# Boston.com vs Boston Herald

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Boston.com at none against Boston Herald's 2. Boston.com also leads on review sentiment (34% vs 13%) and ratings volume (7.5K vs 970). Boston Herald's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months) and chart position (#199 vs unranked). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Boston Herald sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month. Boston.com asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Boston.com against 4.6 for Boston Herald. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Boston.com has 7.5K ratings behind it against 970, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 34% of Boston.com's written reviews are positive against 13% of Boston Herald's.

Boston.com ships an update every 3 months, Boston Herald monthly. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Boston.com | Boston Herald |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (7.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bostoncom/id361786318/reviews) | **[4.6 (970 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boston-herald/id1471216824/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **7.5K** | 970 |
| Positive reviews | **33.8% of reviews** | 13.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#199** |
| Size | 98 MB | 188 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1324796989) | [MediaNews Group](https://appshunter.io/developer/364357227) |

## What reviewers say

### Boston.com

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bostoncom/id361786318)

Access curated news alerts, weather updates, and sports scores. Stay informed about local and national news, lifestyle, and entertainment from a team of journalists.

**Highlights:** Curated news alerts, Weather updates, Sports scores, Local and national news, Lifestyle and entertainment coverage

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐️ Great news and sports coverage
- ⭐️ Wonderful app
- ⭐️ Best progressive newspaper
- ⭐️ Best sports section in Boston
- ⭐️ Favorite news source

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Hiding behind a paywall
- 🚫 No images
- 🕰️ Doesn't update enough
- 🕰️ Zero updates
- 🚫 Recycling of old stories

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard


### Boston Herald

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boston-herald/id1471216824)

**Currently charting:** #199 Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

Access personalized news recommendations and save articles for later. Customize notifications and enjoy offline reading. Browse the digital replica of the daily newspaper directly within the app.

**Highlights:** Personalized news recommendations, Save articles for later, Customizable push notifications, Digital newspaper replica (E-News), Offline reading, Follow/Unfollow topics

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Boston Herald Monthly Sub | $11.99 | per month |
| Boston Herald Annual Sub | $139.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Decent site
- 👍 Great sports coverage
- 👍 Informative and balanced news

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and frustrating app
- 🔍 Poor navigation and user experience
- 💰 Paywall for content
- 🔍 Outdated and cluttered layout
- 🔍 Small font size

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues
- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Compatibility problems with older devices

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Improved navigation and organization
- Ability to customize font size


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Boston.com free?

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

### Is Boston Herald free?

Boston Herald is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Boston.com or Boston Herald?

Boston Herald is rated higher. Boston.com averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7.5K ratings, while Boston Herald averages 4.6 from 970 ratings.

### Do Boston.com or Boston Herald have ads?

Both Boston.com and Boston Herald show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Boston.com or Boston Herald?

Boston.com ships an update every 3 months, and Boston Herald monthly. Most recently, Boston.com was updated on October 29, 2026 and Boston Herald on October 29, 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.*