# Belfast Live vs County Down Spectator

The clearest difference is ads: County Down Spectator at none against Belfast Live's shown. County Down Spectator also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 32%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). Belfast Live's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 5 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Belfast Live sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and County Down Spectator sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $14.49 per 3 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Belfast Live ships an update monthly, County Down Spectator every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Belfast Live | County Down Spectator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (60 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/belfast-live/id1066821187/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **60** | — |
| Positive reviews | 31.9% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | Subscription |
| Size | 120 MB | 100 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Trinity Mirror Digital Media Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/360153141) | [D. E. ALEXANDER & SONS, LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1315869205) |

## What reviewers say

### Belfast Live

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/belfast-live/id1066821187)

Stay informed about local news, entertainment, and events in Northern Ireland. Get breaking news alerts, personalized content, and live sports coverage. Access exclusive journalism and interactive features with a subscription.

**Highlights:** Breaking news alerts, Personalized content feed, Live sports coverage, Event listings, Interactive features, Save articles for later, Daily puzzles

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 📰 Up-to-date local news
- 👍 Easy to use and download
- 📱 Keeps users informed
- ✅ Covers local stories BBC misses
- ✨ Brilliant app for updates

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Premium service required
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with login
- 🚫 App not working
- 👎 Cookie consent overwhelming
- 🗑️ App deleted due to cookies

**Reported bugs**

- Bookmarks gone after update
- App not working on older smartphones
- Login via Apple/Google not working
- App not loading properly
- Photos not loading in articles

**Requested features**

- Option to 'not agree to all' cookies
- Easier cookie management
- Dark mode option
- Improve video encoding
- Fix phone rotation issues


### County Down Spectator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/county-down-spectator/id1315869206)

Access award-winning local journalism on your iPhone or iPad. Get the digital edition of the newspaper every Thursday, with options to save articles offline and browse an extensive archive. Support local news and your community.

**Highlights:** Full access to local journalism, Weekly digital newspaper edition, Offline article saving, Extensive archive browsing, Keyword and topic search, Adjustable text size

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| County Down 3 Month | $14.49 | per 3 months |
| Edition - 20190228 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Edition - 20190404 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Edition - 20190411 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Edition - 20190509 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Edition - 20190515 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Edition - 20190522 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Edition - 20190529 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Edition - 20190606 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Edition - 20190613 | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Belfast Live free?

Belfast Live is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is County Down Spectator free?

County Down Spectator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Belfast Live or County Down Spectator have ads?

Belfast Live shows ads; County Down Spectator does not.

### Which is updated more often, Belfast Live or County Down Spectator?

Belfast Live ships an update monthly, and County Down Spectator every 5 months. Most recently, Belfast Live was updated on October 22, 2026 and County Down Spectator on October 19, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*