# Boston.com vs Boston Herald E

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Boston.com | Boston Herald E |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (7.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bostoncom/id361786318/reviews)** | [4.4 (379 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boston-herald-e-edition/id543969326/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7.5K** | 379 |
| Positive reviews | 34.3% of reviews | **84.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 months** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 97 MB | 127 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1324796989) | [Herald Interactive, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/427818743) |

## 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 E

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boston-herald-e-edition/id543969326)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Boston Herald | $9.99 | per month |
| Singe Copy Purchase | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Individual edition purchase option
- Dark mode for reading
- Smartphone-optimized content layout
- Improved password/username reset capability
- Auto-login when following email links


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Boston.com free?

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

### Is Boston Herald E free?

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

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

Boston.com is rated higher. Boston.com averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7.5K ratings, while Boston Herald E averages 4.4 from 379 ratings.

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

Both Boston.com and Boston Herald E show ads.

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

Boston.com ships an update every 4 months, and Boston Herald E every 6 months. Most recently, Boston.com was updated on October 20, 2026 and Boston Herald E on October 14, 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.*