Review Insights · App Store
Harvard Business Review
Harvard Business Review · 14,278 ratings · ★ 4.7
4.7
★★★★★
14,278 ratings
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Top complaints - extracted from 84 negative reviews
Recurring phrases mined from 1-2★ reviews. The bigger the percentage, the more users have the same problem. Fix the top 2-3 in your version and you have product-market fit on day one.
1
"articles"
26 negative reviews mention this · 31% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Mobile Experience is not what it should be. How is the font size not adjustable? Trying to read these articles on an iPad is not a pleasant experience. Please look at apps that the Economist that provide a much better reading experience." - Jim.Kelly
2
"content"
22 negative reviews mention this · 26% of all complaints
★★★★★ "HBR executive. This app is not loading HBR Executive content. When you click a link in the masterclass email. The link redirects to opening the application. But application either says failed to load content or asks me to get executive subscription." - Napwalkrun
3
"read"
20 negative reviews mention this · 24% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Font size?. Adjustable font size please. Current font is nigh unreadable" - Rog983274
4
"subscription"
17 negative reviews mention this · 20% of all complaints
★★★★★ "HBR executive. This app is not loading HBR Executive content. When you click a link in the masterclass email. The link redirects to opening the application. But application either says failed to load content or asks me to get executive subscription." - Napwalkrun
5
"download"
15 negative reviews mention this · 18% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Step backwards. Getting ready for a long flight and it appears I cannot download full magazines anymore…." - w12jarjar
6
"magazine"
15 negative reviews mention this · 18% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Step backwards. Getting ready for a long flight and it appears I cannot download full magazines anymore…." - w12jarjar
7
"website"
13 negative reviews mention this · 15% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Add issues section back in the app. Please add the issues section back in the app. I love seeing the covers instead of Adi’s face all the time (no offense) and browsing content based on the current and past issues. I understand wanting to provide a stream of new content and…" - adegollado
8
"mobile"
11 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Mobile Experience is not what it should be. How is the font size not adjustable? Trying to read these articles on an iPad is not a pleasant experience. Please look at apps that the Economist that provide a much better reading experience." - Jim.Kelly
9
"experience"
10 negative reviews mention this · 12% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Mobile Experience is not what it should be. How is the font size not adjustable? Trying to read these articles on an iPad is not a pleasant experience. Please look at apps that the Economist that provide a much better reading experience." - Jim.Kelly
10
"offline"
10 negative reviews mention this · 12% of all complaints
★★★★★ "No offline version or way to save articles. Previous version of the app had a download option. Doesn’t exist in this most recent version. Guess I’ll have to lug around the paper copy of the magazine to read on airplanes." - Chuck20173
11
"access"
10 negative reviews mention this · 12% of all complaints
★★★★★ "iPad experience feels like its designed for iPhone. Sadly, the iPad app is missing the opportunity to take advantage of the form factor and deliver an exceptional experience. The layout of articles on the iPad feels completely off - as if it was designed for an iPhone. It’s unfortunate that …" - kgup
12
"issues"
9 negative reviews mention this · 11% of all complaints
★★★★★ "2025 and can’t download. Here it is 2025 and can’t download magazine issues or specific articles in preparation for a long flight. Completely disappointing." - Bob the young Minion
📋 All 84 negative reviews
Every 1-2★ review we fetched. Use the copy button to grab them all for your own analysis (paste into ChatGPT/Claude with a prompt like "summarize core user problems, group by theme, ignore bugs, focus on missing features").
HBR executive
This app is not loading HBR Executive content. When you click a link in the masterclass email. The link redirects to opening the application. But application either says failed to load content or asks me to get executive subscription.
Step backwards
Getting ready for a long flight and it appears I cannot download full magazines anymore….
Mobile Experience is not what it should be
How is the font size not adjustable? Trying to read these articles on an iPad is not a pleasant experience. Please look at apps that the Economist that provide a much better reading experience.
