Popular Science did not shut down as a publication or website. Its print magazine ended first; after a period as a digital magazine, that subscription product and PopSci+ exclusives were discontinued. The Popular Science website continued publishing articles and news.
What happened to Popular Science magazine?
The change happened in stages. Popular Science moved from print to a digital-only magazine in 2021. In November 2023, the company stopped the digital magazine subscription product. The brand and its website continued, so “the magazine shut down” does not mean that popsci.com closed.
| Product | What happened | What readers should know |
|---|---|---|
| Print magazine | Ended before the digital magazine subscription was discontinued. | By November 2023, the print edition had been gone for about three years, according to contemporary coverage. |
| Digital magazine | Launched as the all-digital magazine in 2021 and continued for a time; the subscription magazine later stopped. | Popular Science said in April 2023 that its issue appeared first on PopSci+, then in apps, on ereader, or through Apple News+. |
| PopSci+ exclusives | Discontinued along with the digital-edition offering. | The support page updated January 25, 2024, says the publisher was no longer publishing PopSci+ exclusives or digital editions. |
| Website | Continued publishing articles and news after the magazine subscription product stopped. | The 2024 support page said readers could browse popsci.com content freely “at this time”; that dated statement does not guarantee current access terms. |
When did the print and digital editions end?
Print ended before 2021
Contemporary coverage in November 2023 said the print version had ended about three years earlier. In 2021, Popular Science announced its move to an all-digital magazine, marking the next phase rather than the end of the publication’s web presence. Popular Science’s 2021 announcement described the digital offering and, at launch, an app archive with more than 15 years of back issues. That archive description is historical; it does not establish that the archive remains available now.
The digital magazine stopped in 2023
The magazine subscription service was discontinued in 2023, after the digital-only period. An April 2023 issue announcement shows that editions were still being distributed at that point: they appeared first on PopSci+, then through the apps, ereader, or Apple News+. The spring 2023 issue announcement describes that arrangement as it existed then, not as a current subscription offer.
In November 2023, Hackaday’s account of the announcement reported the end of the magazine subscription product and said the website and podcasts would continue. It described Popular Science as having published for 151 years, since 1872.
Is Popular Science magazine still published?
No—not as a print magazine or a digital subscription magazine, based on the publisher’s support information updated January 25, 2024. That page says Popular Science was no longer publishing digital editions or PopSci+ exclusives. The website is a separate product: the magazine’s end did not mean that the site or the Popular Science name disappeared.
The same support page said readers could browse all popsci.com content freely “at this time.” Because that access statement is dated, it should not be treated as a promise about today’s site access or every article’s availability. It also does not establish that digital back issues from the former magazine archive remain accessible.
Why did the magazine subscription stop?
MediaPost reported that Recurrent Ventures spokesperson Cathy Hebert discussed changing social-media patterns, growing consumer demand for video, and advertising budgets shifting toward video. She characterized adaptation as a response to a changing media landscape, rather than identifying one definitive cause. The reported explanation does not provide a detailed financial account of the decision, and no circulation, subscriber, revenue, or closure-cost figure was established in the cited coverage.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.“Like most media companies, Recurrent is adapting to the evolving landscape of its audience. Whether it’s due to shifting patterns in social media, an increase in consumer demand for video or shifting advertising budgets — which have also increasingly moved toward video — it’s clear that change is a consistent theme.”
What can readers access now?
The clearest distinction is between the former magazine products and the continuing website. The digital issues, PopSci+ exclusives, app distribution, and the back-issue archive described at the 2021 launch belong to the magazine’s past offerings; the available sources do not establish that they remain available today. The website continued publishing articles and news after the subscription magazine stopped, while its January 2024 support page described site content as freely browsable at that time.
Readers interested in the title’s print history can search for vintage Popular Science back issues. Historical issues from the 1950s and 1960s are mentioned in contemporary coverage, but availability, condition, and current sellers vary and are not established here.
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