# ProPublica vs dbunk

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ProPublica at none against dbunk's 8. ProPublica also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (104 vs 5). dbunk's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 75%). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. dbunk sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. ProPublica asks for nothing beyond the download.

ProPublica holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ProPublica has 104 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of ProPublica's written reviews are positive against 100% of dbunk's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

ProPublica ships an update every 4 months, dbunk every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ProPublica | dbunk |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (104 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/propublica/id355298887/reviews)** | [4.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dbunk/id1641595458/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **104** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 74.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#126** | — |
| Size | 7 MB | 83 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ProPublica](https://appshunter.io/developer/355298890) | [Dbunk LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1641595460) |

## What reviewers say

### ProPublica

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/propublica/id355298887)

**Currently charting:** #126 Top Free · News (US App Store)

Access in-depth investigative journalism covering critical topics like government, healthcare, and criminal justice. Enjoy a streamlined reading experience with offline support and notifications for major stories.

**Highlights:** Latest investigative journalism, Reporting on government and policy, Coverage of healthcare and criminal justice, Environmental reporting, Streamlined reading experience, Offline support, Story notifications

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 📰 High-quality investigative journalism
- ✅ Factual, unbiased reporting
- 🎯 In-depth, well-researched stories
- 🆓 Ad-free content
- 🧹 Clean, simple interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🌙 Bright white screen (no dark mode)
- 📤 Social sharing doesn't include headlines
- ⚠️ Outdated app updates
- 🖼️ Image sizing issues on older devices
- 🔄 Slow initial loading times

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on launch
- App won't open or load content
- Stories don't appear when clicked
- MuckReads section fails to load
- Data filter dropdowns non-functional

**Requested features**

- Dark mode for nighttime reading
- Bookmark/save articles function
- Home screen widget
- Adjustable font size
- Persistent font size settings


### dbunk

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dbunk/id1641595458)

Instantly verify news and social media claims with AI-powered analysis and expert fact-checking. Uncover the truth behind trending stories, political statements, and health misinformation with credibility ratings and media transparency.

**Highlights:** AI fact-checking for instant verification, Crowd-sourced misinformation reports, Trending fact-checks on viral claims, Election and political statement verification, Health and science misinformation debunking, Bias and media transparency analysis, Real-time fact-check alerts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Plan | $9.99 | per month |
| Yearly Plan | $99.99 | per year |
| 50 Coins | $0.99 | one-time |
| 100 Coins | $1.99 | one-time |
| 250 Coins | $3.99 | one-time |
| 500 Coins | $5.99 | one-time |
| 1000 Coins | $9.99 | one-time |
| 2000 Coins | $15.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ProPublica free?

ProPublica is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is dbunk free?

dbunk is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, ProPublica or dbunk?

ProPublica is rated higher. ProPublica averages 4.5 out of 5 from 104 ratings, while dbunk averages 4.2 from 5 ratings.

### Do ProPublica or dbunk have ads?

Neither ProPublica nor dbunk shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ProPublica or dbunk?

ProPublica ships an update every 4 months, and dbunk every 2 weeks. Most recently, ProPublica was updated on October 13, 2026 and dbunk on October 2, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*