# Slate.com vs The Hill

The clearest difference is rating: Slate.com at 4.5 against The Hill's 2.5. Slate.com also leads on review sentiment (33% vs 7%) and ratings volume (9.1K vs 284). The Hill's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Slate.com sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. The Hill asks for nothing beyond the download.

Slate.com holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Slate.com has 9.1K ratings behind it against 284, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Slate.com's written reviews are positive against 7% of The Hill's.

Slate.com ships an update every 5 weeks, The Hill every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Slate.com | The Hill |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (9.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/slatecom/id357555242/reviews)** | [2.5 (284 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-hill/id360124019/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **9.1K** | 284 |
| Positive reviews | **33.2% of reviews** | 6.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | **#76** | — |
| Size | 60 MB | 75 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Slate Group, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/796274625) | [Nexstar Broadcasting](https://appshunter.io/developer/457614880) |

## What reviewers say

### Slate.com

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/slatecom/id357555242)

**Currently charting:** #76 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers, #101 Top Grossing · News, #164 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Slate Plus | $9.99 | per month |
| Slate Plus | $68.99 | per year |
| Slate Plus | $119.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### The Hill

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-hill/id360124019)

Stay informed on US politics and congressional affairs. Access in-depth news, analysis, and opinion pieces on campaigns, business, and lobbying. Watch exclusive video content and follow topics for breaking news alerts.

**Highlights:** Congress and politics coverage, Business and lobbying focus, News, analysis, and opinion, Video clips and talk shows, Push notifications for breaking news, Save stories for later

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 📰 Balanced and unbiased news reporting
- ✍️ High-quality journalism and writing
- 🎯 Good content for political news junkies
- ⚡ Responsive developer support
- 📱 Functional app when working properly

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📺 Excessive and intrusive video ads
- 🛑 Constant pop-up advertisements
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 📜 Poor text readability and font sizing issues
- 🔄 Jittery and glitchy scrolling

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when opening articles
- App crashes when scrolling too quickly
- App freezes during initialization
- App won't load on some devices
- Text cut off in landscape mode

**Requested features**

- Search functionality for articles
- Bookmark/save articles feature
- Breaking news notifications
- Ad-free subscription option
- Ability to disable auto-play videos


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Slate.com free?

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

### Is The Hill free?

The Hill is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Slate.com or The Hill?

Slate.com is rated higher. Slate.com averages 4.5 out of 5 from 9.1K ratings, while The Hill averages 2.5 from 284 ratings.

### Do Slate.com or The Hill have ads?

Both Slate.com and The Hill show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Slate.com or The Hill?

Slate.com ships an update every 5 weeks, and The Hill every 6 weeks. Most recently, Slate.com was updated on October 15, 2026 and The Hill on October 6, 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.*