No offline version or way to save articles
Previous version of the app had a download option. Doesn’t exist in this most recent version. Guess I’ll have to lug around the paper copy of the magazine to read on airplanes.
Can’t Download the Magazine for my flight
I have reached out to customer service, and after a week I received a response, but they didn’t answer my question about how I can download the magazine for a flight.
2025 and can’t download
Here it is 2025 and can’t download magazine issues or specific articles in preparation for a long flight. Completely disappointing.
Not useful
For my use this app is inferior to web or printed edition. It does not allow picking a specific magazine issue and browsing through it, resuming an article (you can flag it but that is not the same as a bookmark). Also, it cannot display articles as printed (e.g. in PDF) that I particularly like about the magazine.
Quality Content, Poor App
How are we at the end of 2024, and there is still not a way to consume the content through the app in magazine form? The published version found in bookstores is the superior way to read HBR. The developer has stated for years that this feature is in beta, and that it should be rolled out soon. As if they were developing software for NASA. Please implement this basic feature for paying customers.
Aging in reverse
App is aging in reverse. Used to have the ability to download and read the magazine, but that was years ago. Now it's nearing the stage of being a beta app with little to no functionality.
I just want to read on a plane - I'm done
After many requests to improve the ability to read issues on a plane as well as listen to audio articles offline I am done. After 25 years as a customer I don't understand why what is considered a world leader in thought can't figure out how to make a functional app. Just cancelled my subscription. Thank you HBR.
Why is this application getting worse with each update
I read the HBR whilst traveling on a plane where it is required to DOWNLOAD the magazine before departure. I’ve waited patiently for months for the HBR technical team RESTORE the ability to download editions but nothing seems to be improving. I called support as i assumed it was a technical glitch that they were working on, after all, the ability to do the edition download has been there for years. It is not a technical glitch. They are working on ‘adding’ that functionality with no timeframe give.
Amateur.
Amateur.
ADA Violations
Can’t adjust type size for people who have vision disabilities.
They changed for the worse
The experience with the new App is the worst.
First, I paid several years for HBR magazines and I don't know why I
don't have them, if I cannot have them, I want my money back, because
that action is a scam. Second, HBR never told us "we want to take out
from the App the magazines, please downloaded them", so you stolen a
product that I bought. And third, the UX/UI in iPad is horrible.
If you don't change that in three or four months my subscription will
be cancelled.
First, I paid several years for HBR magazines and I don't know why I
don't have them, if I cannot have them, I want my money back, because
that action is a scam. Second, HBR never told us "we want to take out
from the App the magazines, please downloaded them", so you stolen a
product that I bought. And third, the UX/UI in iPad is horrible.
If you don't change that in three or four months my subscription will
be cancelled.
Removed archive of digital issues
One of the reasons I paid so much for a subscription was to gain digital access to prior magazines. They have removed that feature. Based on other reviews, it seems like this is a temporary issue; however, given the subscription is so expensive and this “temporary” issue has been ongoing for many months now, I find this development unsatisfactory.
Absolutely Terrible - Offline Magazines and Content Inaccessible
As a strong advocate for the magazine in both educational and corporate settings, the revised app and push to online articles only instead of magazine downloads is unwelcomed and did not take into consideration preferences of long-established users.
HBR should consider refunding annual subscriptions for this inconvenience and make it a priority to addressing this concern.
HBR should consider refunding annual subscriptions for this inconvenience and make it a priority to addressing this concern.
Useless app
Can not read offline
Glitchy at best
HBR should get a digital subscription to the economist and model them
Glitchy at best
HBR should get a digital subscription to the economist and model them
New version not great
The feature allowing download of magazine issues is gone. This was critical for reading offline.
Terrible app design and UX
For a publication with such rich content - and a strong POV on the tech business - this app is appalling. Difficult to use, impossible to find articles, or even the current issue. Truly terrible.
No longer have access to print version facsimile.
This feature was deleted from the updated app. Please bring it back.
