# ProPublica vs Daily Beast

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ProPublica at 75% against Daily Beast's 32%. ProPublica also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 11) and ads (none vs shown). Daily Beast's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (7.7K vs 105). On price, chart position and device support there is nothing between them.

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 105, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of ProPublica's written reviews are positive against 32% 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. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ProPublica | Daily Beast |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (105 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/propublica/id355298887/reviews) | **[4.8 (7.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/daily-beast/id898117224/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 105 | **7.7K** |
| Positive reviews | **74.8% of reviews** | 32.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #199 | **#67** |
| Size | 7 MB | 109 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [ProPublica](https://appshunter.io/developer/355298890) | [The Daily Beast Company LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/359917657) |

## What reviewers say

### ProPublica

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/propublica/id355298887)

**Currently charting:** #199 Top Free · News (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🌙 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Dark mode for nighttime reading
- Bookmark/save articles function
- Home screen widget
- Adjustable font size
- Persistent font size settings


### Daily Beast

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/daily-beast/id898117224)

**Currently charting:** #67 Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** Award-winning original reporting, Sharp opinion pieces, Politics and pop-culture coverage, World news updates, Offline reading, The Cheat Sheet™ news summary

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MONTHLY | $4.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| MONTHLY | $5.99 | per month |
| The Daily Beast | $5.99 | per month |
| Annual | $34.99 | per year |
| ANNUAL | $49.99 | per year |
| Annual | $49.99 | per year |
| The Daily Beast | $59.99 | per year |
| The Daily Beast | $119.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and up-to-date reporting
- 👍 Concise and easy-to-understand articles
- 💡 Unique and insightful perspectives
- 🚀 Convenient and accessible app
- 👍 Informative and entertaining content

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ProPublica free?

ProPublica is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Daily Beast free?

Daily Beast is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, ProPublica or Daily Beast?

Daily Beast is rated higher. ProPublica averages 4.5 out of 5 from 105 ratings, while Daily Beast averages 4.8 from 7.7K ratings.

### Do ProPublica or Daily Beast have ads?

Daily Beast shows ads; ProPublica does not.

### Which is updated more often, ProPublica or Daily Beast?

ProPublica ships an update every 4 months, and Daily Beast fortnightly. Most recently, ProPublica was updated on October 27, 2026 and Daily Beast on October 26, 2026.

### Which is more popular, ProPublica or Daily Beast?

ProPublica currently peaks at #199 in the App Store charts, and Daily Beast at #67. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*