Comparison

PressReader vs StarPhoenix

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

Head to head
About

PressReader

Access over 7,000 global newspapers and magazines in their original print or a mobile-optimized format. Features include translation into over 30 languages and text-to-speech functionality. Read on up to three devices with a free trial available.

Highlights
  • Read 7,000+ newspapers and magazines
  • Original print view
  • Mobile-optimized text view
  • Auto-Translate to over 30 languages
  • Text-to-speech stories
  • Unlimited reading on 3 devices
Features
Read full description

Read 7,000+ of the world’s most popular newspapers and magazines on your iPhone or iPad. Enjoy unlimited reading on up to 3 devices with a 7-day free trial of PressReader Premium. PressReader is the best way to read your favorite magazines and newspapers in one place—from local stories to global news, and everything in between. Download complete issues and switch between the original print view and a mobile-optimized text view. Bring it all to life with Auto-Translate to over 30 languages or listen to stories with our text-to-speech features. Subscribe to PressReader Premium to get unlimited access to most publications in the catalog or purchase single issues of your favorite title. Individual subscriptions for some publications are also available. To access PressReader without a subscription, visit one of our HotSpot partners. “PressReader delivers an authentic multi-platform newspaper-reading experience” – TNW “I found it especially useful for keeping up with international news, which often offers viewpoints you won’t find in US media.” – LIFEHACKER “Anyone with even a passing interest in the news should give PressReader a try” – CNET “A sleeping giant in the digital media landscape” – INC. “If you love newspapers but hate inky fingers and creepy delivery people, you might be interested in taking a gander at PressReader” – TECHCRUNCH Terms of Use: https://www.pressreader.com/help/termsofuse Privacy Policy: https://www.pressreader.com/help/privacypolicy Support - Newspapers and magazines can be translated in up to 32 different languages - Monthly subscription payment is charged to a user’s iTunes account at confirmation of purchase - Monthly subscriptions will renew automatically unless renewals are disabled in account settings TOP NEWSPAPERS The Washington Post, The Guardian, National Post, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, The Globe and Mail, The Herald, The Irish Times, China Daily, USA Today, Le Figaro, Le Journal de Montreal, Toronto Star, El Pais, The Daily Telegraph, Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe, The Dallas Morning News, Miami Herald, Chicago Sun-Times, Houston Chronicle, The Mercury News TOP MAGAZINES BUSINESS & NEWS: Forbes, Newsweek International, Robb Report, The Economist, Business Traveler, The Monthly, Financial Post Magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek, Fast Company, Inc. FASHION: VOGUE, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, GQ, Esquire, ELLE, Fashion, Harper's Bazaar, Wallpaper, Grazia ENTERTAINMENT: Variety, Q Magazine, Empire, Top Gear, Reader's Digest, Daily Mail Weekend Magazine, Total Film, Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan, The New York Review of Books, US Weekly LIFESTYLE & TRAVEL: Lonely Planet, Esquire, Canadian Geographic, Maxim, DNA, Where Milan, National Geographic Traveller, New York Magazine, Backpacker, Oncuba Travel FOOD & HOME: Canadian Living, BBC Good Food Magazine, VOGUE Living Australia, Quick & Easy, Style at Home, Good Housekeeping, Taste of Home, BBC Easy Cook Magazine SPORTS & FITNESS: Men's Health, Women's Health, Yoga Journal, Runner's World, Better Nutrition, The Hockey News, Ladies in Racing, MiNDFOOD, Golf Digest, Men's Fitness, Oxygen TECHNOLOGY & GAMING: PC Gamer, Popular Science, Science Illustrated, T3, iPhone Life Magazine, Air & Space Smithsonian, TechLife Australia, PCWorld, Macworld Connect With Us: Web: https://www.pressreader.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pressreader Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pressreader X: https://x.com/pressreader YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/pressreader LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pressreader

About

StarPhoenix

Access local and national news with a personalized feed. Enjoy in-depth articles, photo and video coverage, and curated content from top journalists. Stay informed about your community and beyond.

