The Digital Age
Our world today is completely digitised. People are switching books for iBooks, magazines for iPads and journals for blogs. Print media is reporting declining revenue and this trend will only continue as the years go by. In the past, we might have seen books up people’s noses on trains or buses. Now, we see everyone engrossed in their various devices instead, whether it’s an smartphone or an iPad.
The internet is not controlled by a monopoly like our print media counterparts, and this has allowed people to gravitate towards what they find most interesting, on an even level playing field. This has allowed sites like TheOnlineCitizen, Mothership and even TheRealSingapore to obtain a healthy amount of traffic. But this list is not about news sites – here, we look at lifestyle and magazine sites.
So which magazines in Singapore are people reading? What are some online titles you should be looking out for in the future? It’s also worthy to mention that most of these magazines have higher monthly readership numbers than their print counterparts too. And to those that have good figures for both, kudos to you!
Here is a list of the most popular online magazines visited by Singaporeans based on Alexa rankings.
The Top 20 widely-read Online Magazines
#20. RunSociety
Local Site Ranking: 2,143 | Global Ranking: 303,847
It’s always nice to see sports magazines making it to top 20 lists! Singapore’s running scene has burgeoned over the past decade, and RunSociety had been founded to cater to the interests of runners from all walks of life, uniting them under a common umbrella.
This is where you keep up with the latest developments in the running scene.
#19. Lifestyle Asia
Local Site Ranking: 2,020 | Global Ranking: 95,666
Lifestyle Asia is a portal dedicated to keeping anyone and everyone updated on the latest trends in lifestyle. Lifestyle Asia offers both international and localised content through features, listings, event galleries and videos, and they declare that their magazine provides the guide to living the luxury life.
#18. Singapore Tatler
Local Site Ranking: 2,002 | Global Ranking: 109,111
Singapore Tatler is the country’s most trusted and enduring high-society and luxury lifestyle publication. This online portal presents the best of Singapore and beyond through personality profiles, glamorous party pictures, fashion shoots and authoritative articles on luxury lifestyle trends.
#17. epicure Food Magazine
epicure – Life’s Refinements Official Facebook Page
Local Site Ranking: 1,756 | Global Ranking: 458,842
Well, Singaporeans are known for their love for food, so it’s no wonder that a food magazine makes it into the top 20. epicure Food Magazine is a monthly gourmet lifestyle magazine designed for people who have cultivated, refined and sociable tastes for food and drinks.
They make it their mission to source out the latest dining trends, exceptional wine vintages and to uncover the “dynamics and intricacies of the local and international culinary scene”. Their magazines also cover profiles of celebrity chefs and winemakers, and showcases exclusive recipes complemented by charming photos.
#16. City Nomads
Local Site Ranking: 1,561 | Global Ranking: 212,473
City Nomads was founded in 2011 and has become a source of information on the city’s happenings. They discard the unwanted content and only report the Nomad-worthy restaurants, bars, culture, fashion lifestyle and nightlife happenings.
#15. L’Officiel Singapore
Local Site Ranking: 1,284 | Global Ranking: 176,205
They call themselves the Fashion Bible. This magazine appeals to those who want a refreshing read that always has its finger on the pulse of fashion, beauty and lifestyle. It is largely read for their latest trend reports, in-depth style and beauty features, interviews with prominent figures and captivating fashion and beauty spreads.
The online edition features the best reads from the magazine and fresh content from their online team, and at the same time provides the most updated trends in fashion, beauty and lifestyle.
Wanna be a fashionista? Consult the Bible. For more fashion inspiration you should also check out our list of top fashion instagram accounts to follow in Singapore.
#14. Expat Living Singapore
Local Site Ranking: 940 | Global Ranking: 116,151
Founded in 2002, Expat Living is one of the more established magazines in Singapore. It makes the top 5 in providing the guide to living in our country, whether for expatriates or tourists.
Expat Living offers information ranging from plays, concerts and exhibitions to best restaurants to dine at. They hope to update their site with fun and valuable content that will help one make a home in Singapore.
#13. Cosmopolitan
Local Site Ranking: 931 | Global Ranking: 2,082
Who hasn’t heard of Cosmopolitan, right? Its global ranking is impressive, and naturally, it is one of the most visited online magazines in Singapore. Cosmopolitan is one of the best-selling young women’s magazine and the #1 women’s magazine, or so they say. They deliver the latest news on men and love, sex, fashion and beauty, women’s health and self-improvement, and entertainment.
We all know that means gossip. This is the place to get the latest scoop on celebrities.
