# Press Democrat News — user reviews > 50 indexed App Store user reviews of Press Democrat News by Sonoma Media Investments, LLC, rated 4.54/5 from 4,491 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/press-democrat-news/id1451867850/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/press-democrat-news/id1451867850.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 3,331 · 4★ 599 · 3★ 193 · 2★ 76 · 1★ 191 ## What do users think of Press Democrat News? Overall sentiment: neutral **Pros** - 👍 Great local news source - 👍 Excellent local, national, and international coverage - 👍 Reliable and award-winning journalism - 👍 Valuable coverage and insight - 👍 Improved under new editor **Cons** - 🐛 Broken app, not working for over a month - 🐛 Clunky and slow e-edition - 🐛 Frequent login requirements - 🐛 Difficult to navigate, missing sections - 🐛 Glitchy, crashes frequently - 🐛 Lack of local sports coverage **Commonly reported bugs** - Login issues, unable to stay logged in - Freezing and crashing - Incompatibility with older devices - Inconsistent performance and functionality **Most requested features** - Easier navigation with visible sections - Ability to view full newspaper layout - Retain login information for longer periods - Improve comics and puzzles section - Add search functionality for past articles ## Newest reviews (15 of 50) ### 3/5 — Delivered *2022-07-16, version 4.35.720059288* I enjoy my paper very much but I have missed paper delivered so many times in the past three months that we get very upset for the past week it has been on time hopefully that will continue ### 3/5 — Great newspaper, just needs easier navigation *2022-02-26, version 4.35.720059288* As a long-time fan of the PD, I rely on the app when I am not in front of a laptop. I would love to see a dropdown with all sections visible. Now I have click on one item to see State, Nation, and World sections. I would also love access to comments through the app. ### 5/5 — Logging in... *2021-03-02, version 4.35.570056717* My iPad is not allowed to log in to the paper, and the password that has worked in the past ( newspaper1) doesn’t work. So I called up the help line ( after 8:00 am ) and after being left on hold for 10 minutes, was hung up on. Carl Merner ### 5/5 — Ned Vernon *2020-11-05, version 4.35.570056717* I now live in Roswell, GA. It is a few miles North of Atlanta. I was born in Antioch, CA. Just around the corner from Santa Rosa. I found your news paper by accident and I loved the way that you report the local news. It takes me back and I really enjoy that. I feel so sorry for the people, who are having to live through the terrible wild fires. Keep up the great reporting. ### 5/5 — Lucky Us *2020-10-23, version 4.35.570056717* The Press Democrat is one of the best regional newspapers in the country. Do not take it for granted ever. The journalists and staff there mount a daily trek up Everest so that we can see the world in which we live. Their coverage always begins with the human element. We are very lucky to be so well informed. Our thanks and gratitude to all of you who make it happen daily. ### 5/5 — Password and Access *2020-09-30, version 4.35.570056717* Hard to login and stay logged in. ### 5/5 — Great Local News Source *2020-09-27, version 4.35.570056717* The PD is a great source for accurate and detailed reporting. The news App works well. I use it daily and have had no issues with it. ### 5/5 — Support independent journalism! *2020-06-16, version 4.35.220052011* Unbelievable level of pro journalism and stunning award winning photography. Core to democracy is a free press. But in this new digital age of so many acting like a fact is what someone theyve decided to identify with makes up online, too much news is NOT journalism. It takes $ for a truly independent newspaper to survive. For the sake of our democracy, subscribe! ### 4/5 — Kincade Fire *2019-11-10, version 4.33.400044683* Only accurate information I could get on the Kincade fire. I am in Redding, California and my sister still lives in our home town. She was in the mark West area and it was mandatory evacuations. She would call me to find out what was happening. I called her the day they lifted the evacuation and she was able to get back to her home. She was very happy. She had been out of her house for 5 days. ### 5/5 — Valuable coverage and insight *2019-11-05, version 4.33.400044683* We appreciate being kept up to date on latest events and issues in one of our favorite places, Sonoma County ### 5/5 — Online Edition *2019-10-27, version 4.33.400044683* Outstanding! Employing simple logic allows easy access. I can read it more rapidly than the printed version. As a 80 year veteran of delivering papers while a Junior Dealer for the Seattle PI and reading them while I was delivering them, that says something. Ken Marshall - 50 year subscriber. ### 5/5 — Fix please. *2019-10-23, version 4.33.400044683* This app annoys like no other. I love the PD but the app is clumsy and ridiculous—loathe how it makes me sign in EVERY other second... ### 5/5 — Multiple/ Frequent Logins are annoying *2019-10-17, version 4.33.400044683* Love the PD. Awesome paper. Previous PD mobile app only had to login occasionally. The new app requires multiple logins, daily, which is very annoying! Please require weekly or less frequent logins for paying mobile app patrons. ### 5/5 — I like the old app layout better... *2019-05-15, version 4.33.400044683* I like how the old app had more condensed snapshots of the top stories so you could see more story options on the screen at one time. Now you need to scroll through large stories and there seem to be fewer. ### 5/5 — Press Democrat has won many awards *2019-04-25, version 4.33.360043982* Our family believes we need the Press Democrat because they cover the local and world news so well along with some pretty amazing photography.I also love receiving instant news updates on my phone. We are lucky to have such a well produced newspaper in Sonoma County! ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Lack of local sports *2019-05-18, version 4.33.400044683* This paper, has in the last 3-4 years, made a dramatic shift from covering local high school sports that has made me reconsider whether or not to subscribe any longer. The press’s lack of reporters for local sports is depressing to say the least. The only local sports they truly cover are fringe sports and smaller schools. Everyone deserves coverage especially in the town the the Press resides in. There appears to be a grudge that the sports department at the Press has for Rancho Cotati high school. I guess being league champions for the last few years and earning the #1 on seed in division 2 is not worthy of reporting on or even mentioning in the sports section. Teyia Bird is an outstanding player and Cloverdale has done extremely well this year but what about everyone else. It appears that the Press only cares about the small schools. It is what it is I guess so we don’t need your reporting and we can get our info from our smaller local lapsed the Community Voice who actually covers Rohnert Park’s teams. ### 1/5 — Why do I have to log in every single day? *2019-04-27, version 4.33.360043982* It’s ridiculous. The old one didn’t do this, You forced me to change apps and now I have to log in every day I want to read the paper. I don’t know why it bothers to tell me I’ve read all of my free articles because it prompts me to login on the very first article I select. Please fix. ### 1/5 — Please fix this app. *2019-04-15, version 4.33.360043982* Press Democrat is a great newspaper and I have enjoyed reading the local news for as long as I can remember. However, it is very frustrating having to log in every time I want to go in the app and read an article. I find I am less likely to use the app and read the newspaper. In fact, I am considering dropping my subscription if the app is not improved. It is just not worth the time and energy and mostly the annoyance to read an article or two. If you can change it to logging in once a week or once a month, that would be great. I also agree with other reviews that it is a lot harder to navigate. Banners across the top with each section, visible no matter what page you are on, would be a great improvement. I have to scroll around until I can find a tiny link to get to the “Local news.” ### 1/5 — No e edition *2019-03-30, version 4.33.330043768* Very hard to navigate and no option for the e edition. Unable to find puzzles to print as in e edition. I went to the website and downloaded the e edition newspaper and there were articles in the garden section I never saw on the app. Terrible update to an app that had its problems but worked. ### 1/5 — Bad upgrade *2019-03-30, version 4.33.330043768* The old app was a bit retro in many ways, but it worked. Today, I was forced onto the new app. It has better resolution and looks cleaner. But it is basically unusable: I could not find a way to browse all the sections. Tabs to navigate to major paper sections appear randomly at the top sometimes, but generally are not present. The app quit 4 times. And it keeps asking me to logon. So, I can’t access a lot of the paper, it crashes after 1 article, and I’m expected to logon for every article? I want to support my local paper - but only if I can read it. ### 2/5 — News access good-hard to navigate *2023-01-25, version 4.35.720059288* I consume my news via a hard copy, so use that to stop delivery and get acct information. It is not user friendly for this at all. ### 2/5 — Broken *2023-01-07, version 4.35.720059288* Hasn’t worked in over a month. Can’t get past the opening land “share information” landing page. ### 2/5 — eEdition of PD slow and clunky *2020-03-02, version 4.34.260050212* I have been a PD subscriber for over 15 years. I gave up my print edition in favor of the digital several years ago in an effort to be environmentally conscious and reduce paper clutter around the house. However, I’ve been SO disappointed in the digital edition and constantly struggle to use it. The worst part is that it is slow and clunky, I am constantly dancing around a page expanding and shrinking size, trying different positions in an effort to get the darn page to FOCUS and load. The pictures remain blurred out, the comics are a joke to say the least given the constant struggle to make the images load enough to be even readable. Beyond that the digital edition jumps around constantly, it reloads without warning and may jump to different pages while you are reading. There is no picking up where