ProPublica vs Utne Reader
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.
Utne Reader
This app curates essential stories from independent voices, focusing on environmental issues, marginalized communities, and political events. It also highlights the impact of art, philosophy, and spirituality.
- Independent voices
- Cultural zeitgeist focus
- Environmental crisis coverage
- Marginalized communities spotlight
- Political strife analysis
- Art, philosophy, spirituality appreciation
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Utne Reader assembles the most relevant stories of the day with a focus on independent voices – agents of change working from the trenches of the cultural zeitgeist. We profile the issues that matter most, shining a spotlight on environmental crises, marginalized communities, and political strife. Plus, we make time to appreciate the regenerative power of art, philosophy, and spirituality in all its forms.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ProPublica at 75% against Utne Reader's 0%. ProPublica also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 11) and ads (none vs shown). Utne Reader's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.5). On price, update cadence, device support 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
Both are free to download. Utne Reader sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per 6 months. ProPublica asks for nothing beyond the download.
Utne Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ProPublica has 104 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of ProPublica's written reviews are positive against 0% of Utne Reader'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, Utne Reader every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 9, 2026.
| Parameter | ProPublica | Utne Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (104 ratings) | 4.9 (16 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 74.8% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 104 — better | 16 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #135 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 48 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ProPublica | Ogden Publications, Inc. |
Customer experience
ProPublica
Utne Reader
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
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- 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
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- iOS 18 theme adherence
- Read-later app integration (Instapaper, Pocket)
- Improved article navigation
- Better browsing of older stories
Utne Reader
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ProPublica
No in-app purchases
Utne Reader
- Utne Reader - The best of the alternative press1 Month trial$17.996 Months
- Utne Reader - The best of the alternative press1 Month trial$35.991 Year
- November/December 2013$6.99
- March/April 2014$6.99
- Winter 2014$6.99
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- September 2016 Digital$6.99
- Utne Reader Feed 2$6.99
- Utne Reader Feed 3$6.99
- Winter 2016$9.99
- Winter 2017$9.99
- Summer 2018$9.99
