QCTimes vs WCF Courier
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
WCF Courier
Access local news, sports, and community stories from the Waterloo-Cedar Falls region. Enjoy exclusive content like podcasts and photography, with options for personalized alerts and an ad-free premium experience.
- Personalized news topics
- Customizable alerts
- Easy swipe navigation
- Exclusive commentary and photography
- Listen to articles
- Ad-free premium option
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Your story lives in The Courier. From reporting on all of your favorite teams to the news that matters most in the community, we cover it all. Get in-depth stories from the Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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://wcfcourier.com/terms/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: QCTimes at 3.5 against WCF Courier's 3.2. QCTimes also leads on chart position (#188 vs unranked) and ratings volume (213 vs 57). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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 and WCF Courier sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $27.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
QCTimes holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 213 and 57 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 28% of QCTimes's written reviews are positive against 32% of WCF Courier'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, WCF Courier monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | QCTimes | WCF Courier |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (213 ratings) — better | 3.2 (57 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 27.6% of reviews | 32.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 213 — better | 57 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #188 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 101 MB | 101 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Madison Newspapers Incorporated | Lee Enterprises |
Customer experience
QCTimes
WCF Courier
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
WCF Courier
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
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Subscriptions$50.001 Year
- Subscriptions$269.991 Year
- Subscriptions$329.991 Year
- Subscriptions$364.991 Year
WCF Courier
- Subscriptions$27.991 Month
- Subscriptions$40.991 Month
- Subscriptions$44.991 Month
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Subscriptions$50.001 Year
- Subscriptions$269.991 Year
- Subscriptions$329.991 Year
- Subscriptions$364.991 Year
Questions
Is QCTimes free?
Is WCF Courier free?
Which has better reviews, QCTimes or WCF Courier?
Do QCTimes or WCF Courier have ads?
Which is updated more often, QCTimes or WCF Courier?
Other comparisons
