The Press vs CalMatters
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Press
Access daily local news from East Contra Costa County. Stay informed with trusted reporting delivered through a website and printed newspapers.
- Daily news updates
- Local community coverage
- Printed newspaper delivery
- Online news access
- Trusted local source
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Brentwood Press and Publishing was established in 1999, followed by the Discovery Bay Press in 2000 and the Oakley Press in 2001. Serving far East Contra Costa County, The Press family of products serves more than 100,000 readers. We produce and deliver approximately 40, 000 printed newspapers every week to residents and businesses. We also provide our readers with access to daily news that can be found on our website, thepress.net. As the local news source we take pride in providing our community with trusted news in a multitude of delivery options.
CalMatters
Access in-depth, nonpartisan news and analysis focused on California's quality of life issues. Hold leaders accountable with investigative journalism covering the Golden State and its global economic impact.
- In-depth news analysis
- Focus on quality of life issues
- Investigative journalism
- Accountability reporting
- Covers California and its economy
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CalMatters is a nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization bringing Californians stories that probe, explain and explore solutions to quality of life issues while holding our leaders accountable. We are the only journalism outlet dedicated to covering America’s biggest state, 39 million Californians and the world’s fifth largest economy.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: CalMatters at none against The Press's shown. CalMatters also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (18 vs 6). The Press's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for The Press against 5.0 for CalMatters. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 18 respectively.
The Press ships an update every 6 weeks, CalMatters fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Press | CalMatters |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (6 ratings) | 5.0 (18 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6 | 18 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 63 MB | 53 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Brentwood Press & Publishing LLC | CalMatters |
Customer experience
The Press
CalMatters
In-app purchases
The Press
No in-app purchases
CalMatters
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The Press free?
Is CalMatters free?
Which has better reviews, The Press or CalMatters?
Do The Press or CalMatters have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Press or CalMatters?
Other comparisons
