Comparison

Slate.com vs Times Union

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

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.

Highlights
  • Access any story on any device
  • Capital Region news
  • Investigations and commentary
  • Unlimited digital access
  • e-Edition and newsletters
Features
Read full description

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

Slate.com4 screens
Times Union4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

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 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Slate.com ships an update every 5 weeks, Times Union fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Slate.com versus Times Union: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSlate.comTimes Union
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (9.1K ratings) — better4.5 (5.5K ratings)
Positive reviews33.2% of reviews46.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9.1K — better5.5K
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
Best chart rank—#84 — better
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%

Times Union

All ratings5,487 ratings
Positive87.0%
Neutral5.7%
Negative7.3%
Written reviews103 reviews
Positive46.6%
Neutral7.8%
Negative45.6%

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

Times Union

From 5.5K App Store ratings

What 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

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
5 purchases

Times Union

Subscriptions5
  • 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
Show 2 more
  • Albany Times Union14 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Albany Times Union for iPad14 Days trial$89.991 Year

Questions

Is Slate.com free?
Slate.com is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Times Union free?
Times Union is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Slate.com or Times Union?
Slate.com is rated higher. Slate.com averages 4.5 out of 5 from 9.1K ratings, while Times Union averages 4.5 from 5.5K ratings.
Do Slate.com or Times Union have ads?
Both Slate.com and Times Union show ads.
Which is updated more often, Slate.com or Times Union?
Slate.com ships an update every 5 weeks, and Times Union fortnightly. Most recently, Slate.com was updated on November 6, 2026 and Times Union on November 6, 2026.

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