Wisconsin State Journal vs ThinkPattern
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Wisconsin State Journal
Access local news, sports, and weather for the Madison, Wisconsin area. Enjoy in-depth stories, exclusive commentary, photography, video, and podcasts. Subscribe for unlimited digital access and an ad-free experience.
- Personalized news topics
- Breaking news alerts
- Easy navigation
- News Feed and E-edition reading
- Video and podcast updates
- Bookmark stories
- Listen to articles
- Customizable text size
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Your story lives in Madison. Get in-depth stories from the premier website for news, sports and entertainment in the Madison, Wisconsin area and beyond – including breaking news sports, opinion, obituaries, entertainment, and politics. From reporting on the Badgers and all of your favorite teams to the news that matters most in your community, we cover it all. Easily access the very latest news in an app built for you. Read, see, and hear exclusive commentary, stunning photography, video updates, and binge-worthy podcasts. Support local journalism by subscribing today for unlimited digital access. Plus, subscribers have the ability to upgrade to News+, our premium ad-free experience! That means faster-loading pages and an uninterrupted reading experience. Our app features: * Your Stories – personalize your experience by selecting the local news topics that matter most to you * Get notified – stay in the loop by selecting alerts for news, sports, weather, and more * Easy navigation – see all the latest local stories by simply swiping up/down, and left/right * Read stories your way – either in the News Feed or via the E-edition * Breaking news updates – top banners let you know what’s happening right now * Follow author – get notifications whenever your favorite writers post a story * Continue watching – pause a video and pick up where you left off across devices * Bookmark for later – save stories to enjoy at your leisure * Listen to articles – press the play button to listen instead * Customize your text size – make the content bigger or smaller in your profile settings * Weather where you are – hourly, 10-day forecasts, and frequent video updates Free to download. Subscribers enjoy unlimited access to breaking news updates, analysis, and more. Get the Wisconsin State Journal in Your Inbox Get convenient, curated updates delivered to your Inbox. Sign up for Breaking News updates as they happen, the Afternoon Update for a roundup of the latest local top stories, Local Sports for the latest sports headlines, Food & Drink for foodies, Garage Sales for bargain hunters and many more. Visit https://madison.com/newsletters/ to view and subscribe to all of the Wisconsin State Journal Newsletters. Keep Up with the Wisconsin State Journal Follow us on Facebook and other social platforms: https://x.com/WiStateJournal https://www.pinterest.com/madisondotcom/ https://www.instagram.com/wistatejournal/ https://www.facebook.com/WisconsinStateJournal/ https://www.youtube.com/user/madisondotcomvids https://www.linkedin.com/company/wisconsin-state-journal/ About the Wisconsin State Journal The Wisconsin State Journal is the best source of news and information in south central and southwestern Wisconsin. It is the second largest newspaper in Wisconsin and is primarily distributed in a 15-county region in south central Wisconsin. We'd love to hear what you think! For any technical issues or questions, contact us at appsupport@lee.net https://madison.com/terms The Wisconsin State Journal is part of Lee Enterprises.
ThinkPattern
This app uses AI to analyze news from multiple sources, presenting a comprehensive view of events. It offers structured insights into stories, evolving perspectives, and key figures involved in the news. Designed for focused reading and listening, it provides complete, sourced coverage.
- AI-driven news aggregation
- Structured story summaries
- Perspective mapping and analysis
- Actor tracking in news
- Offline reading and listening
- Source citation for all claims
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No single outlet tells the whole story. ThinkPattern uses AI to read across the media landscape at a scale no person could, structuring millions of articles into patterns you can actually follow. You get the full picture in one place, built for the way you read on your phone. We turn the day's reporting into three ways to understand it. Stories tell you what happened. Perspectives connect the threads over time. Actors track the people behind the news. Each one is produced by our analysis from the underlying reporting, and everything traces back to the sources it came from. STORIES A clear, straightforward account of what happened, drawn from how multiple outlets covered it. See at a glance which sources are reporting a story, and check any of them for yourself. PERSPECTIVES The part a single story can't give you. This is where ThinkPattern goes deepest. We map the connections across millions of articles and the people, places, and events inside them, then analyze that web to surface the shifts and patterns that no single piece of reporting reveals. Every Perspective is sourced with direct quotes and citations, so you can see exactly how we got there — and every one can be read aloud, narrated with full lock-screen playback controls, for when your eyes are busy but your ears aren't. ACTORS Track the people driving the news. By linking every mention of a figure across the whole body of coverage, we build a living picture of where they stand, how their positions move as events unfold, and who they're aligned with or against. See their allies, their rivals, and what they're focused on now, all backed by the reporting. BUILT FOR HOW YOU READ ThinkPattern is a quiet, notebook-style reader. There's plenty to dig into when you have time, and quick reads for when you don't. - Save for later. Build a reading list on your device and come back to it whenever you're ready. - Listen. Perspectives can be read aloud, with playback continuing in the background and full controls on your lock screen — for the commute, the gym, or whenever you'd rather listen than look. - Read offline. Your briefing caches automatically, so it's all there on a plane, on the subway, or off the grid. - Quiet notifications. We only alert you when a story has a real development. A few a day at most, and you can turn them off entirely. WHY THINKPATTERN? - Complete coverage: See how the entire media landscape is covering a story, all in one place. - Fully sourced: Every summary, perspective, or claim links directly to the reporting behind it. - Built for focus. No autoplaying video, no engagement bait, no ads. Just reading — or listening. ThinkPattern covers politics, business, technology, and global news. It's built for people who want to truly understand the world, not just keep up with it.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: ThinkPattern at 5.0 against Wisconsin State Journal's 2.6. ThinkPattern also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 7) and ads (none vs shown). Wisconsin State Journal's advantage is ratings volume (549 vs 2) and chart position (#170 vs unranked). On price 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
Both are free to download. Wisconsin State Journal sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per month. ThinkPattern asks for nothing beyond the download.
ThinkPattern holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Wisconsin State Journal has 549 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Wisconsin State Journal ships an update monthly, ThinkPattern every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Wisconsin State Journal | ThinkPattern |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.6 (549 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 15.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 549 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #170 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 103 MB | 41 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Madison Newspapers Incorporated | Nirup Dharshan Swaminathan Anandaraman |
Customer experience
Wisconsin State Journal
ThinkPattern
Bugs and requests
Wisconsin State Journal
Reported bugs
3 issues- Articles not opening or loading correctly
- Repeated page resets and loss of reading position
- Inconsistent behavior when swiping or tapping to turn pages
Requested features
4 requests- Improved navigation and section-based browsing
- Ability to easily share articles
- Better font and layout customization options
- Faster and more reliable performance
ThinkPattern
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Wisconsin State Journal
- Subscriptions$29.991 Month
- Subscriptions$42.991 Month
- Subscriptions$46.991 Month
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- Subscriptions$50.001 Year
- Subscriptions$289.991 Year
- Subscriptions$344.991 Year
- Subscriptions$379.991 Year
ThinkPattern
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Wisconsin State Journal free?
Is ThinkPattern free?
Which has better reviews, Wisconsin State Journal or ThinkPattern?
Do Wisconsin State Journal or ThinkPattern have ads?
Which is updated more often, Wisconsin State Journal or ThinkPattern?
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