Comparison

ProPublica vs Slate.com

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

Head to head
About

ProPublica

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
Currently charting
Read full description

• Get the latest independent investigative journalism from ProPublica. • Dig deep into reporting about government and policy, health care, criminal justice, the environment and more. • Get a streamlined reading experience, with smart offline support and notifications for our biggest stories.

About

Slate.com

Access award-winning daily online magazine content, including in-depth analysis, commentary, and podcasts. Enjoy curated stories, reviews, and advice with options for ad-free reading and exclusive content through a membership.

Highlights
  • Editorially curated stories
  • Political and legal commentary
  • Movie and television reviews
  • Award-winning podcasts
  • Push notifications
  • Light/Dark mode reading
  • Slate Plus membership
Features
Read full description

Enjoy Slate, the award-winning daily online magazine, on your iPhone. Slate is a general-interest publication offering analysis and commentary about politics, news, business, technology, culture, and advice. Slate’s strong editorial voice and witty take on current events have been recognized with numerous awards, including the National Magazine Award for General Excellence Online. Features include: - Our Editorially curated stories of the day - Access to all of our written work, including Slate’s popular political and legal commentary, movie and television reviews, and Dear Prudence. - Our award winning podcasts, including the Political Gabfest, the Culture Gabfest, Decoder Ring, and Slow Burn. - Push notifications to keep you informed throughout your day. - The ability to choose to read using Light or Dark mode. - Access to purchase or sign in to our membership program, Slate Plus. Please see the benefits below. The app is free to download, however we do display advertisements within the app. Additionally we offer the ability to log in to your existing Slate Plus account or purchase a new Slate Plus account through the in app purchases. Your Slate Plus account can be used on your iOS devices as well as our website. To use your Slate Plus subscription on other devices you must create an account after completing your purchase. You can always create an account at a later time if you choose not to do so initially after your purchase. With your Slate Plus subscription, you'll receive: - Unlimited articles in the Slate app. - An ad-free reading experience in the Slate app. By creating an optional account you’ll also receive: - Unlimited articles on slate.com. - Our exclusive subscriber only weekly newsletter. - Access to all of our podcasts completely ad-free. - Bonus episodes and segments on your favorite shows! Slate Plus Subscription details: Your account will automatically renew at the end of each month or year depending on your subscription. Payment will be charged to your Apple 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. You can manage your subscription and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to user account settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. For additional information regarding Slate Plus please see our FAQ: https://slate.com/plus/faq Slate's Privacy Policy: https://slate.com/privacy Slate's Terms of Use: https://slate.com/terms For additional information regarding auto renewal settings please refer to this link: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202039 Please send your thoughts and suggestions to feedback@slate.com.

Screenshots

ProPublica4 screens
Slate.com4 screens

Verdict

The call

ProPublica and Slate.com both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 75% of ProPublica's written reviews are positive against 33% of Slate.com's. ProPublica also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). Slate.com's advantage is ratings volume (9.1K vs 104) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, rating, chart position 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. Slate.com sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. ProPublica asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for ProPublica against 4.5 for Slate.com. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Slate.com has 9.1K ratings behind it against 104, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of ProPublica's written reviews are positive against 33% of Slate.com's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ProPublica ships an update every 4 months, Slate.com every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
ProPublica versus Slate.com: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterProPublicaSlate.com
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (104 ratings)4.5 (9.1K ratings)
Positive reviews74.8% of reviews — better33.2% of reviews
Number of ratings1049.1K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#51 — better#71
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB60 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperProPublicaThe Slate Group, LLC

Customer experience

ProPublica

All ratings104 ratings
Positive83.7%
Neutral7.7%
Negative8.7%
Written reviews107 reviews
Positive74.8%
Neutral6.5%
Negative18.7%

Slate.com

All ratings9,066 ratings
Positive89.8%
Neutral3.2%
Negative7.0%
Written reviews316 reviews
Positive33.2%
Neutral10.8%
Negative56.0%

User reviews

ProPublica

From 104 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

  • 🌙 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

Slate.com

From 9.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Clean layout, easy to navigate
  • 🚀 Great news source
  • 🚀 Excellent journalism
  • 👍 Informative, insightful content

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes constantly
  • 🐛 Buggy, glitchy performance
  • 🐛 Unreliable login and sign-in
  • 🐛 Slow loading times
  • 🐛 Incompatible with newer iOS versions

Bugs and requests

ProPublica

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • 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
Show 5 more
  • Articles don't fit screen (horizontal scrolling required)
  • Images not resizing properly
  • App freezes phone
  • Device registration issues
  • Content never populates

Requested features

9 requests
  • Dark mode for nighttime reading
  • Bookmark/save articles function
  • Home screen widget
  • Adjustable font size
  • Persistent font size settings
Show 4 more
  • iOS 18 theme adherence
  • Read-later app integration (Instapaper, Pocket)
  • Improved article navigation
  • Better browsing of older stories

Slate.com

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Articles not loading properly
  • Blank screens and white screens
  • Inability to access Slate Plus content
  • Podcasts cutting out or not playing correctly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add search functionality
  • Improve podcast playback controls
  • Implement landscape mode for iPad
  • Better identify Slate Plus content

In-app purchases

None

ProPublica

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Slate.com

Subscriptions3
  • Slate Plus1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • Slate Plus14 Days trial$68.991 Year
  • Slate Plus3 Months trial2 variants$119.001 Year

Questions

Is ProPublica free?
ProPublica is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Slate.com free?
Slate.com is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ProPublica or Slate.com?
ProPublica and Slate.com are both rated 4.5 out of 5 on the App Store, from 104 and 9.1K ratings respectively.
Do ProPublica or Slate.com have ads?
Slate.com shows ads; ProPublica does not.
Which is updated more often, ProPublica or Slate.com?
ProPublica ships an update every 4 months, and Slate.com every 5 weeks. Most recently, ProPublica was updated on September 24, 2026 and Slate.com on September 23, 2026.
Which is more popular, ProPublica or Slate.com?
ProPublica currently peaks at #51 in the App Store charts, and Slate.com at #71. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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