Comparison

Washington Post vs direct democracy

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

direct democracy

Engage in local civic discussions, rank Chicago's issues, and hold officials accountable through AMAs. Get election information and verify your voting address. See how your neighbors truly feel about local matters.

Highlights
  • Rank local issues
  • City and ward-based discussions
  • Official AMAs and accountability
  • Election guide and voting information
  • Address verification
  • Verified user counts
Features
Read full description

direct democracy is a free Chicago civic app: one place to see what your neighbors care about, hold your alderman to account, and get ready to vote. ASK YOUR ALDERMAN ANYTHING Every Chicago alderman has a page. Ask a question in public, join the questions your neighbors ask, and see whether the answer was a real answer: the community judges each response as answered or dodged. Each alderman gets a report card built from verified residents of their own ward. THE BIG BOARD Raise a concern about the city or your ward and rate how urgent other concerns are. The board ranks them by the people, and every vote is counted two ways: everyone, and verified Chicago residents only. YOUR WARD Pick your ward to see its concerns, your alderman's grade, Council votes, and how to take part: ward meetings, zoning changes and hearings with their comment deadlines, police district council meetings, and the ward office's address, hours, and newsletter. PLAN YOUR BALLOT The election tab covers the November 3, 2026 ballot and the February 2027 race for mayor. Enter your address once to see the races on your ballot: Congress, the state legislature, county offices, the school board, judges up for retention, and every district race. Compare candidates side by side, then pick in each race with My ballot. Your picks stay on your phone, and you can share the list or take it with you to vote. Dates, early voting sites in every ward, and mail ballot links are all there. CHICAGO NEWS IN ONE PLACE The news tab lists headlines from Chicago newsrooms, newest first, never ranked. Turn sources and languages on or off, or narrow it to stories that name your ward. CITY COUNCIL See the next two weeks of Council meetings with public comment deadlines and agendas, and how your alderman voted when the Council split. VERIFIED, AND PRIVATE Anyone can use the app. Verifying that you are an adult Chicago resident (optional, through Didit) makes your votes count in the verified tallies. The app keeps only a yes or no and your ward and district numbers: never your ID, your address, or your face. IN SEVEN LANGUAGES English, Español, 中文, Polski, Tagalog, 한국어, and हिन्दी. Every screen has a "?" that explains what is on it and what you can do there.

Screenshots

Washington Post4 screens
direct democracy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: direct democracy at none against Washington Post's 10. direct democracy also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Washington Post's advantage is ratings volume (641K vs 3) and chart position (#5 vs unranked). On price and iOS requirement 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. direct democracy asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

direct democracy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Washington Post has 641K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Washington Post ships an update every 9 days, direct democracy every 4 days. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Washington Post versus direct democracy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWashington Postdirect democracy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (641K ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews48.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings641K — better3
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#5 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size125 MB55 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperThe Washington PostBrian Carlisle

Customer experience

Washington Post

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

direct democracy

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

direct democracy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
None

direct democracy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Washington Post free?
Washington Post is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is direct democracy free?
direct democracy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Washington Post or direct democracy?
direct democracy is rated higher. Washington Post averages 4.7 out of 5 from 641K ratings, while direct democracy averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Washington Post or direct democracy have ads?
Washington Post shows ads; direct democracy does not.
Which is updated more often, Washington Post or direct democracy?
Washington Post ships an update every 9 days, and direct democracy every 4 days. Most recently, Washington Post was updated on November 6, 2026 and direct democracy on November 6, 2026.

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