ProPublica vs Daily Beast
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.
Daily Beast
Access award-winning original reporting and sharp opinion on politics, pop-culture, and world news. Enjoy top stories updated on demand and available for offline reading, plus a smart news summary.
- Award-winning original reporting
- Sharp opinion pieces
- Politics and pop-culture coverage
- World news updates
- Offline reading
- The Cheat Sheet™ news summary
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The Daily Beast app puts you at the center of the stories everyone is talking about. Get must-know headlines across politics, culture, and world news in a faster and more immersive experience. Our updated app is: A completely reimagined experience that brings clarity and a distinct voice to the news that matters now. A dynamic home that surfaces the biggest stories of the moment, updated throughout the day. A better way to read, with fewer distractions and a smoother flow. Subscription Details: A Daily Beast subscription unlocks exclusive reporting, subscriber-only content, our full suite of newsletters and the distinctive perspectives you won’t find anywhere else. Subscription purchases made through Apple will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase and automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel Apple subscriptions anytime in your App Store account settings. Subscriptions purchased outside of the app are managed through the original purchase provider. Privacy Policy: https://www.thedailybeast.com/company/privacy-policy Terms of Service: https://www.thedailybeast.com/company/terms-of-use California Privacy Notice: https://www.thedailybeast.com/company/privacy-policy#california
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ProPublica at 75% against Daily Beast's 33%. ProPublica also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). Daily Beast's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (7.7K vs 104). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Daily Beast sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. ProPublica asks for nothing beyond the download.
Daily Beast holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Daily Beast has 7.7K 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 33% of Daily Beast'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, Daily Beast fortnightly. Both last shipped on September 27, 2026.
| Parameter | ProPublica | Daily Beast |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (104 ratings) | 4.8 (7.7K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 74.8% of reviews — better | 32.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 104 | 7.7K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #97 | #77 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 92 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | ProPublica | The Daily Beast Company LLC |
Customer experience
ProPublica
Daily Beast
User reviews
ProPublica
From 104 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
Daily Beast
From 7.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and up-to-date reporting
- 👍 Concise and easy-to-understand articles
- 💡 Unique and insightful perspectives
- 🚀 Convenient and accessible app
- 👍 Informative and entertaining content
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and glitches
- 💰 Excessive ads even for paid subscribers
- 🔒 Difficult login and account management
- 🔍 Lack of search functionality
- 📚 Fewer articles than the website version
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
Daily Beast
Reported bugs
5 issues- App crashes on launch or during use
- Frequent log-out issues for subscribers
- Inability to refresh content or load new articles
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
- Inconsistent performance across different devices
Requested features
5 requests- Add a search feature to find articles easily
- Improve login and account management experience
- Introduce a dark mode option for better readability
- Provide more customization options for users
- Sync content between app and website seamlessly
In-app purchases
ProPublica
No in-app purchases
Daily Beast
- MONTHLY$4.991 Month
- Monthly1 Month trial$4.991 Month
- MONTHLY$5.991 Month
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- The Daily Beast1 Month trial$5.991 Month
- Annual$34.991 Year
- ANNUAL$49.991 Year
- Annual1 Year trial$49.991 Year
- The Daily Beast1 Year trial2 variants$59.991 Year
- The Daily Beast1 Year trial$119.991 Year
