Comparison

Slate.com vs CT Insider

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Slate.com

Access award-winning daily online magazine content, including in-depth analysis, commentary, and podcasts. Enjoy curated stories, reviews, and advice with options for ad-free reading and exclusive content through a membership.

Highlights
  • Editorially curated stories
  • Political and legal commentary
  • Movie and television reviews
  • Award-winning podcasts
  • Push notifications
  • Light/Dark mode reading
  • Slate Plus membership
Features
Read full description

Enjoy Slate, the award-winning daily online magazine, on your iPhone. Slate is a general-interest publication offering analysis and commentary about politics, news, business, technology, culture, and advice. Slate’s strong editorial voice and witty take on current events have been recognized with numerous awards, including the National Magazine Award for General Excellence Online. Features include: - Our Editorially curated stories of the day - Access to all of our written work, including Slate’s popular political and legal commentary, movie and television reviews, and Dear Prudence. - Our award winning podcasts, including the Political Gabfest, the Culture Gabfest, Decoder Ring, and Slow Burn. - Push notifications to keep you informed throughout your day. - The ability to choose to read using Light or Dark mode. - Access to purchase or sign in to our membership program, Slate Plus. Please see the benefits below. The app is free to download, however we do display advertisements within the app. Additionally we offer the ability to log in to your existing Slate Plus account or purchase a new Slate Plus account through the in app purchases. Your Slate Plus account can be used on your iOS devices as well as our website. To use your Slate Plus subscription on other devices you must create an account after completing your purchase. You can always create an account at a later time if you choose not to do so initially after your purchase. With your Slate Plus subscription, you'll receive: - Unlimited articles in the Slate app. - An ad-free reading experience in the Slate app. By creating an optional account you’ll also receive: - Unlimited articles on slate.com. - Our exclusive subscriber only weekly newsletter. - Access to all of our podcasts completely ad-free. - Bonus episodes and segments on your favorite shows! Slate Plus Subscription details: Your account will automatically renew at the end of each month or year depending on your subscription. Payment will be charged to your Apple account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. You can manage your subscription and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to user account settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. For additional information regarding Slate Plus please see our FAQ: https://slate.com/plus/faq Slate's Privacy Policy: https://slate.com/privacy Slate's Terms of Use: https://slate.com/terms For additional information regarding auto renewal settings please refer to this link: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202039 Please send your thoughts and suggestions to feedback@slate.com.

About

CT Insider

Access statewide Connecticut news, from local communities to statewide sports. Receive customized alerts, read the e-Edition, and enjoy text-to-audio storytelling. Offers puzzles and local guides.

Highlights
  • Connecticut news alerts
  • Customizable homepage
  • Sports coverage
  • e-Edition replica
  • Text-to-audio stories
  • Local guides and commentary
Features
Read full description

Know more about Bridgeport, Stamford, New Haven, Hartford and communities across Connecticut with the CT Insider app. Stay informed with trusted journalism wherever you are. - Get Connecticut news alerts and notifications, customized by preferred topics - Customize your homepage with local news from your community - Catch statewide high school, UConn and pro sports coverage, plus tune in to the GametimeCT high school sports podcast - Page through the e-Edition, a digital replica of the newspaper - Stay sharp with Puzzmo’s reimagined favorites and new puzzles - Listen to CT Insider stories with Everlit, a text-to-audio tool - Check out local guides and compelling columns and commentary SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS: Subscribe for unlimited digital access to the app, CTInsider.com and newsletters. Get 1 month free, then $14.99 per month. Cancel anytime. Current digital and print subscribers have unlimited access to the app. - Digital subscribers: Sign in to the app to access your benefit. - Print subscribers: If you haven’t activated your digital access yet, look for “Activate Access” at the bottom of the app welcome screen. PAYMENT: Payment will be charged to your iTunes account with the confirmation of your purchase and will automatically renew each month unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of your monthly period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. PRIVACY POLICY: https://www.ctinsider.com/privacy/ TERMS OF SERVICE: https://www.ctinsider.com/tos/ FEEDBACK: We want to hear from you! Let us know if you have questions or suggestions: appsupport@hearstmediact.com.

Screenshots

Slate.com4 screens
CT Insider4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Slate.com at free with in-app purchases against CT Insider's subscription. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Slate.com sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and CT Insider sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Slate.com against 4.6 for CT Insider. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9.1K and 4.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 33% of Slate.com's written reviews are positive against 37% of CT Insider's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Slate.com ships an update every 5 weeks, CT Insider every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 10 level
Slate.com versus CT Insider: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSlate.comCT Insider
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (9.1K ratings)4.6 (4.7K ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.2% of reviews36.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9.1K — better4.7K
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#39 — better#70
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB106 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperThe Slate Group, LLCHearst Newspapers

Customer experience

Slate.com

All ratings9,063 ratings
Positive89.8%
Neutral3.2%
Negative7.0%
Written reviews316 reviews
Positive33.2%
Neutral10.8%
Negative56.0%

CT Insider

All ratings4,706 ratings
Positive89.6%
Neutral4.3%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews49 reviews
Positive36.7%
Neutral12.2%
Negative51.0%

User reviews

Slate.com

From 9.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Clean layout, easy to navigate
  • 🚀 Great news source
  • 🚀 Excellent journalism
  • 👍 Informative, insightful content

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes constantly
  • 🐛 Buggy, glitchy performance
  • 🐛 Unreliable login and sign-in
  • 🐛 Slow loading times
  • 🐛 Incompatible with newer iOS versions

CT Insider

From 4.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to read news
  • 👍 Clean interface
  • 👍 Brings together local CT news

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App not working/freezing
  • 🐛 Unable to log in/stay logged in
  • 🐛 Outdated/missing local news
  • 🔍 Poor search/sorting options
  • 💰 Expensive subscription

Bugs and requests

Slate.com

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Articles not loading properly
  • Blank screens and white screens
  • Inability to access Slate Plus content
  • Podcasts cutting out or not playing correctly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add search functionality
  • Improve podcast playback controls
  • Implement landscape mode for iPad
  • Better identify Slate Plus content

CT Insider

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Notifications don't open articles
  • Subscription issues/double billing
  • Compatibility problems on Android

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add search by keyword
  • Allow saving favorite articles
  • Enable article commenting
  • Improve integration with email/website

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Slate.com

Subscriptions3
  • Slate Plus1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • Slate Plus14 Days trial$68.991 Year
  • Slate Plus3 Months trial2 variants$119.001 Year
2 purchases

CT Insider

Subscriptions2
  • CT Insider Monthly1 Month trial$14.991 Month
  • CT Insider Monthly2 Months trial$14.991 Month

Questions

Is Slate.com free?
Slate.com is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CT Insider free?
CT Insider is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Slate.com or CT Insider?
CT Insider is rated higher. Slate.com averages 4.5 out of 5 from 9.1K ratings, while CT Insider averages 4.6 from 4.7K ratings.
Do Slate.com or CT Insider have ads?
Both Slate.com and CT Insider show ads.
Which is updated more often, Slate.com or CT Insider?
Slate.com ships an update every 5 weeks, and CT Insider every 3 weeks. Most recently, Slate.com was updated on October 19, 2026 and CT Insider on October 21, 2026.
Which is more popular, Slate.com or CT Insider?
Slate.com currently peaks at #39 in the App Store charts, and CT Insider at #70. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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