Where are the magazines???
Who on earth over there decided to take off the magazines from the app? Please enlighten us. Also, please bring them back. Obviously this is unacceptable.
The app no longer allows access to magazines
I have been an HBR subscriber for over 25 years. However, the HBR app has become useless lately. In the past, I could read my magazines and even download them for offline reading. But now, it no longer allows us to access the magazines. This change is quite perplexing. Product managers and developers, do you even test the usability of your app?
Bad customer experience
Continuous issues with signing in as well as interface which not mobile friendly (no need for a picture of an article to take up the whole screen - makes the app very user unfriendly)
No CAPTCHA support
The app does not support CAPTCHAs, so I can’t login. It just says that there was an error. Using the same username and password, I can sign in on the website just fine because I can do the CAPTCHA. Please fix.
Each update worsens rather than improves the app
I’ve never understood how apps this bad are released. It’s like there is no testing before making it available. I think a random group of 10 people reviewing this app before launch would have universally told you not to release it.
What Happened?
Used to be a fantastic app! Now it is just better to go the website.
Content is great. App is spectacularly bad/weird.
First off, the content of HBR is great. The podcasts are great. I’m a fan of the content. But let’s talk about the app.
For an app that’s ostensibly for a magazine, you’d think that there’d be a big button somewhere that says “download current issue” or perhaps even just “current issue”. As far as I can tell, you can’t read the magazine in the iPad app…and that’s just weird.
My wish #1: the person who is responsible for the app should go on a flight and try to read the current issue of the magazine.
My wish #2: if the app is going to be this bad, then give us a “download PDF” option on the website. That’d be fine.
For an app that’s ostensibly for a magazine, you’d think that there’d be a big button somewhere that says “download current issue” or perhaps even just “current issue”. As far as I can tell, you can’t read the magazine in the iPad app…and that’s just weird.
My wish #1: the person who is responsible for the app should go on a flight and try to read the current issue of the magazine.
My wish #2: if the app is going to be this bad, then give us a “download PDF” option on the website. That’d be fine.
Bad upgrade for the app
I am really not enjoying the new version of the app. Challenging to navigate, can’t access previous digital versions, and no audio for articles. I don’t understand how this version is an upgrade
Horrible App
I was just told by HBR support that you cannot access magazie issues or podcast via the app. Combine that with the lack of download and audio, and I am deleting the app.
I hear it’s a great magazine I guess I’ll never know
Trying to sign up for this magazine online is a nightmare
I’ve given up.
I’ve given up.
Recent update is the worst
You could easily navigate the old app to see the recent version of the magazine and archives easily. You could also see the audio articles easily. The update is hard to navigate to find these. This is easily the worst app update I’ve seen in a long time. So disappointing.
New ipad app doesn’t download my library of magazines
They don’t appear at all in the library. I need to recur to the website to read my subscription.
Hate the redesign
No ability to view issue by issue. Even finding the current issue is very difficult. HBR isn’t something I read like the news or twitter…
No audio?
Taking audio away makes this app completely obsolete.
No offline reading
Bring back the ability to download the issue so I can read on a plane!
Just for AI
You destroy a lackluster app by taking audio articles away…so that AI can produce a more tailored experience or so that you can collect data? This is not the same app at all…not everyone wants to read articles…no way did your research show you that people are interested in only reading. Sooo boring now. Definitely canceling the subscription.
Offline viewing broken for months + Overall poor user experience
5 Stars for the content. This review is of the app not the content.
1. We can’t store the magazine for offline viewing. Something which was very useful on long flights. What was the logic to disable this functionality?
2. It should be mandatory for the Product manager of this app to read few articles on HBR on Customer Experience. There were 4-5 interesting articles on this topic this year (2023)
3. Huge gap in digital experience on Kindle vs HBR app. Not only is it bad for us (customers), its bad for the bottom line for HBR too. With the amazing content in HBR, not cross selling more efficiently should be a crime.
