# QCTimes vs The Post

The clearest difference is rating: QCTimes at 3.5 against The Post's 2.8. QCTimes also leads on review sentiment (28% vs 12%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. QCTimes sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $27.99 per month and The Post 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 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 212 and 122 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 28% of QCTimes's written reviews are positive against 12% of The Post's.

QCTimes ships an update every 2 months, The Post monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | QCTimes | The Post |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.5 (212 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/qctimes/id356499313/reviews)** | [2.8 (122 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-post-star/id376057369/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **212** | 122 |
| Positive reviews | **27.6% of reviews** | 11.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 103 MB | 103 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Madison Newspapers Incorporated](https://appshunter.io/developer/345874451) | [Lee Enterprises](https://appshunter.io/developer/366562520) |

## 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 Post

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-post-star/id376057369)

Access local news, sports, and community stories with in-depth reporting and multimedia content. Personalize your feed, receive breaking news alerts, and enjoy exclusive features like podcasts and audio articles. An optional premium subscription offers an ad-free experience.

**Highlights:** Personalized news feed, Breaking news alerts, Exclusive commentary and podcasts, Audio articles, Customizable text size, Hourly and 10-day weather forecasts

**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 | $344.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Used to be good
- 👍 Free local news (historically)
- 👍 Good UI (historically)
- 👍 Works with e-edition subscribers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription ($25+/month)
- 🚫 No free content anymore
-  outdated News articles
- 😠 Annoying pop-up ads
- 📱 Glitchy and unstable

**Reported bugs**

- App won't start/crashes on opening
- Articles not opening/links not working
- Error messages when accessing content
- App closes unexpectedly
- Phantom clickthroughs to App Store

**Requested features**

- Option to hide background pictures
- Put comments section back
- Scale back the UI/design
- Add iPad version
- Push alerts for new articles


## Frequently asked questions

### Is QCTimes free?

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

### Is The Post free?

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

### Which has better reviews, QCTimes or The Post?

QCTimes is rated higher. QCTimes averages 3.5 out of 5 from 212 ratings, while The Post averages 2.8 from 122 ratings.

### Do QCTimes or The Post have ads?

Both QCTimes and The Post show ads.

### Which is updated more often, QCTimes or The Post?

QCTimes ships an update every 2 months, and The Post monthly. Most recently, QCTimes was updated on October 15, 2026 and The Post on October 20, 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.*