# QCTimes vs ATU App

The clearest difference is rating: ATU App at 5.0 against QCTimes's 3.5. ATU App also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 7) and ads (none vs shown). QCTimes's advantage is ratings volume (212 vs 3). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. QCTimes sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $27.99 per month. ATU App asks for nothing beyond the download.

ATU App holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: QCTimes has 212 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

QCTimes ships an update every 2 months, ATU App every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | QCTimes | ATU App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.5 (212 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/qctimes/id356499313/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/atu-app/id1046560332/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **212** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 27.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 103 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Madison Newspapers Incorporated](https://appshunter.io/developer/345874451) | [Amalgamated Transit Union, AFL-CIO/CLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1046560331) |

## What reviewers say

### QCTimes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/qctimes/id356499313)

Access local news, sports, and in-depth stories from the Illinois Quad-Cities region. Enjoy exclusive commentary, photography, video, and podcasts. Personalize your news feed and receive breaking alerts.

**Highlights:** Personalized local news topics, Breaking news and custom alerts, Exclusive commentary and podcasts, Photo and video updates, Article listening option, Customizable text size

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscriptions | $27.99 | per month |
| Subscriptions | $40.99 | per month |
| Subscriptions | $44.99 | per month |
| Subscriptions | $50.00 | per year |
| Subscriptions | $269.99 | per year |
| Subscriptions | $329.99 | per year |
| Subscriptions | $364.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great local news source
- 📱 Easy to use on mobile
- 📰 Good newspaper content
- 🚀 Fast updates (historically)
- 💬 Ability to comment on stories

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😩 Invasive and unclosable ads
- 🐌 Slow response times
- 🗞️ Outdated news content
- 👎 Poor app performance
- 🗑️ Difficult navigation

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes frequently
- Stories fail to open
- App tells users they need to subscribe when they already do
- Blank screen on app open
- Page not available for download messages

**Requested features**

- Bring back obituaries
- Add pull to refresh
- Include gas prices
- More pictures with articles
- Dedicated weather page


### ATU App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/atu-app/id1046560332)

Stay informed with the official mobile application for the Amalgamated Transit Union. Access the latest news, discover local events, engage in union activities, and view event photos.

**Highlights:** Latest union news and updates, Information on local events, Tools for taking action, Event photo gallery, Official ATU content

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is QCTimes free?

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

### Is ATU App free?

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

### Which has better reviews, QCTimes or ATU App?

ATU App is rated higher. QCTimes averages 3.5 out of 5 from 212 ratings, while ATU App averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do QCTimes or ATU App have ads?

QCTimes shows ads; ATU App does not.

### Which is updated more often, QCTimes or ATU App?

QCTimes ships an update every 2 months, and ATU App every 5 weeks. Most recently, QCTimes was updated on October 15, 2026 and ATU App on October 12, 2026.

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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.*