Boston.com vs MassLive.com
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Boston.com
Access curated news alerts, weather updates, and sports scores. Stay informed about local and national news, lifestyle, and entertainment from a team of journalists.
- Curated news alerts
- Weather updates
- Sports scores
- Local and national news
- Lifestyle and entertainment coverage
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Boston.com is the essential digital destination for quick, award-winning local coverage across news, sports, weather, lifestyle, and community. No one knows Boston like we do, and no one delivers what the city cares about right now in a format this fast. Stay up to date on what’s happening in Boston and beyond when you download the app today. And make sure to turn on push notifications so you're always first to know what the city's talking about.
MassLive.com
Stay informed with local news, sports, and weather that directly impacts your community. Get timely and reliable reporting from journalists who live and work in your area, covering everything from politics to culture.
- Local news reporting
- Sports coverage
- Weather updates
- Community-focused journalism
- Premium content access
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Get trusted local news from across Massachusetts. Breaking news, in-depth reporting, and all the stories people are talking about. Stay connected to what's happening around you with timely coverage of news, weather, sports, and more, optimized for your phone. Free to download. Get breaking news, alerts, and top stories. Subscribers receive unlimited access to in-depth reporting, exclusive content, and additional features. Subscriptions are available in-app. Our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use: http://www.advance.net/advancedigitalUserAgreementPP/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Boston.com at none against MassLive.com's 10. Boston.com also leads on review sentiment (34% vs 19%). MassLive.com's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and chart position (#113 vs unranked). 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
Both are free to download. MassLive.com sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 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 4.5 for MassLive.com. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7.5K and 6.2K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 34% of Boston.com's written reviews are positive against 19% of MassLive.com's.
Boston.com ships an update every 3 months, MassLive.com every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.
| Parameter | Boston.com | MassLive.com |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (7.5K ratings) — better | 4.5 (6.2K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 33.8% of reviews — better | 18.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7.5K — better | 6.2K |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | — | #113 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 98 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC | MassLive.com |
Customer experience
Boston.com
MassLive.com
User reviews
Boston.com
From 7.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ⭐️ Great news and sports coverage
- ⭐️ Wonderful app
- ⭐️ Best progressive newspaper
- ⭐️ Best sports section in Boston
- ⭐️ Favorite news source
Room to improve
- 💰 Hiding behind a paywall
- 🚫 No images
- 🕰️ Doesn't update enough
- 🕰️ Zero updates
- 🚫 Recycling of old stories
MassLive.com
From 6.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💯 Great coverage of important news
- 📰 Excellent local and state news
- 🏆 Best news and sports outlet for Massachusetts
Room to improve
- ⏱️ Slow and glitchy performance
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 📢 Too many ads even with subscription
- 🗞️ Biased and sensationalist reporting
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find content
Bugs and requests
Boston.com
Reported bugs
2 issues- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices
Requested features
2 requests- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
MassLive.com
Reported bugs
3 issues- Login and account issues after updates
- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Broken comment and sharing functionality
Requested features
4 requests- Separate sports and news sections
- Improved search and filtering options
- Ability to customize content feed
- Offline reading mode
In-app purchases
Boston.com
No in-app purchases
MassLive.com
- Digital Access$9.991 Month
- Digital Access1 Month trial$9.991 Month
- Digital Access7 Days trial$9.991 Month
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- Subscriber Exclusive Content1 Month trial2 variants$9.991 Month
- Monthly Access with Discount1 Month trial$10.001 Month
- Monthly Access$11.991 Month
- All Access to MassLive$15.001 Month
- Annual Access1 Year trial$99.991 Year
- Annual Access$119.991 Year
Questions
Is Boston.com free?
Is MassLive.com free?
Which has better reviews, Boston.com or MassLive.com?
Do Boston.com or MassLive.com have ads?
Which is updated more often, Boston.com or MassLive.com?
Other comparisons
