ProPublica vs POLITICO
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Latest investigative journalism
- Reporting on government and policy
- Coverage of healthcare and criminal justice
- Environmental reporting
- Streamlined reading experience
- Offline support
- Story notifications
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• 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.
POLITICO
Get real-time political news and analysis delivered directly to your phone. This app offers a streamlined way to access breaking news and in-depth stories from a leading political news source.
- Up-to-the-minute insight
- Political news analysis
- Breaking news alerts
- Sleek and navigable design
- Dynamic stories
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Stay ahead of the political news driving your day, with POLITICO's redesigned app. We curate the essential politics and policy news breaking in and between the centers of power, and help you understand what it means for you. What's inside: - Driving the Day: curated coverage of what’s shaping politics within and across the world’s power centers - For You: a feed built around what's actually driving your day - Newsletters: all POLITICO newsletters, native to the app - Podcasts: every POLITICO show - People: every lawmaker, staffer and regulator, one search away
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ProPublica at 75% against POLITICO's 29%. ProPublica also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). POLITICO's advantage is ratings volume (49K vs 105) and update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
POLITICO holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: POLITICO has 49K ratings behind it against 105, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of ProPublica's written reviews are positive against 29% of POLITICO'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, POLITICO monthly. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | ProPublica | POLITICO |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (105 ratings) | 4.7 (49K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 74.8% of reviews — better | 29.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 105 | 49K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Best chart rank | #198 | #55 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 88 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ProPublica | POLITICO, LLC |
Customer experience
ProPublica
POLITICO
User reviews
ProPublica
From 105 App Store ratingsWhat 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
POLITICO
From 49K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent news coverage
- 🔍 Thorough and insightful analysis
- 🗞️ Reliable and trustworthy journalism
- 📊 Valuable data and metrics
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔄 Difficulty refreshing content
- 📱 Poor app performance and navigation
- 🔍 Biased or partisan reporting
- 🔍 Lack of objectivity
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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- iOS 18 theme adherence
- Read-later app integration (Instapaper, Pocket)
- Improved article navigation
- Better browsing of older stories
POLITICO
Reported bugs
4 issues- App freezes and crashes
- Inability to refresh content
- Notifications not working properly
- Compatibility issues with newer devices
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to adjust font size
- Offline reading mode
- Improved article organization and search
- More balanced political coverage
In-app purchases
ProPublica
No in-app purchases
POLITICO
No in-app purchases
