# Journal Star — user reviews > 75 indexed App Store user reviews of Journal Star by Lee Enterprises, rated 2.70/5 from 309 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-star/id372575588/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-star/id372575588.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 94 · 4★ 34 · 3★ 12 · 2★ 14 · 1★ 155 ## What do users think of Journal Star? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 📱 Good for accessing local news on mobile - ✍️ Well-written articles - 📰 Comprehensive local news coverage **Cons** - 🐛 App crashes frequently - 🐛 Articles fail to load or display blank pages - 🐛 Login issues and constant re-authentication required - 💰 High subscription cost ($25.99-$26.99/month) - 📵 Intrusive and excessive ads - 🔐 Subscription tracking problems - charged despite cancellation - 📱 Poor app navigation and cluttered interface - 🎯 Difficult to find local news content - 🔄 Inconsistent menu functionality - 📐 No landscape mode support on iPad - ⚠️ Malicious ad content (fake virus warnings) - 🔍 Missing search functionality - 🎬 Forced video ads that cannot be closed - ⚡ App performance degradation over time - 🔄 Frequent need to reinstall app - 🗑️ Content quality concerns - 🌐 Paywall implementation without clear communication **Commonly reported bugs** - App crashes on launch or during use - Articles fail to load or display blank/white screens - Black screen pop-ups that cannot be closed - Login credentials not saved; constant re-authentication required - App stops loading pages in e-edition after some time - Subscription verification failures despite active subscription - Articles not refreshing or updating - Links to articles not working properly - App incompatible with iPad landscape orientation - App incompatible with iOS 14+ versions - Random podcast audio playing in background - Pages jumping around while reading - Ads hijacking navigation to revenue pages - E-edition content not displaying correctly - Inconsistent menu states between old and new versions - App freezing or becoming unresponsive **Most requested features** - Landscape mode support for tablets - Improved search functionality - Better content organization and categorization - Free or lower-cost subscription tier - Removal or reduction of ads for paid subscribers - Consistent and intuitive menu design - Better local news prioritization in feed - Improved article loading reliability - Better support for older iOS versions - Ability to store sign-in information ## Newest reviews (17 of 75) ### 1/5 — Terrible app *2023-01-08, version 9.1.4* headlines links don’t always work, even for the top stories of the day. Ads pop up in odd places and the app will often reset all the way to beginning of the article — this very frustrating when you are trying to read the last couple of paragraphs of an article. I’m thinking of canceling my subscription because the app is so bad. Look to the Washington post for an app that works well. ### 1/5 — Absolute garbage *2023-01-02, version 9.1.4* Most of the articles open to a blank page. I’m not the only one experiencing this. Not to mention the content isn’t worth anything these days either. Practically no local news any more either. Don’t waste your time. ### 1/5 — Update destroyed *2023-01-01, version 9.1.4* Since the last update, about one out of every three articles does not load. Just a white screen. I have reported it several times to support, and their solution is to uninstall and reinstall. But that does not fix the problem. ### 1/5 — December update *2022-12-30, version 9.1.4* Love the app, but since the big update in mid December, with the new look, stories don’t load. It sits on a blank screen, and never brings up stories. Very rarely it loads a story. ### 1/5 — New update makes many articles not load *2022-12-28, version 9.1.4* I use the LJS app daily. When the app update came out a couple of weeks ago, random articles now won’t load. Alarmingly, it seems to be mostly articles about local crime that I can’t read, despite being a paying subscriber for several years. Fix the app so that ALL articles load! ### 1/5 — Worst paid app ever *2022-12-25, version 9.1.4* Half the articles don’t even show in all sections, the sliders show no pics of obits, description below doesn’t even say the deceased names, the old design before paid version was way better. Half the time I have to email myself the article so I can actually read it. Is there a zero stars ### 1/5 — $30 a month *2022-07-04, version 8.13.6* If you want to read articles you better pay ### 1/5 — Doesn’t store sign in info *2022-06-22, version 8.13.6* I have a paid subscription and the app crashes all the time. Have to constantly sign out and back in to view any news stories ### 1/5 — Fake Newz Rulz *2022-04-19, version 8.13.5* This liberal leaning fake news rag isn’t worth a price of free, let alone $25.99/ mo. ### 1/5 — $25.99 a month? *2022-03-20, version 8.13.5* I lived in Lincoln for years and have recently moved. The Journal Star has been my source for news for years, but they’ve recently started charting $25.99 a month to read their online content. Does anyone actually pay that for this poorly edited content? Doubtful. I’m deleting the app and will find my news elsewhere. LJS can kiss my d. ### 1/5 — So discouraged *2022-03-09, version 8.13.5* I used to use this for all my news. Then out of the blue it says that I have to pay for a subscription. So bummed. I guess I will have to find somewhere else to read about local news. ### 1/5 — Not a Free App!!! *2022-02-28, version 8.13.5* Not a Free