Comparison

Washington Post vs The Baltimore Sun

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

The Baltimore Sun

Access exclusive news, sports, business, and entertainment from Maryland's top news source. Stay informed with breaking alerts, save articles for later, and enjoy offline reading. Customize your news feed and share stories easily.

Highlights
  • Exclusive premium storytelling
  • Breaking news push notifications
  • Exclusive videos and photo galleries
  • Customizable section list
  • Save stories for offline reading
  • Easy social sharing
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Now there's a simple, elegant and customizable way to get all of the Baltimore Sun's exclusive, premium storytelling on your iPhone and iPad. FEATURES: • Stay informed with Baltimore's best source of news, sports, business and entertainment • Sign up for push notifications to get the latest news from our newsroom as soon as stories break • Enjoy exclusive videos and photo galleries • Edit the section list to be in your preferred order • Save must-read stories, photos and videos for when you have the time to enjoy them • Get the latest breaking news from our newsroom in your notifications • Share stories easily with Twitter, Facebook, or email • Offline reading: Download and read content offline SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS: • For full access, try one free month of Unlimited Digital Access to the app, the Baltimore Sun website, and our eNewspaper; then it's only $19.99 a month. Make sure to create a registration while in the app so you'll be able to log in to the website and eNewspaper when you visit them in web browsers. • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. • Your subscription automatically renews each month unless auto-renew is turned off within your Account Settings at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. • Your iTunes account will be charged $19.99 for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. • No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. • Subscriptions may be managed by the user by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. • You can read our Privacy Policy here: http://www.tribpub.com/privacy-policy/ • You can read our Terms of Service here: http://www.tribpub.com/central-terms-of-service/ • Questions about your subscription, including adding or removing Web access to the Baltimore Sun website from your app access, can be directed to Customer Service: 888-539-1280. CRASHES / PROBLEMS? We've been working hard to fix any and all crashes in the app. If you're still experiencing crashes or freezes after installing this update, please contact us at mobile@baltimoresun.com. A quick email to our support team helps our developers identify and resolve crashes faster.

Screenshots

Washington Post4 screens
The Baltimore Sun4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Washington Post at free with in-app purchases against The Baltimore Sun's subscription. Washington Post also leads on ratings volume (641K vs 5.9K) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). The Baltimore Sun's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). 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. Washington Post sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and The Baltimore Sun sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Washington Post holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Washington Post has 641K ratings behind it against 5.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of Washington Post's written reviews are positive against 30% of The Baltimore Sun's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Washington Post ships an update every 9 days, The Baltimore Sun monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Washington Post versus The Baltimore Sun: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWashington PostThe Baltimore Sun
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (641K ratings) — better4.5 (5.9K ratings)
Positive reviews48.0% of reviews — better29.7% of reviews
Number of ratings641K — better5.9K
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterMonthly
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#4 — better#89
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TViPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size125 MB190 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperThe Washington PostTribune Publishing Company, LLC

Customer experience

Washington Post

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

The Baltimore Sun

All ratings5,849 ratings
Positive86.7%
Neutral5.2%
Negative8.1%
Written reviews128 reviews
Positive29.7%
Neutral9.4%
Negative60.9%

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

The Baltimore Sun

From 5.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Hard to use
  • 👍 A new reader
  • 👍 Old Pimlico boy
  • 👍 The latest redesign of the app is a keeper

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Full of Ads and Broken Features
  • 🐛 Requires constant updates
  • 🐛 Missing functions
  • 🐛 Terrible app just got worse
  • 🐛 Dominated by Ads

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

The Baltimore Sun

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • No access to digital paper
  • App stopped working
  • News will not load
  • Can't login
  • Scrolling doesn't work
Show 5 more
  • Unable to view content in the app as a subscriber
  • Fee to read!
  • So much respect for the Sun but...
  • Awful and scam
  • Can't find the comics

Requested features

4 requests
  • Allow for rotation display on ipad
  • Landscape mode turned off
  • Restore Restore landscape orientation
  • Bring back landscape view!

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
8 purchases

The Baltimore Sun

Subscriptions7
  • App-Only Access$4.991 Month
  • Unlimited Digital Access - Tes$7.991 Month
  • Unlimited Digital Access1 Month trial3 variants$19.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • News App Only$19.991 Month
  • Baltimore Sun Monthly Subscription1 Month trial$19.991 Month
  • The Baltimore Sun1 Year trial$199.991 Year
  • Baltimore Sun Yearly Subscription1 Year trial$199.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Story Credits$0.99

Questions

Is Washington Post free?
Washington Post is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Baltimore Sun free?
The Baltimore Sun is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Washington Post or The Baltimore Sun?
Washington Post is rated higher. Washington Post averages 4.7 out of 5 from 641K ratings, while The Baltimore Sun averages 4.5 from 5.9K ratings.
Do Washington Post or The Baltimore Sun have ads?
Both Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun show ads.
Which is updated more often, Washington Post or The Baltimore Sun?
Washington Post ships an update every 9 days, and The Baltimore Sun monthly. Most recently, Washington Post was updated on November 7, 2026 and The Baltimore Sun on November 6, 2026.
Which is more popular, Washington Post or The Baltimore Sun?
Washington Post currently peaks at #4 in the App Store charts, and The Baltimore Sun at #89. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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