# POLITICO vs SME.sk

POLITICO and SME.sk both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 65% of SME.sk's written reviews are positive against 29% of POLITICO's. POLITICO's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ratings volume (49K vs 77). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SME.sk sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. POLITICO asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for POLITICO against 4.8 for SME.sk. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: POLITICO has 49K ratings behind it against 77, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 29% of POLITICO's written reviews are positive against 65% of SME.sk's.

POLITICO ships an update monthly, SME.sk every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | POLITICO | SME.sk |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (49K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/politico/id358305912/reviews) | **[4.8 (77 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smesk/id409126327/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **49K** | 77 |
| Positive reviews | 29.1% of reviews | **64.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 4 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#93** | — |
| Size | 94 MB | 34 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [POLITICO, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/358305915) | [Petit Press, a.s.](https://appshunter.io/developer/409126330) |

## What reviewers say

### POLITICO

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/politico/id358305912)

**Currently charting:** #93 Top Free · News (US App Store)

Get essential political and policy news that shapes your day. Understand global power centers and their impact with curated coverage, personalized feeds, and in-depth analysis. Access newsletters and podcasts directly within the app.

**Highlights:** Curated political news coverage, Personalized news feed, Native access to newsletters, In-app podcast player, Searchable lawmaker database

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent news coverage
- 🔍 Thorough and insightful analysis
- 🗞️ Reliable and trustworthy journalism
- 📊 Valuable data and metrics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔄 Difficulty refreshing content
- 📱 Poor app performance and navigation
- 🔍 Biased or partisan reporting
- 🔍 Lack of objectivity

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes and crashes
- Inability to refresh content
- Notifications not working properly
- Compatibility issues with newer devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to adjust font size
- Offline reading mode
- Improved article organization and search
- More balanced political coverage


### SME.sk

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smesk/id409126327)

Stay informed with the latest news from Slovakia and around the world. Access articles, videos, podcasts, and regional news. Save content for later and receive instant notifications about breaking events.

**Highlights:** Latest news from Slovakia and the world, Quick notifications for breaking events, Access to videos and podcasts, Regional news updates, Content search and saving, Weather forecast

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Vypnutie reklamy | $1.99 | per month |
| Neobmedzený prístup k obsahu aplikácie so zobrazovaním reklamy | $2.99 | per month |
| Štandard bez reklamy | $5.49 | per month |
| Prémium | $6.99 | per month |
| Štandard | $6.99 | per month |
| Prémium bez reklamy | $8.99 | per month |
| Štandard | $49.00 | per year |
| Štandard bez reklamy | $49.99 | per year |
| Prémium | $69.00 | per year |
| Prémium bez reklamy | $89.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great Slovak news app
- 👍 Simple and fast
- 👍 Good for information
- 👍 Well-designed and readable
- 👍 Nice pictures

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😞 Slower than CNN
- 😞 Piano paywall for articles
- 😞 Articles not fully supported in app
- 😞 Ads for subscribers
- 😞 Subscription issues

**Reported bugs**

- Scrolling article returns to beginning
- Last update deleted saved articles
- Cookie consent shown on every launch
- App crashes frequently
- Articles not opening in app

**Requested features**

- Offline reading capability
- iPad version
- Landscape mode
- Ability to save entire sections
- Inspiration from New York Times app for offline reading


## Frequently asked questions

### Is POLITICO free?

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

### Is SME.sk free?

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

### Which has better reviews, POLITICO or SME.sk?

SME.sk is rated higher. POLITICO averages 4.7 out of 5 from 49K ratings, while SME.sk averages 4.8 from 77 ratings.

### Do POLITICO or SME.sk have ads?

Both POLITICO and SME.sk show ads.

### Which is updated more often, POLITICO or SME.sk?

POLITICO ships an update monthly, and SME.sk every 4 weeks. Most recently, POLITICO was updated on November 12, 2026 and SME.sk on November 10, 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.*