you left off because the paper is constantly loading new editions taking you away from what you were reading without permission. Finally there is no good way to ‘cut out clippings’ to save a recipe or an article about a new restaurant or an upcoming event to save for later. Emailing articles to yourself just does not do it. I stay a subscriber because there is some local news (although most national news is from yesterday’s New York Times) and I want to support local journalism but there are times when I wonder why I bother. Signed A Frustrated Reader ### 2/5 — Bad changes *2019-04-10, version 4.33.360043982* I do not like your changes to the new online version, some of the things I like in a paper are the puzzle page and the comics, also in the sports section there are no team standings and stats. I am seriously considering canceling my subscription. ### 2/5 — The app is flawed *2019-04-06, version 4.33.360043982* This app is fatally flawed. We cannot stay logged in on any device. When we asked for assistance, we were told that our login must be incorrect. Yet the login works on a computer so that is not the issue. We can only read three stories, then have to log in, then we read three, log in. Lather, rinse, repeat. Also we are reading fewer stories due to the strange organization of the new app. It is highly compartmentalized. Please develop a new version soon! We want to read our local paper but are feeling challenged! ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Great Sonoma county paper *2022-11-23, version 4.35.720059288* I’ve been reading the PD for years and like to stay up to date even while on vacation. Keep up the excellent work. ### 5/5 — Owner *2022-10-14, version 4.35.720059288* Love the Press Democrat great app I’ve been a subscriber for many years but what I don’t like is it occasionally telling me I need to sign in what a headache that is they need to eliminate that also also love the notifications keep me up-to-date on what’s going on ### 5/5 — Great online update for local news *2022-08-07, version 4.35.720059288* Local local Sonoma County News online. Well done. ### 5/5 — Much Improved *2022-02-07, version 4.35.720059288* The Press Democrat has much improved since Richard Green became editor. All the new reporters and focus is welcomed. Vern Smith Rohnert Park 4346 Heritage Ln ### 5/5 — PD is great...app is so-so. *2021-12-09, version 4.35.720059288* I love the press Democrat and read it daily in paper form. Occasionally it’s more convenient to read it in the app, which I am a registered user to use, but the app is glitchy, forces me to sign on every time and won’t bring up my password automatically, sometimes limits access to the range of contents, and so on. It needs some serious work. ### 5/5 — The Press Democrat *2021-11-19, version 4.35.720059288* The Press Democrat provides excellent local, national and International coverage. The sports section reporting is outstanding. Reading the Press Democrat was a ritual that I have kept up with even when traveling abroad. ### 5/5 — A great local paper *2021-11-18, version 4.35.720059288* I really appreciate the Press Democrat both for local coverage and for their National updates. There is always a lot of great information, entertaining comics and puzzles and good editorials. For a relatively “non-urban” newspaper, the PD can’t be beat! ### 5/5 — I Need My PD! *2021-07-25, version 4.35.700058997* I love the PD. It’s my joy to open and read it every day. Without it my morning coffee would be dull, even bitter. I thank God every day that I have such a reliable paper deliverer and I remember to tip him every three months and remember him at Christmas. The PD is a real, quality and award winning newspaper. It won a Pulitzer. I remember looking at the front page that day and seeing all the news people celebrating. I was proud of them. This was pre-COVID. The PD is locally owned and is still in print every day. It’s got a great digital website as well. I like to take the news quizzes on the website and write letters to the editor every few months. It’s fun to see them in print, though several haven’t been printed. The competition is pretty stiff. We have some great reader/writers out there. I hope the newspaper edition will always be relevant and available. We, in Sonoma County, and beyond are really fortunate to have a great newspaper to read. Subscribe to it today! Janie Haggerty ### 5/5 — Local news *2021-07-19, version 4.35.700058997* The first thing I did when arriving in Santa Rosa in 1978 was to subscribe to the Press Democrat. I had moved from Southern California where I had read the Evening Outlook for many years. In fact with my mom’s help I learned to read a bit. I had to spread it out on the floor because I could not hold it. The Press has improved greatly over the years and I am out front at 7:00 am looking for it each morning. I certainly enjoy stories of local people, both current and in the past. Gaye Lebaron is a jewel and I so enjoy Pete Golis. I read several newspapers each day, I am a real junkie. But the Press is my favorite. ### 5/5 — Freezes *2021-06-07, version 4.35.630058652* Someone needs to address the screen freeze that sometimes happens. It’s so annoying. --- *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 2026-06-10.*