Slate.com vs Times Union
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Editorially curated stories
- Political and legal commentary
- Movie and television reviews
- Award-winning podcasts
- Push notifications
- Light/Dark mode reading
- Slate Plus membership
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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.
Times Union
Stay informed with trusted news from the Capital Region. Access any story, investigations, and commentary on any device, anytime. Offers unlimited digital access with a subscription.
- Access any story on any device
- Capital Region news
- Investigations and commentary
- Unlimited digital access
- e-Edition and newsletters
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Access any story, on any device, anytime with the Times Union app. Stay informed with must-read Capital Region news. Dig into investigations and commentary you can’t find anywhere else. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS: Subscribe for unlimited digital access to the app, TimesUnion.com, e-Edition 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.TimesUnion.com/privacypolicy/ TERMS OF SERVICE: https://www.TimesUnion.com/termsofservice/ FEEDBACK: We want to hear from you! Let us know if you have questions or suggestions: DL_TU_ipadsupport@hearst.com or 518-454-5454.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Slate.com at free with in-app purchases against Times Union's subscription. Times Union's advantage is review sentiment (47% vs 33%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. Slate.com sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Times Union sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Slate.com against 4.5 for Times Union. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9.1K and 5.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 33% of Slate.com's written reviews are positive against 47% of Times Union's.
Slate.com ships an update every 5 weeks, Times Union fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.
| Parameter | Slate.com | Times Union |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (9.1K ratings) — better | 4.5 (5.5K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 33.2% of reviews | 46.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 9.1K — better | 5.5K |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | — | #84 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 60 MB | 106 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | The Slate Group, LLC | Hearst Newspapers |
Customer experience
Slate.com
Times Union
User reviews
Slate.com
From 9.1K App Store ratingsWhat 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
Times Union
From 5.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and efficient app
- 📰 Solid local news coverage
- 💡 Convenient for traveling users
Room to improve
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with data sharing
- 🔍 Poor search functionality
- 📱 Buggy and unreliable app performance
- 💰 Excessive paywall/subscription issues
- 📢 Intrusive and disruptive ads
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
Times Union
Reported bugs
4 issues- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Inconsistent content updates
- Subscription and login issues
- Rendering problems with articles and images
Requested features
4 requests- Improve navigation and layout
- Provide offline reading mode
- Enhance crossword and puzzle experience
- Integrate more multimedia content
In-app purchases
Slate.com
- Slate Plus1 Month trial$9.991 Month
- Slate Plus14 Days trial$68.991 Year
- Slate Plus3 Months trial2 variants$119.001 Year
Times Union
- Albany Times Union14 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Times Union Monthly1 Month trial$14.991 Month
- Albany Times Union for iPad14 Days trial$14.991 Month
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- Albany Times Union14 Days trial$14.991 Month
- Albany Times Union for iPad14 Days trial$89.991 Year
Questions
Is Slate.com free?
Is Times Union free?
Which has better reviews, Slate.com or Times Union?
Do Slate.com or Times Union have ads?
Which is updated more often, Slate.com or Times Union?
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