Highlights
  • Personalized news feed
  • In-depth articles and longreads
  • Photo and video coverage
  • Community and national news
  • Curated content from top journalists
  • Discover trending stories
Features
Read full description

The Saskatoon StarPhoenix app connects you to the news you need to know. Create your custom feed so you don't miss the latest from your favourite writers. Features include: · Stay connected to news from your community and beyond. · Enjoy the wide variety of comprehensive explainers on issues shaping your community and compelling longreads from our top journalists — plus extensive photo and video coverage. · Navigate directly to individual publications from across the Postmedia network. · You can choose your preferred publications when you first open the new app, ensuring a curated news feed that aligns with your interests. · Use the Discover tab to explore trending stories from our newsrooms across Canada. · Personalize your news experience by selecting topics, journalists and columnists you want to see more of, so your feed will be filled with the content and perspectives you enjoy. · Online Access and Home Delivery subscribers receive unlimited access to content on the app, included with your subscription. · App readers can access one free article before being prompted to register to gain access to two more articles. If you are not an existing subscriber, you can easily sign up through the app marketplace. · Payment will be charged to your store account upon confirmation of purchase. · Subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. · The account will now be charged $14.99 for monthly renewal within the 24 hours before the current period ends. · You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal after purchase in the App settings. Select "My Subscription" then "Manage my Subscription" and you will be able to make changes. Privacy Policy: https://www.postmedia.com/privacy-statement/ Postmedia Terms and Conditions: https://www.postmedia.com/terms-and-conditions/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ We appreciate and value your feedback. Please send any comments, suggestions or questions to: appsupport@postmedia.com

Screenshots

PressReader4 screens
StarPhoenix4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PressReader at 59% against StarPhoenix's 0%. PressReader also leads on ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#35 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PressReader sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month and StarPhoenix sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PressReader ships an update monthly, StarPhoenix every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
PressReader versus StarPhoenix: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPressReaderStarPhoenix
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (19K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews59.1% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings19K — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#35 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size117 MB65 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperPressReader IncPostmedia Network INC.

Customer experience

PressReader

All ratings19,049 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral3.1%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews1,361 reviews
Positive59.1%
Neutral8.2%
Negative32.7%

StarPhoenix

Written reviews53 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral3.8%
Negative96.2%

User reviews

PressReader

From 19K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Convenient access to newspapers and magazines
  • 📚 Wide selection of publications
  • 🔍 Ability to search and discover new content
  • 🔖 Bookmarking and saving articles
  • 🔊 Text-to-speech feature

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔄 Unreliable automatic downloads
  • 🔒 Login and authentication issues
  • 🔍 Clunky and unintuitive navigation
  • 🔋 High battery consumption

StarPhoenix

From App Store reviews

Room to improve

  • 📉 App constantly freezes
  • 💥 App crashes frequently
  • 🐌 Slow loading times
  • ⚪ Blank/white screens
  • 🔄 App doesn't update

Bugs and requests

PressReader

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to log in or access content
  • Inconsistent performance after app updates
  • Missing or delayed newspaper/magazine issues
  • Incorrect or outdated content display

Requested features

5 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Improved search and filtering capabilities
  • Better organization and management of downloaded content
  • Ability to annotate and take notes on articles
  • Smoother integration with library accounts

StarPhoenix

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App freezes constantly
  • App crashes on load
  • Articles do not load or display
  • App causes phone to restart
  • Incorrect images displayed with articles
Show 4 more
  • App does not recognize account updates
  • App is slow to load
  • App locks up frequently
  • App does not work with new iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Restore dark mode
  • Fix incorrect article images
  • Improve app stability
  • Update app for new iOS versions
  • Add back obituaries

In-app purchases

10 purchases

PressReader

Subscriptions3
  • Get Select$11.991 Month
  • Go Premium1 Month trial$29.991 Month
  • Legacy Monthly Membership7 Days trial$29.991 Month
One-time7
  • Get this issue$0.99
  • Get this issue$1.99
  • Get this issue$2.99
Show 4 more
  • Single Issue$3.99
  • Get this issue$4.99
  • Get this issue$5.99
  • Get this issue$9.99
1 purchases

StarPhoenix

Subscriptions1
  • Full Access$9.991 Month

Questions

Is PressReader free?
PressReader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is StarPhoenix free?
StarPhoenix is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PressReader or StarPhoenix have ads?
StarPhoenix shows ads; PressReader does not.
Which is updated more often, PressReader or StarPhoenix?
PressReader ships an update monthly, and StarPhoenix every 3 weeks. Most recently, PressReader was updated on November 12, 2026 and StarPhoenix on November 10, 2026.

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