The magazine market is shrinking. Figures even suggest that the men’s magazine market is shrinking along with it. Heck, some claim (especially, women) that the breed of men are themselves in danger. All of this may be true – especially the first two – but media evolves every day. Your corner newsstand may not look the same anymore as long-standing magazines shut shop or shift over to the online world.But the fact of the matter is, people including men still do read. Let it be on the web or on tablets. Here are the top ten men’s magazine websites you can catch online for free. Or at least, a substantial portion of their content. There is a lot to choose from as popular names have gone for a digital makeover. The paper magazine may offer more as you hold it between your hands, but their digital counterparts too offer a lot in the may of multimedia and downloads.
Maxim
Let’s start with a bit of drool. The digital edition of Maxim has enough drool worthy ‘news’ bytes to keep you happily occupied. Apart from the very obvious, Maxim also casts a side glance at the other things we men love – sports, gadgets, upkeep (lifestyle), vices (travel, food, gambling etc.), tough sh#&t (manly feats), and funny. Each section has its own sub-channel. So, along with photos of hot girls you also have a combat account of a U.S. Navy SEAL in Afghanistan. All packaged together make Maxim one of the world’s topmost men’s magazines. Maxim leads in the U.S. and also has country specific editions. The digital version of Maxim has articles that are not usually featured in the print mag, but are around the same topics.
FHM
For Him Magazine (now, simply FHM) is a monthly lifestyle magazine for men which started its life in the U.K. As is the nature of things, some of the sections are definitely NSFW. It’s a bit more explicit that Maxim. Similar to Maxim, FHM also has country specific editions both for print and online (in 23 languages and in over 30 countries). The web version has a gaming section with online games like poker and casino.
Esquire
Esquire started its publishing run in 1932 as a men’s magazine in the U.S. Style, manners, money, culture, and cuisine is covered along with politics. Esquire has 17 international editions with varied local flavors. As a man, you can call yourself well-rounded if you can jump from The Politics Blog to the Style blog, and then hop across to read up on Food and Drinks. In each section you can catch the directory which is a selection of popular articles published in recent times. Don’t forget to catch Esquire’s very own Sexiest Woman Alive annual list which is mix n’ match list from around the world.
GQ
This one too features a section on babes. How could a men’s magazine not? But then it features style, cars, technology, lifestyle, culture, sports and fitness too. To round it all off theirs a section on breaking news and politics with an offbeat look at men who make it happen. The magazine and its online avatar have a heavy focus on style (Read – The Style Guy). If you can afford to buy the snazzy high-end suits and gizmos, then this online men’s magazine is a definite read. But GQ also has enough cultural commentary to keep you interested about the other things in life.
Men’s Health
Fitness, nutrition, weight loss, and in general healthy lifestyle tips are for the man who wants to be in control of his life. So, there are sections on grooming and relationships too. You can subscribe to the four newsletters (like the Daily Dose newsletter) to get the health tidbits in your inbox. Men’s Health also has a well-populated forum where you can join in. if you are really fastidious about what you eat, check out the Eat This, Not That section for the best and worst of food.
Men’s Journal
If you love the outdoors and have a sense of adventure, then grab the issues. Alternatively, you can head to this men’s magazine site and read up some of the content for free. There are features on travel and adventure gear, an outdoor gear store, photo galleries, and a section on the mind/body. This men’s magazine is for the active man.
Wired
A little bit of geekiness is almost essential for the 21st century male. Wired is the place for you if you want to be on the cutting edge of technology. Wired is neatly organized into sections, each specific to a certain mainstream geek culture. For instance, you can head to the GeekDad blog is about parenting while surrounded by technology. It was ranked a couple of years back as one of the top 25 blogs by Time. Product reviews and the How-To Wiki are also must reads.
Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics could be the man’s bible for knowing how everything around us works. If you are of the inquisitive kind, head here. You get everything from how to hang a picture frame to how to build a bomb shelter explained in detail. And it’s not boring at all. Popular Mechanics has a rich history (first published in 1902), and one can easily say that it is definitely one of the best magazines (or website) in the world.
You can read past issues going back to 1905 on Google Books.
Golf Digest
It is the number 1 golf magazine and the online website is pretty good too where you can read up on instructional tips and techniques, look at equipment hotlists, check out pictorial spreads of courses, and get the latest from the tours. There’s a very nice video section too for a multimedia look at things like a pro’s swing to the best courses to play on.
Smart Money
Forbes.com is the one which comes to mind when one thinks about a magazine on business. Smart Money is another leading publication that is not exclusively for men. It is described as a magazine for the man on the lookout for personal finance information. From an inside look at the markets, you have regular features on nurturing your wealth. Financial glossaries and how-to guides ensure that you won’t be more confused about the economy than you already are.
The official online websites differ in some details from their print counterparts of course. You have more premium content in the magazines. But then, you have multimedia tools and resources in the online versions. Plus, the major slice of the content is free in the online version of these men’s magazines. Tell us which one you prefer.
Don’t be put off if you don’t see Playboy and others of its ilk. I have gone for a less risqué line-up and a mish-mash of subjects. It’s difficult to please everyone, so if you are frothing at the corners on not having your favorite mag on the list, do chaff away in the comments. We may have missed some, but don’t miss these previous testosterone inducing posts:
- The 7 Websites Every Man Should Be Reading
- 7 Men’s Fashion & Style Blogs That You Should Follow
- Read Complete Magazines Online in Google Book
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