Boston.com vs Boston Herald E
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.
Boston Herald E
Access an exact digital replica of the Boston Herald print edition. This app is included with home delivery subscriptions or available for purchase via day passes or e-edition only subscriptions.
- Exact digital replica of print edition
- Included with home delivery subscription
- Daily pass subscriptions available
- 4-week e-edition only subscription
- 52-week e-edition only subscription
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This is an exact digital replica of the Boston Herald print edition. This app is a free part of your Boston Herald home delivery subscription. You can also purchase Day pass subscriptions for $2.50 a day or e-edition only subscriptions for 4 weeks ($9.98) or 52 weeks ($125). If you have any questions, please contact customer service at 1-800-882-1211 or homedelivery@bostonherald.com. For more details, please see our Terms of Service: https://www.medianewsgroup.com/terms-of-use/
Screenshots
Verdict
Boston.com and Boston Herald E both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 84% of Boston Herald E's written reviews are positive against 34% of Boston.com's. Boston Herald E also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.4). Boston.com's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (7.5K vs 379). On price, rating, update cadence 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. Boston Herald E sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Boston.com asks for nothing beyond the download.
Boston.com holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Boston.com has 7.5K ratings behind it against 379, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 34% of Boston.com's written reviews are positive against 84% of Boston Herald E's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Boston.com ships an update every 4 months, Boston Herald E every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Boston.com | Boston Herald E |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (7.5K ratings) — better | 4.4 (379 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 34.3% of reviews | 84.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7.5K — better | 379 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 97 MB | 127 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC | Herald Interactive, Inc. |
Customer experience
Boston.com
Boston Herald E
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
Boston Herald E
From 379 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to navigate and user-friendly interface
- 📰 Convenient access to daily newspaper editions
- 🚀 Fast automatic downloads every morning
- 📱 Works well on iPad and iPhone devices
- ✍️ Quality journalism and balanced reporting
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent login issues and authentication failures
- 📵 App crashes and unexpected closures
- ⏰ Late or delayed edition deliveries
- 🎵 Interferes with background music/streaming on iPad
- 📊 Excessive ads despite paid subscription
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
Boston Herald E
Reported bugs
10 issues- App doesn't recognize stored login credentials
- Unable to create new accounts after updates
- Edition caching shows previous day's paper
- Forced app reinstallation needed weekly on iPad
- App won't open, prompts free trial despite active subscription
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- Left margin not clear when enlarging pages
- Page-turning button opens articles unintentionally
- Last pages fail to download completely
- App closes and reopens during article reading
- Inconsistent performance across iOS devices
Requested features
8 requests- Individual edition purchase option
- Dark mode for reading
- Smartphone-optimized content layout
- Improved password/username reset capability
- Auto-login when following email links
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- Ability to upgrade subscription tier easily
- Better handling of large resolution images
- More sports coverage and Howie Carr content
In-app purchases
Boston.com
No in-app purchases
Boston Herald E
- Boston Herald$9.991 Month
- Singe Copy Purchase$0.99
Questions
Is Boston.com free?
Is Boston Herald E free?
Which has better reviews, Boston.com or Boston Herald E?
Do Boston.com or Boston Herald E have ads?
Which is updated more often, Boston.com or Boston Herald E?
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