Comparison

Washington Post vs theSkimm

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

Head to head
About

Washington Post

Access award-winning global reporting and expert coverage from journalists. Stay informed with a 24/7 news feed, personalized alerts, and curated content. Enjoy original podcasts, audio articles, and immersive graphics.

Highlights
  • 24/7 news feed
  • Morning briefing 'The 7'
  • Customizable news alerts
  • Podcasts and audio articles
  • Curated content feed
  • Graphics, video, and AR exclusives
Features
Read full description

Get award-winning global reporting from The Washington Post. The app is free to download and keeps you informed with expert coverage from Post journalists. PRODUCT FEATURES • Stay informed with the 24/7 feed of today’s news. • Wake up with The 7, a better morning briefing on the day’s most important and interesting stories. • Customize your alerts to be the first to know when news is breaking. • Catch up with today’s stories by listening to original podcasts and audio articles. • Discover something new in My Post, a curated feed with recommendations just for you. • Dive deeper into Post journalism with innovative graphics, video, and augmented reality exclusives. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS • Options: Download the free app and subscribe to get unlimited access. • Extras: Your subscription to The Washington Post lets you access The Post from all your devices, on the web and in the app. Premium subscribers also enjoy three extra accounts to share. • Payment: Payment will be charged to your iTunes account with the confirmation of your purchase. • Auto-renewal: Your subscription will auto-renew unless you cancel 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. The auto-renewal can be turned off at any time in the Account Settings section of the App Store. Please note, you will be unable to cancel your current subscription during an active subscription period. • Free trial: Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. • Privacy policy: https://www.washingtonpost.com/privacy-policy/2011/11/18/gIQASIiaiN_story.html • App Privacy information displayed below applies to users on iOS 14.5 or higher • Terms of service: https://www.washingtonpost.com/terms-of-service/2011/11/18/gIQAldiYiN_story.html • CA notice of collection: https://www.washingtonpost.com/privacy-policy/2011/11/18/gIQASIiaiN_story.html#CALIFORNIA • Do not sell my info (CA residents): https://www.washingtonpost.com/my-post/privacy-settings/

About

theSkimm

Stay informed with daily news summaries, in-depth articles on career, health, and finance, and engaging podcasts. Discover personalized recommendations and integrate events into your calendar to live smarter.

Highlights
  • Daily news summaries
  • In-depth articles
  • Podcasts
  • Personalized calendar integration
  • Curated recommendations
  • Career, health, and finance topics
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Meet: theSkimm app. We’ve got you covered on all the news and info you need to start your day. Think: news, podcasts, curated picks, and a personalized calendar to help you live your smartest life. Try the app for free. After that, pay less than a cup of coffee a month. Wake up with us. It all starts with the Daily Skimm – the morning newsletter that connects the dots on how the biggest stories affect your life. Dive deeper. We help you navigate the complicated topics around your career, health, and wallet. Listen in. Meet our podcasts: “Skimm This” explains the week’s biggest stories. “Skimm’d from the Couch” features advice from female leaders. Stay up-to-date. Our calendar integrates with yours so you never miss important moments, like awards shows, elections, and more. Discover more. We Skimm your shopping cart, streaming queue, and bookshelf. We'll help you discover things quicker, so you can spend your downtime smarter. ------- In-app purchase subscription required. All monthly subscriptions begin with a free trial, after which a recurring charge of $2.99 per month. All yearly subscriptions are charged $29.99 at the time of purchase, with a recurring charge billed annually. Details: - Subscription options: monthly subscription of $2.99 per month, or yearly subscription of $29.99 per year - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase - No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period - theSkimm's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use can be visited at http://theskimm.com/privacy - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication

Screenshots

Washington Post4 screens
theSkimm4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: theSkimm at none against Washington Post's shown. theSkimm also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). Washington Post's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (641K vs 13K). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases 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. Washington Post sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and theSkimm sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Washington Post against 4.8 for theSkimm. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Washington Post has 641K ratings behind it against 13K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 48% of Washington Post's written reviews are positive against 41% of theSkimm's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Washington Post ships an update every 9 days, theSkimm every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Washington Post versus theSkimm: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWashington PosttheSkimm
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (641K ratings)4.8 (13K ratings) — better
Positive reviews48.0% of reviews — better40.7% of reviews
Number of ratings641K — better13K
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#5 — better#55
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TViPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size125 MB33 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperThe Washington PosttheSkimm

Customer experience

Washington Post

All ratings639,876 ratings
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.2%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews2,615 reviews
Positive48.0%
Neutral9.4%
Negative42.6%

theSkimm

All ratings13,230 ratings
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.0%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews150 reviews
Positive40.7%
Neutral7.3%
Negative52.0%

User reviews

Washington Post

From 641K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🗞️ High-quality journalism
  • 🌍 Comprehensive global coverage
  • 🔍 Excellent investigative reporting
  • 🤝 Balanced and objective reporting
  • 🇺🇸 Insightful coverage of U.S. politics

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Biased or slanted reporting
  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🔍 Lack of diverse political perspectives
  • 🤖 Poor performance of text-to-speech feature
  • 🔍 Excessive focus on U.S. politics

theSkimm

From 13K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📰 Concise and informative news
  • 🗓️ Helpful calendar integration
  • 🎧 Useful audio content
  • 👍 Easy to stay informed
  • 🤗 Entertaining and engaging

Room to improve

  • 🤑 Paid subscription required
  • 🗣️ Perceived political bias
  • 🔗 Accidental link clicks while scrolling
  • 🚫 Limited content for non-US users

Bugs and requests

Washington Post

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent app crashes
  • Issues with login and account management
  • Inconsistent article formatting
  • Unreliable push notifications

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved search functionality
  • Ability to customize news feed
  • Integration of user comments within the app
  • Offline reading mode
  • Enhanced accessibility features

theSkimm

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App crashes and freezes
  • Issues with 'Do Not Sell My Information' feature

Requested features

4 requests
  • Offline content access
  • More international news coverage
  • Customizable news preferences
  • Ability to remove ads for paid subscribers

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Washington Post

Subscriptions5
  • Core1 Month trial$7.991 Month
  • Core1 Month trial3 variants$13.991 Month
  • Premium1 Month trial3 variants$18.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Core1 Year trial2 variants$139.991 Year
  • Premium1 Year trial$189.991 Year
2 purchases

theSkimm

Subscriptions2
  • theSkimm Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • theSkimm Yearly$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Washington Post free?
Washington Post is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is theSkimm free?
theSkimm is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Washington Post or theSkimm?
theSkimm is rated higher. Washington Post averages 4.7 out of 5 from 641K ratings, while theSkimm averages 4.8 from 13K ratings.
Do Washington Post or theSkimm have ads?
Washington Post shows ads; theSkimm does not.
Which is updated more often, Washington Post or theSkimm?
Washington Post ships an update every 9 days, and theSkimm every 2 months. Most recently, Washington Post was updated on November 6, 2026 and theSkimm on November 6, 2026.
Which is more popular, Washington Post or theSkimm?
Washington Post currently peaks at #5 in the App Store charts, and theSkimm at #55. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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