QCTimes vs The Hawk Eye eEdition
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
QCTimes
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.
- Personalized local news topics
- Breaking news and custom alerts
- Exclusive commentary and podcasts
- Photo and video updates
- Article listening option
- Customizable text size
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Your story lives in the Illinois Quad-Cities. From reporting on all of your favorite teams to the news that matters most, we cover it all. Get in-depth stories from the region and beyond – including news, sports, opinion, obituaries, entertainment, and politics. Easily access the very latest news in an app built for you. Read, see, and hear exclusive commentary, stunning photography, video updates, and binge-worthy podcasts. Plus, subscribers have the ability to upgrade to News+, our premium ad-free experience! That means faster-loading pages and an uninterrupted reading experience. Our app features: * Your Stories – personalize your experience by selecting the local news topics that matter most to you * Get notified – stay in the loop by selecting alerts for news, sports, weather, and more * Easy navigation – see all the latest local stories by simply swiping up/down, and left/right. * Read stories your way – either in the News Feed or via the E-edition * Breaking news updates – top banners let you know what’s happening right now * Follow author – get notifications whenever your favorite writers post a story * Bookmark for later – save stories to enjoy at your leisure * Listen to articles – press the play button to listen instead * Customize your text size – make the content bigger or smaller in your profile settings * Weather where you are – hourly, 10-day forecasts, and frequent video updates Free to download. Subscribers enjoy unlimited access. https://qctimes.com/terms
The Hawk Eye eEdition
Stay informed with real-time news updates and breaking alerts. Access a digital replica of the print newspaper for a comprehensive reading experience.
- Live news feed
- Breaking news alerts
- Print replica e-edition
- Real-time updates
- Mobile access
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The Burlington Hawk Eye 2-in-1 app features a live news feed and breaking news mobile alerts, keeping you up to date in real time, along with convenient access to the print replica e-edition.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: The Hawk Eye eEdition at 4.4 against QCTimes's 3.5. The Hawk Eye eEdition also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 7). QCTimes's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (213 vs 41). On price, review sentiment, ads 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. QCTimes sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $27.99 per month. The Hawk Eye eEdition asks for nothing beyond the download.
The Hawk Eye eEdition holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: QCTimes has 213 ratings behind it against 41, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 28% of QCTimes's written reviews are positive against 20% of The Hawk Eye eEdition's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
QCTimes ships an update every 2 months, The Hawk Eye eEdition every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | QCTimes | The Hawk Eye eEdition |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (213 ratings) | 4.4 (41 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 27.6% of reviews — better | 20.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 213 — better | 41 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 101 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Madison Newspapers Incorporated | Community Media Group Inc |
Customer experience
QCTimes
The Hawk Eye eEdition
Bugs and requests
QCTimes
Reported bugs
14 issues- 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
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- Ads that cannot be clicked out of
- Update pop-ups that prevent updates
- App redirects to other apps/ads
- Freezes and pop-ups
- PDF version not opening
- Inconsistent performance
- Obituaries not updated
- Sports section issues
- Old app worked better
Requested features
10 requests- Bring back obituaries
- Add pull to refresh
- Include gas prices
- More pictures with articles
- Dedicated weather page
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- Improve subscription access
- Fix ad pop-ups
- Make news current
- Restore old app features
- Improve navigation
The Hawk Eye eEdition
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
QCTimes
- Subscriptions$27.991 Month
- Subscriptions$40.991 Month
- Subscriptions$44.991 Month
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- Subscriptions$50.001 Year
- Subscriptions$269.991 Year
- Subscriptions$329.991 Year
- Subscriptions$364.991 Year
The Hawk Eye eEdition
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is QCTimes free?
Is The Hawk Eye eEdition free?
Which has better reviews, QCTimes or The Hawk Eye eEdition?
Do QCTimes or The Hawk Eye eEdition have ads?
Which is updated more often, QCTimes or The Hawk Eye eEdition?
Other comparisons
