# QCTimes vs The Hawk Eye eEdition

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | QCTimes | The Hawk Eye eEdition |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.5 (213 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/qctimes/id356499313/reviews) | **[4.4 (41 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-hawk-eye-eedition/id1376098801/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **213** | 41 |
| Positive reviews | **27.6% of reviews** | 20.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 101 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Madison Newspapers Incorporated](https://appshunter.io/developer/345874451) | [Community Media Group Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1080808685) |

## 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


### The Hawk Eye eEdition

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-hawk-eye-eedition/id1376098801)

Stay informed with real-time news updates and breaking alerts. Access a digital replica of the print newspaper for a comprehensive reading experience.

**Highlights:** Live news feed, Breaking news alerts, Print replica e-edition, Real-time updates, Mobile access

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is QCTimes free?

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

### Is The Hawk Eye eEdition free?

The Hawk Eye eEdition is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, QCTimes or The Hawk Eye eEdition?

The Hawk Eye eEdition is rated higher. QCTimes averages 3.5 out of 5 from 213 ratings, while The Hawk Eye eEdition averages 4.4 from 41 ratings.

### Do QCTimes or The Hawk Eye eEdition have ads?

Both QCTimes and The Hawk Eye eEdition show ads.

### Which is updated more often, QCTimes or The Hawk Eye eEdition?

QCTimes ships an update every 2 months, and The Hawk Eye eEdition every 7 months. Most recently, QCTimes was updated on November 1, 2026 and The Hawk Eye eEdition on October 24, 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.*