The Hill vs Environmental Observer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Hill
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.
- 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
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Covering congress & politics with a focus on business and lobbying, political campaigns, and goings on on Capitol Hill. Read news, analysis, and opinion pieces across a variety of categories, including Senate, House, Administration, Campaign, Business & Lobbying, and topical blogs. Watch video clips of reporting from the capitol, as well as full episodes of our political talk shows. Follow topics to get push notifications on breaking news. Save stories to read later.
Environmental Observer
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Environmental Observer is your mobile gateway to real-world eco-stories, community action and global impact. With this app you can: • Browse curated environmental news and reports from communities worldwide (powered by EnvironmentalObserver.com) • Submit your own observations — wildlife sightings, landscape changes, pollution events, habitat restoration in progress • Upload photos/videos and geotag your entries for local mapping and global sharing • Follow topics you care about — climate change, conservation, clean energy, biodiversity • Receive alerts/custom feeds when new posts arrive in your network or region • Save, bookmark and share your favourite stories across social media Environmental Observer empowers you to become an informed citizen scientist and share your voice in the movement for a healthier planet. Join the community today!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Environmental Observer at none against The Hill's shown. Environmental Observer also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
The Hill ships an update every 6 weeks, Environmental Observer weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Hill | Environmental Observer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.5 (284 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 6.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 284 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 75 MB | 31 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nexstar Broadcasting | UCPM |
Bugs and requests
The Hill
Reported bugs
15 issues- 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
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- Text cut off by notch on iPhone X
- Articles don't display completely
- Ads cover article text
- App stutters and jumps to ads
- App jumps to end of articles
- App won't progress past notification setup screens
- Jittery scrolling performance
- High CPU and battery consumption
- Incompatibility with accessibility settings
- Recent update breaks core functionality
Requested features
11 requests- Search functionality for articles
- Bookmark/save articles feature
- Breaking news notifications
- Ad-free subscription option
- Ability to disable auto-play videos
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- Adjustable font size and zoom
- Filter articles by topic/policy
- Chronological article sorting
- Author attribution in articles
- Ability to listen to music while using app
- Improved accessibility features
Environmental Observer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
The Hill
No in-app purchases
Environmental Observer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The Hill free?
Is Environmental Observer free?
Do The Hill or Environmental Observer have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Hill or Environmental Observer?
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