App!!! ### 1/5 — I paid, but no access with this app *2022-02-22, version 8.13.5* I have a paid subscription, but the app no longer allows me to access any articles with either my iphone7 or Amazon Fire device. I reported the issue, but with no result. ### 1/5 — Liberal trash of a newspaper *2022-02-17, version 8.13.5* Everything on this is anti trump and they don’t publish any bad articles about demorats going to jail or doing anything that would benefit the Republican Party. ### 1/5 — Unusable *2022-02-17, version 8.13.5* I literally can’t read a single article on the app anymore with out prompting me to pay. Not to mention they LITERALLY want $25.99 a month?? I just uninstalled because I am tired of the push notifications coming up and me not even be able to read a single one. Would rather have Ads and free content then having to pay a high premium. ### 1/5 — Are you Serious? *2022-02-13, version 8.13.5* $26 a month???? Hahahahaha. I hope that is just a glitch. ### 1/5 — High Dollar News Source not worth the price *2022-02-13, version 8.13.5* News stories used to be free with ads. Now this app requires a $26/month subscription. It’s the same news published through other local news apps free. Don’t waste your hard earned money. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Leftist news *2026-02-01, version 9.19.3* Typical biased left wing reporting, propaganda over facts. ### 1/5 — Can service get any worse? Can’t get the app to run. Local news is dismal. *2025-10-17, version 9.19* Why would anyone do business with you guys?? ### 1/5 — DO NOT GET A SUBSCRIPTION *2024-11-06, version 9.13.3* This paper was sold to Lee enterprises. They will not cancel subscriptions, keep charging you, and badger you when you call to cancel. I requested over 10 times to cancel my subscription and they spoke over me trying to seek me a subscription. Finally hung up and contacted my credit card company to cancel payment ### 1/5 — Awful *2024-10-10, version 9.13.2* App is awful. Crashes. Have to re-log in frequently. Stories not refreshed. Bad. ### 1/5 — Get your app together *2023-11-08, version 9.8* You take our money every month, but can not keep track of your subscribers. Continually get message: “please subscribe to continue reading…” We have been subscribers for many years. ### 1/5 — Unusable *2023-10-10, version 9.8* Despite having a subscription AND being logged in, I am asked to subscribe and am unable to continue reading. If you have a subscription don’t bother with the app. Use your web browser instead. ### 1/5 — Hard to find the local news *2023-07-08, version 9.6.1* The Journal Star is really encouraging its subscribers to go all-digital, but I’d feel a lot better about that if they would create an app that made it easy to find news. Somehow sports and obits keep floating to the top of this app. It would probably help if the app builders involved people who understand how people consume news. ### 1/5 — Trash *2023-06-01, version 9.5* ZERO SUPPORT- called journal start because I couldn’t log into the $25.99 app For a week….got told this was an Apple problem and I needed to contact them…..I don’t think so…. I’m just going to cancel… biggest waste of money in my life… ### 1/5 — I have to agree …. *2023-01-13, version 9.1.4* I lived in Lincoln for many years and love to keep up with things there …. But your app makes it impossible- fire the admin, AND MAKE IT FREE LIKE THE REST OF THE ONES IN AMERICA, MORONS. I guess I will use the local TV news stations. They are free, the apps work, AND THEY GET THE CONTENT CORRECT!! What a disappointment. ### 1/5 — Broken app, raising rates *2023-01-10, version 9.1.4* Not only does the app no longer load stories, but they sent a postal letter (!) today saying that they’re raising rates from $20 to $27. So far I haven’t been able to bring myself to NOT support local journalism, but I’m increasingly questioning whether the LJS really offers local journalism, especially when it can’t be read. This may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and sends me to healthier, more hopeful business models like the Nebraska Examiner or the Flatwater Free Press. I would pay so much more even than the raised rate to have good journalism that can be accessed! ## Most praised reviews (5 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Long time subscriber *2025-03-22, version 9.16.1* I get most of my news on the app and really enjoy that. It is all I need for local news and the Journal does a good job. Not a fan of crossword puzzles and comics and the other extras in the big paper. ### 5/5 — Surprisingly good *2019-10-06* Based on the reviews I thought the app would be terrible, but I have found no problems with it. ### 4/5 — Annoying Scrolling *2025-03-19, version 9.16.1* The articles are well written, but the annoying “being taken to adds” when trying to scroll up or down on the article will make me cancel my subscription! ### 2/5 — App constantly crashes *2024-07-21, version 9.12.3* I love having my local newspaper in a handy app on my phone. However, this app does not deliver. After some time it stops loading pages in the e-edition. I have to delete and reinstall the app to get it working again. I usually have to do this every 1-2 months. Please look into updating this app. ### 2/5 — November 2018 update needs fixed *2018-11-04, version 5.1* Articles won’t load. The design is cluttered and more difficult to navigate. Viewing journal star content on a web browser is much preferable to this app as its currently been rolled out. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-26.*