Comparison

C vs NewsBlock

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

Head to head
About

C

Access live and on-demand video and audio coverage of U.S. political events, including House and Senate proceedings, congressional hearings, and White House activities. Listen to C-SPAN Radio and explore political podcasts. Stay informed with the latest news and schedule information.

Highlights
  • Live U.S. Congress streams
  • On-demand event access
  • C-SPAN Radio
  • Political podcasts
  • Schedule information
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Watch live and on demand C-SPAN's complete coverage of the House and Senate, congressional hearings, White House events, the courts, the campaigns and more from the world of politics. Listen to C-SPAN Radio and discover a variety of informative podcasts. Watch the three C-SPAN TV networks* and the latest episodes of "Washington Journal" and "Q&A". Find current schedule information for C-SPAN’s TV networks and C-SPAN Radio. From your mobile device, on C-SPAN Now you'll find anywhere, anytime access to: - Live streams of U.S. Congress floor proceedings - Live streams of each day's key congressional hearings and other top political events - On-demand access to the latest events - Featured clips driving the news - C-SPAN Radio - Podcasts on politics, history and nonfiction books - C-SPAN, C-SPAN2 and C-SPAN3* - Latest episodes of "Washington Journal" and "Q&A" - Up-to-date schedule information for C-SPAN TV networks and C-SPAN Radio *Access to the livestreams of C-SPAN's three television networks is reserved for authenticated cable and satellite TV customers. C-SPAN Now...Washington Unfiltered.

About

NewsBlock

Get news quickly and easily without ads or paywalls. Choose your favorite topics and read full stories in a clean format. Engage with other readers by liking and commenting on articles.

Highlights
  • Ad-free reading experience
  • No paywalls or subscriptions
  • Personalized topic selection
  • Browse dozens of categories
  • Like and comment on stories
  • Clean, card-based layout
Read full description

NewsBlock lets you get the facts fast, without wading through walls of text. Whether you're into science, sports, world events, or pop culture — NewsBlock delivers fresh stories every day in a clean, easy-to-read format. AI ASSISTED READING Need background context about a story? Want to know more about a topic? Ask questions and get instant answers below each article! NO PAYWALLS Read full stories for free. No subscriptions, no "sign up to continue reading." NO FLUFF Every story is written to get to the point fast. No filler sentences, no recycled paragraphs, no ads interrupting your reading. PERSONALIZED FOR YOU Sign in and choose the topics you care about. EXPLORE WHAT'S HAPPENING Browse dozens of categories — from Technology and Science to Animals, Gaming, Travel, and more. There's always something interesting to discover. JOIN THE CONVERSATION Like the stories you love and leave comments to share your thoughts. See what other readers are saying. SIMPLE & FUN TO USE Clean card layout, fast search, and a smooth reading experience designed for teens and adults. NewsBlock — Big world. Simple stories.

Screenshots

C4 screens
NewsBlock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: NewsBlock at 100% against C's 40%. NewsBlock also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.9) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). C's advantage is ratings volume (638 vs 17) and chart position (#74 vs unranked). On price, ads, 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

NewsBlock holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: C has 638 ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of C's written reviews are positive against 100% of NewsBlock's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

C ships an update every 2 months, NewsBlock every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
C versus NewsBlock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCNewsBlock
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (638 ratings)5.0 (17 ratings) — better
Positive reviews39.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings638 — better17
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
Best chart rank#74 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB33 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperC-SPANZHAOHUA GAN

Customer experience

C

All ratings633 ratings
Positive71.2%
Neutral6.6%
Negative22.1%
Written reviews136 reviews
Positive39.7%
Neutral18.4%
Negative41.9%

NewsBlock

All ratings17 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

C

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Video playback issues on older devices
  • Inability to switch between live channels
  • App gets stuck on last viewed video
  • Inconsistent behavior when rotating device

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for Chromecast and Apple TV
  • Implement background audio playback
  • Introduce a search feature to find past content
  • Develop a dedicated iPad app with optimized layout
  • Offer a paid, ad-free version

NewsBlock

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

C

No in-app purchases

None

NewsBlock

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is C free?
C is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NewsBlock free?
NewsBlock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, C or NewsBlock?
NewsBlock is rated higher. C averages 3.9 out of 5 from 638 ratings, while NewsBlock averages 5.0 from 17 ratings.
Do C or NewsBlock have ads?
Both C and NewsBlock show ads.
Which is updated more often, C or NewsBlock?
C ships an update every 2 months, and NewsBlock every 3 days. Most recently, C was updated on November 11, 2026 and NewsBlock on November 5, 2026.

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