Comparison

HCConnect vs Heraldnet

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

HCConnect

Stay informed about local government news, track community issues, and discover points of interest. This app provides personalized feeds, allows direct reporting of concerns, and offers helpful information for residents and visitors.

Highlights
  • Personalized local news feeds
  • Track permits and crime
  • Emergency alerts
  • Report community issues (M311)
  • Frequently asked questions (I Want To)
  • Discover local points of interest
Features
Read full description

For you, developed by Horry County IT/GIS, HCConnect is a local government first. Improving transparency while providing a direct channel for populace-driven communication and feedback. It's our mission to enable the country's most informed and engaged citizens to date. ------- Inform HCConnect's feeds keep you up-to-date with the latest local news and happenings in your neighborhood. Stay current with county news. Track permits, planning and zoning, and crime within your neighborhood. Receive personalized and localized emergency alerts during times of disaster. Personalize Only see the news that matters to you. HCConnect's feeds are dynamically built for the locations you actually care about. Subscribe to specific neighborhoods, even create and track custom locations to find highly-localized news and happenings in your feed. Engage M311 Putting power in the hands of the user. M311 takes brings community engagement into the digital age. You, the user, can now report issues you feel need attention directly from your phone. Choosing a category and providing relevant information like location and a photo, you're creating an actual case ticket. The ticket is then dispatched to the appropriate department, and we keep you updated with regard to its completion. I Want To I Want To answers your most frequently asked questions, and provides you with details, phone numbers and directions for you next course of action. Explore Visiting for the weekend and looking for a beach access with a shower? Or maybe your a resident looking for a local recreation center. Whatever the need, Explore Horry puts you in touch with the some of the best public points of interest in your area. Get directions, call for more information, and browse features all at a glance.

About

Heraldnet

Access local news from north King, Snohomish, and Island counties. Customize your feed, listen to articles, and receive breaking news alerts. View the digital print edition for comprehensive coverage.

Highlights
  • Customizable news feed
  • Read-aloud news articles
  • Push notifications for breaking news
  • Digital print edition view
  • Local coverage of sports, food, arts
Features
Read full description

Download the Heraldnet app to access local news whenever and wherever you are. The Heraldnet app makes it easy to stay informed about what is happening in north King, Snohomish and Island counties including sports, food and drink, the arts, and more. PRODUCT FEATURES Customize your news feed to display only the stories and topics you want to read Have the news read aloud to you while you relax or work Receive push notifications to your mobile device with the latest news coverage View the print edition of today's newspaper; a digital version of the printed paper The Heraldnet app is included for free with your digital or print subscription to the Everett Herald. Activate your digital access at www.heraldnet.com/subscribercenter/. Not a subscriber? Subscribe to the Everett Herald in the app to unlock access to subscriber exclusive content. Questions? Please contact us at customersvc@heraldnet.com or (425) 339-3200.

Screenshots

HCConnect4 screens
Heraldnet4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Heraldnet at 91% against HCConnect's 9%. Heraldnet also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.4) and ratings volume (269 vs 34). HCConnect's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Heraldnet holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Heraldnet has 269 ratings behind it against 34, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 9% of HCConnect's written reviews are positive against 91% of Heraldnet's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and September 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
HCConnect versus Heraldnet: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHCConnectHeraldnet
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (34 ratings)4.7 (269 ratings) — better
Positive reviews9.1% of reviews91.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings34269 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.4 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB40 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperHorry County GovernmentSound Publishing, Inc.

Customer experience

HCConnect

All ratings34 ratings
Positive52.9%
Neutral17.6%
Negative29.4%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive9.1%
Neutral27.3%
Negative63.6%

Heraldnet

All ratings269 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral2.2%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews82 reviews
Positive91.5%
Neutral2.4%
Negative6.1%

Bugs and requests

HCConnect

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Heraldnet

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • App won't open puzzles section
  • Notification alerts link to non-existent stories
  • iPhone format display issues
  • Website takes multiple clicks to load current edition
  • Puzzles menu disappeared from live news menu
Show 3 more
  • Login authentication failures despite correct credentials
  • App performance degradation on older iOS versions
  • Subscription status not recognized after login

Requested features

8 requests
  • Ability to read app while using other applications simultaneously
  • Full print edition with comics included in subscription
  • Simpler subscription and cancellation process
  • Better password management for elderly users
  • More unbiased political coverage
Show 3 more
  • Restore weekly local retailer advertisements
  • Improved notification system with working links
  • Dark mode option

In-app purchases

None

HCConnect

No in-app purchases

None

Heraldnet

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HCConnect free?
HCConnect is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Heraldnet free?
Heraldnet is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HCConnect or Heraldnet?
Heraldnet is rated higher. HCConnect averages 3.4 out of 5 from 34 ratings, while Heraldnet averages 4.7 from 269 ratings.
Do HCConnect or Heraldnet have ads?
Heraldnet shows ads; HCConnect does not.
Which is updated more often, HCConnect or Heraldnet?
HCConnect ships an update every 3 months, and Heraldnet every 3 months. Most recently, HCConnect was updated on September 7, 2026 and Heraldnet on September 2, 2026.

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