# The Press vs CalMatters

The clearest difference is review sentiment: CalMatters at 50% against The Press's 6%. CalMatters also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). The Press's advantage is ratings volume (261 vs 18). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. The Press sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. CalMatters asks for nothing beyond the download.

CalMatters holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Press has 261 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 6% of The Press's written reviews are positive against 50% of CalMatters's.

The Press ships an update monthly, CalMatters every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Press | CalMatters |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (261 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-press-enterprise/id1218912043/reviews) | **[5.0 (18 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calmatters/id6475375084/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **261** | 18 |
| Positive reviews | 6.3% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | — | **#91** |
| Size | 188 MB | 53 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [MediaNews Group](https://appshunter.io/developer/364357227) | [CalMatters](https://appshunter.io/developer/1724098439) |

## What reviewers say

### The Press

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-press-enterprise/id1218912043)

Access local news with personalized content recommendations and saved articles for later. Customize notifications and enjoy offline reading. Includes a digital replica of the daily newspaper.

**Highlights:** Personalized news recommendations, Saved articles for later reading, Customizable push notifications, Digital newspaper replica (Enews), Offline reading capability, Swipe navigation between articles, Follow/unfollow topics

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Press-Enterprise Monthly Sub | $14.99 | per month |
| Press-Enterprise Annual Sub | $174.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 App works fine for some users

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 App rarely works
- 👎 Fails to load articles
- 👎 Run-on spelling errors
- 👎 Curated newspaper layout is junk
- 👎 Words run together

**Reported bugs**

- App rarely works
- Fails to load articles
- Run-on spelling errors
- Words run together with no spaces
- Lines split into paragraphs at random places

**Requested features**

- Bring back the old app format
- Improve curated newspaper layout
- Fix Next/Previous buttons
- Improve swipe navigation
- Allow selection of local news by city


### CalMatters

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calmatters/id6475375084)

**Currently charting:** #91 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers (US App Store)

This app provides in-depth, nonpartisan news coverage focused on California's quality of life issues. It aims to hold leaders accountable and explore solutions through investigative journalism.

**Highlights:** In-depth news coverage, Focus on quality of life issues, Accountability journalism, Solutions-oriented reporting, Covers California and its economy

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Press free?

The Press is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is CalMatters free?

CalMatters is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, The Press or CalMatters?

CalMatters is rated higher. The Press averages 4.6 out of 5 from 261 ratings, while CalMatters averages 5.0 from 18 ratings.

### Do The Press or CalMatters have ads?

The Press shows ads; CalMatters does not.

### Which is updated more often, The Press or CalMatters?

The Press ships an update monthly, and CalMatters every 2 weeks. Most recently, The Press was updated on November 2, 2026 and CalMatters on November 4, 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.*