# The Hill vs Environmental Observer

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Hill | Environmental Observer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[2.5 (284 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-hill/id360124019/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **284** | — |
| Positive reviews | 6.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | — |
| Size | 75 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nexstar Broadcasting](https://appshunter.io/developer/457614880) | [UCPM](https://appshunter.io/developer/1852819653) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Environmental Observer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/environmental-observer/id6755249283)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Hill free?

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

### Is Environmental Observer free?

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

### Do The Hill or Environmental Observer have ads?

The Hill shows ads; Environmental Observer does not.

### Which is updated more often, The Hill or Environmental Observer?

The Hill ships an update every 6 weeks, and Environmental Observer weekly. Most recently, The Hill was updated on October 15, 2026 and Environmental Observer on October 2, 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.*