ProPublica vs Democracy Now!
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.
Democracy Now!
Access award-winning independent news with daily global headlines and in-depth interviews. This app offers content in video, audio, and transcript formats, including web exclusives and a live video stream.
- Daily news headlines
- In-depth interviews
- Web exclusives
- Audio and video on-demand
- Live video stream
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Democracy Now! produces a daily, global, independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. Our reporting includes breaking daily news headlines and in-depth interviews. All content available in video, audio and transcript format. *Daily News Headlines* 10-minute roundup of global news headlines. *In-Depth Interviews* Conversations with people on the front lines of the world’s most pressing issues. On Democracy Now!, you’ll hear a diversity of voices speaking for themselves, providing a unique and sometimes provocative perspective on global events. *Web Exclusives* Extended interviews and exclusive digital-only content. *Audio & Video On-Demand* All content is available in audio and video formats. *Live Video Stream* Tune in LIVE for the news hour weekdays at 8am ET.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Democracy Now! at every 6 weeks against ProPublica's every 4 months. Democracy Now! also leads on ratings volume (413 vs 104). ProPublica's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 66%) and chart position (#48 vs #179). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for ProPublica against 4.4 for Democracy Now!. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 104 and 413 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of ProPublica's written reviews are positive against 66% of Democracy Now!'s.
ProPublica ships an update every 4 months, Democracy Now! every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ProPublica | Democracy Now! |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (104 ratings) — better | 4.4 (413 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 74.8% of reviews — better | 65.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 104 | 413 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #48 — better | #179 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | ProPublica | DEMOCRACY NOW PRODUCTIONS INC |
Customer experience
ProPublica
Democracy Now!
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
Democracy Now!
From 413 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Excellent news coverage
- 🚀 Easy to navigate app
- 💡 Appreciate audio-only option
- 🚀 Streamlined interface
- 👍 Trustworthy news source
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Streaming issues and buffering problems
- 🐛 Sync issues between audio and video
- 🐛 Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
- 🐛 Glitchy scrolling and article loading
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
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- iOS 18 theme adherence
- Read-later app integration (Instapaper, Pocket)
- Improved article navigation
- Better browsing of older stories
Democracy Now!
Reported bugs
4 issues- Refresh issues on headlines tab
- App not optimized for larger screens
- Occasional audio/video desync
- Crashes when trying to share content
Requested features
5 requests- Push notification support
- Landscape mode support
- Chromecast/AirPlay integration
- Ability to download episodes for offline viewing
- Improved sharing capabilities
In-app purchases
ProPublica
No in-app purchases
Democracy Now!
No in-app purchases