1. We can’t store the magazine for offline viewing. Something which was very useful on long flights. What was the logic to disable this functionality?
2. It should be mandatory for the Product manager of this app to read few articles on HBR on Customer Experience. There were 4-5 interesting articles on this topic this year (2023)
3. Huge gap in digital experience on Kindle vs HBR app. Not only is it bad for us (customers), its bad for the bottom line for HBR too. With the amazing content in HBR, not cross selling more efficiently should be a crime.
So bad it’s like it’s been hacked!!
Why do none of the articles have dates? Why don’t articles saved on the desktop version sync to the app? Why do I get an error message when I try to send an in-app message to tell you what the problems are that says “An active Email account setup is required on your device to use this
feature.”
feature.”
Waste
I love HBR but the mobile app is frustrating. You can't see your account number so I have no idea how to access my subscription on my computer. Customer support was not helpful and sent me a ton of instructions that ended with "Call the publisher as we are just the app developer." Don't waste your money.
Great Content. Awful app, clueless support reps
Great Content - however this is an awful app that clearly is not being invested in. Utterly clueless support representatives.
Seriously, someone could write an HBS case study around this.
Seriously, someone could write an HBS case study around this.
Not recognizing my subscription
The app doesnt recognize my subscription. Still waiting to hear from customer support after 48h
I am sorry but this is garbage
I am sorry but this is garbage. Almost nothing works. Notifications lead to the main page, switching from app and back leads to losing the article you read and so on :(
Offline mode broken?
The main reason to get this app is an offline mode while traveling. Otherwise it would be easier to just buy the physical mag. This app seems to refuse to download content for offline mode. Please fix.
Website Search is Superior
The HBR website is more user friendly. Easier to search for articles and to filter by topic. This app blows.
Awful app. Awful experience
This is a terrible app. Reading every article one must work around a bug or two to get to the article. One you have navigated to the article, you then have to work around bugs in the scrolling implementation.
For an app meant almost exclusively for reading articles, this thing BARELY meets the bar. They have done the bare minimum.
Not to be inconsistent however, the HBR website is equally awful. So, here I am.
For an app meant almost exclusively for reading articles, this thing BARELY meets the bar. They have done the bare minimum.
Not to be inconsistent however, the HBR website is equally awful. So, here I am.
Cannot login with subscriber account
Cannot login with my subscription HBR account. Do y’all *not* want my money?
Horrible app
Just wow. How difficult can it be to have the subscriber credentials be the same across all platforms? Apparently this is an impossible task for Harvard Business Review, such an inefficient process from the subscriber point of view. I already paid for a year, but I am unsubscribing afterwards. This is ridiculous.
Can’t log in with account
They think you should pay separately for mobile and browser for the same content :,( I’ll read from Chrome I guess.
Several Bugs
Several bugs… you search for an article but when you click, it doesn’t open. You save it and try to open, no response… whoever manages this product please just test it across devices, the problems are quite obvious.
Unable to access posts
I really love the content. So, I got the subscription and got the app on my phone. But when ever I search an article from ads in LinkedIn, never opens. I don’t get neither message nor error.
This happens every article I search for and tried to read up on current issues I am facing.
This happens every article I search for and tried to read up on current issues I am facing.
Poor user interface
The font is a fairly small size and can’t be adjusted. Apparently HBR is using some shabby 3rd party to provide the content and after asking about font adjustment this was their response:
“ We regret to inform you that as of now we don't support this functionality in our system and is not on the product roadmap for the near future.”
Font size adjustments is pretty much a given in iOS apps. (Is it a requirement?) Deleted the useless app.
“ We regret to inform you that as of now we don't support this functionality in our system and is not on the product roadmap for the near future.”
Font size adjustments is pretty much a given in iOS apps. (Is it a requirement?) Deleted the useless app.
+ 34 more in the clipboard copy
Sentiment summary
94%
Positive (4-5★)
2%
Neutral (3★)
4%
Negative (1-2★)