#12. Men’s Folio
Local Site Ranking: 917 | Global Ranking: 120,596
Men’s Folio is Singapore’s foremost fashion and lifestyle magazine for the men. They provide daily wardrobe inspiration by posting photos of the best-dressed stars and clotheshorses around, offers the latest updates on stylish runway looks and coolest gadgets in town. They are driven to provide you with the most authoritative and entertaining online read on men’s fashion.
I didn’t know that this magazine existed before this, but with all the hunks featured… I’m sure this site is frequented by ladies as much as men!
#11. Time Out Singapore
Local Site Ranking: 771 | Global Ranking: 93,899
Those who read Time Out Singapore will find information about Singapore’s nightlife, entertainment and the arts. Time Out Singapore makes it a point to visit the hundreds of venues they feature, including restaurants, bars, nightclubs, theatres, cinemas, spas, shops and hotels.
#10. Wardrobe Trends Fashion
Local Site Ranking: 732 | Global Ranking: 32,680
Wardrobe Trends Fashion (WTF) offer insights into both Singapore’s and international wardrobe, trends and fashion (duh!), and also includes music, shopping and many more.
What I find amazing is that WTF started off as a student publication initiative in 2009, as a magazine distributed in university campus of Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS). Today, it has climbed the ranks to become one of the most read online magazines in Singapore!
#9. Luxury Insider
Local Site Ranking: 694 | Global Ranking: 64,727
Just slightly ranked ahead of WTF is Luxury Insider, another fashion read for the locals. Singaporeans surely do prioritise keeping up with trends!
Luxury Insider, however, features only products and services of the very highest order available in the world today. It is definitely the guide for becoming a luxury experts, and is the essential guide for the modern connoiseur.
#8. herworldPLUS
Local Site Ranking: 536 | Global Ranking: 53,780
herworldPLUS is the quintessential guide for Singapore’s stylish women achievers. It holds an authority on Singapore’s women’s interest magazines, and is the number one site to go to for information on shopping, fashion and beauty trends for women in Singapore.
It offers original and interactive reads, and is your one-stop source for news and views on everything in a woman’s life.
#7. Stuff
Local Site Ranking: 596 | Global Ranking: 10,203
Stuff.tv Singapore is the online hub for cool tech coverage, and is the world’s biggest-selling gadget magazine. They feature tech news about the world’s most trusted gadget tests and exclusive previews of the latest phones, computers, apps, games, TVs, tablets…. and so on.
#6. KiasuParents
Local Site Ranking: 406 | Global Ranking: 55,758
KiasuParents.com consists of an online social network of concerned parents with children under 16 years of age, who make use of this platform to share their views, questions and concerns with regards to parenting and education in Singapore.
Like they say, they are “for parents, by parents”.
#5. SingaporeMotherhood
Local Site Ranking: 405 | Global Ranking: 62,334
Set up in 2005, SingaporeMotherhood.com was created to provide a one-stop portal to cater to the needs of local parents and parents-to-be with information relevant to this new phase of their lives.
#4. Vulcan Post
Local Site Ranking: 355 | Global Ranking: 42,357
Part tech news site, part magazine, The Vulcan Post targets Generation Z: those who care about and embrace technology in their daily lives. With news about the latest lifestyle technology and products, and creating topics for discussions, they hope to add a human element to technology and discuss how technology is affecting our lives.
“Everything on Vulcan Post talks about technology and lifestyle.”
#3. TheSmartLocal
Local Site Ranking: 286 | Global Ranking: 57,136
TheSmartLocal is the most visited travel and lifestyle portal in Singapore. They give the best information on what to do inside and outside of Singapore, be it food reviews, entertainment, arts and culture or travel ideas. It is a one-stop hyper-local portal for Singaporeans to easily obtain information about the happenings in our city.
Well, being the top visited travel and lifestyle site surely says something about their content.
#2. The New Age Parents
Local Site Ranking: 101 | Global Ranking: 45,615
thenewageparents.com is a free online parenting magazine and resource site designed to answer queries on parenting, child care, education, health, bonding and toys. It was created by a stay-home mother, and is definitely an incredible feat achieved.
#1. theAsianparent
Local Site Ranking: 162 | Global Ranking: 18,544
Standing at number 1 is theAsianparent, a free online community targeted at urban parents and parents-to-be who live in Asia. It is the largest parenting website in Southeast Asia and is available in five countries and four languages.
They have over 1.7 million visitors and over 6 million page views monthly.
You know, the proliferation of all these parenting sites really makes me proud of parents in the past. They had no such help but they raised us fine all the same!
Did we miss any?
So there you have it, the top 20 most read online magazines today! As you can see, our most popular reads are mainly parenting websites. It’s not surprising, considering the “kiasu” culture we have today. It’s impossible to deny that as much as I want to.
The rankings were all collated from Alexa, and if we missed any out, feel free to leave a comment down below!