Comparison

ProPublica vs Snopes

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

Snopes

Verify the truthfulness of information with this app. Search extensive archives, read the latest fact checks, and play games to test your ability to spot misinformation. Save articles and customize your reading experience.

Highlights
  • Search archives
  • FactBot for topic inquiries
  • Read latest fact checks
  • Save articles to reading list
  • Fact-checking games
  • NightVision mode
Features
Read full description

After more than 30 years of fact checking misinformation, Snopes finally has an app. When you aren't sure if something is true or false, launch our app and Snopes it. - Search our massive archives or use FactBot to ask about a topic - Read latest fact checks and investigations - Save articles in your reading list - Solve the new Snopes' Crossword puzzle - Try your hand at our true/false game to see if you can spot misinformation - Option to show fact check ratings next to articles when browsing - Use NightVision to make it easier on your eyes (option to automatically enable at night) Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

ProPublica4 screens
Snopes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ProPublica at none against Snopes's 11. ProPublica also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 67%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). Snopes's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 4 months) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, ads, 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. Snopes sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. ProPublica asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Snopes holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Snopes has 650 ratings behind it against 104, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of ProPublica's written reviews are positive against 67% of Snopes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
ProPublica versus Snopes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterProPublicaSnopes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (104 ratings)4.8 (650 ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.8% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings104650 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#56#52 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB43 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperProPublicaSnopes, Inc.

Customer experience

ProPublica

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

Snopes

All ratings650 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral1.8%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

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

Snopes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ProPublica

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Snopes

Subscriptions10
  • Monthly Ad-Free Subscription$4.991 Month
  • Monthly Ad-Free Subscription$9.991 Month
  • Monthly Ad-Free Subscription$11.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Monthly Ad-Free Subscription$14.991 Month
  • Monthly Ad-Free Subscription$24.991 Month
  • Yearly Ad-Free Subscription$49.991 Year
  • Yearly Ad-Free Subscription$59.991 Year
  • Yearly Ad-Free Subscription$79.991 Year
  • Yearly Ad-Free Subscription$99.991 Year
  • Yearly Ad-Free Subscription$199.991 Year

Questions

Is ProPublica free?
ProPublica is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Snopes free?
Snopes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ProPublica or Snopes?
Snopes is rated higher. ProPublica averages 4.5 out of 5 from 104 ratings, while Snopes averages 4.8 from 650 ratings.
Do ProPublica or Snopes have ads?
Neither ProPublica nor Snopes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ProPublica or Snopes?
ProPublica ships an update every 4 months, and Snopes every 5 days. Most recently, ProPublica was updated on September 24, 2026 and Snopes on September 23, 2026.
Which is more popular, ProPublica or Snopes?
ProPublica currently peaks at #56 in the App Store charts, and Snopes at #52. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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