbreaking.

A Google user

5 years ago

I've always had several dozen different news sources updating me every hour from social media to blogs to my TV(whether I was looking for it or not). And when I found this , it's been a game changer. Espresso gives me critical world updates in a quick 10 minute read. No more,no less. Do you miss out on some other news ?yes. But honestly there is so much noise this is just the perfect sweetspot . A fantastic way to unplug from the media churning machine and focus.

A Google user

6 years ago

Great concise content if occasionally random. Feedback: put news summary before short stories. Weekend edition focuses on arts, humanities, and science with some good stories though not always appropriate for a global readership (eg a story about some exhibit in London doesn't make sense for a reader in new york). Otherwise great app.

A Google user

5 years ago

Well, once upon a time, this app worked great when I subscribed directly through The Economist. Now, after having subscribed through Google Play, the app tells me I don't have an active subscription, even though I have one that is paid for until January 2020, and works fine on the actual Economist app. I have contacted both The Economist customer support and the app designer, and to date, nobody's solutions have been able to fix this very annoying problem. No refund available, either.

A Google user

6 years ago

Well, The Economist has finally succeeded where other news organizations have failed by getting me to subscribe. Espresso is 5 short news summaries of important stories from around the world, often government or business focused, and a handful of one paragraph bite sized pieces. It gives me a broad perspective, makes me feel smart and well informed, and can be read quickly on the bus or while eating. If you're in the fence, download the app and try their one article a day free version. See how long it takes you to upgrade to the full trial.

Logan Nye

5 years ago

This app is a wonderful way to stay current on world events without having to watch the news or filter through unverified articles shared by acquaintances online. The columns are somewhat editorialized (which I find humorous), but it also reveals the underlying biases of the journalists. Despite it carrying a slant (like any news outlet does), I will continue to log in for its quick, easy-to-digest updates on world news.

Robert Sander

3 years ago

Love this app after using it for 6 years. The magazine is excellent and this app provides concise short, clear notes on stories across the world. Only reliable source of international news, as US news dominates other apps. Read it every day and look forward to it. Tightly written articles with well placed financial data and then a fun quote to finish it off. Still love it. Updated 10/2021. In addition this is offered as a podcast.

A Google user

3 years ago

Good app. 9/11/2019 update, quite some time ago they deleted the financial markets data and it has never returned, of course the subscription price wasn't reduced to compensate for losing that data. 10/15/21 They finally returned the financial data a while ago. Still has a very left leaning outlook. Not very open to ideas that go against what is politically correct. Although I wish they were less biased, they still have a good coverage of the world so I haven't yet canceled.

A Google user

6 years ago

It is 2019. I am able to stream high quality video footage of individuals playing video games from virtually anywhere in the planet. Yet this application can't even reliably load 5 mini articles each day. I always see "Sorry, things are taking longer than usual." If it takes 5+ minutes to load every day (assuming it loads at all) that isn't unusual. I dont have such problems.on my iPad, where things load without a hiccup. Such awful experience for a paid subscription.

A Google user

6 years ago

Overall I really like the idea of this app. I enjoy the bite size chunks of information across the world and the additional links on complex topics to longer economist reads. I think it costs too much for what it is... you're basically paying $1 per 100 words. And you still have ads! And honestly it's a bit biased, dissapointingly. Most obnoxious of all is the quote of the day at the end of the spiel, which is 95% if not more a quote from a man that is taken out of context. Really unnecessary.

Amir Nahavandi

3 months ago

Espresso is my go-to for a sharp, no-fluff global briefing, before turning to the NYT. As someone with just the podcast subscription, it’s great to still get that signature Economist tone—concise, intelligent, and zero bloat. I check it with coffee most mornings: 5 articles, audio included, plus mini world updates through the day. The “Quote of the Day” is a smart touch. If you want signal without the noise, this app nails it. Quietly one of the most efficient ways to feel globally literate.