PG Reader vs Observer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PG Reader
Access breaking local and regional news from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as soon as it's published. Stay informed on politics, business, lifestyle, and sports. Share articles via email or social media, and save your favorites for later.
- Live feed of local and regional news
- Breaking news updates
- Browse articles by section
- Save articles to favorites
- Share articles via email
- Share articles on social media
Read full descriptionHide full description
PG Reader Description Stay up-to-date with all things Pittsburgh – through the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s PG Reader app. You’ll get up-to-the-minute breaking local and regional news directly from the Post-Gazette. The PG Reader app gives you a direct feed of every local and regional news and lifestyle story that the Post-Gazette writes -- as soon as it's published! You'll get breaking news, business, politics, local news and more. In addition, with the PG Reader App you can share the news via e-mail or save it to your favorites. Unlimited access to this app can be purchased through the Post-Gazette’s digital subscription package. Non-subscribers may view a limited number of items every month. Features: - Live feed of all local, regional, political and lifestyle, college and high schools sports articles directly from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Browse articles by content sections - Save articles to your "Favorites” section to view at a later date - E-mail an article to a friend - Share article on Facebook or Twitter
Observer
Access daily news for Washington County, Greene County, and the Mon Valley in southwestern Pennsylvania. This app delivers localized news content directly to your mobile device.
- Daily newspaper coverage
- Washington County news
- Greene County news
- Mon Valley news
- Southwestern PA news
- Mobile access
Read full descriptionHide full description
The Observer-Reporter is a daily newspaper covering Washington County, Greene County and the Mon Valley in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania. Get your Southwestern PA news when you want it through our customized app for your mobile devices.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: PG Reader at 4.7 against Observer's 4.1. PG Reader also leads on review sentiment (32% vs 12%) and ratings volume (2K vs 473). Observer's advantage is monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 8 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
PG Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2K and 473 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of PG Reader's written reviews are positive against 12% of Observer's.
PG Reader ships an update every 8 months, Observer every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 11, 2026.
| Parameter | PG Reader | Observer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (2K ratings) — better | 4.1 (473 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 32.0% of reviews — better | 11.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2K — better | 473 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 4 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 57 MB | 75 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | Observer Publishing Company |
Customer experience
PG Reader
Observer
Bugs and requests
PG Reader
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login functionality not working
- Content not loading or updating properly
- Notifications not taking users to the app
- Frequent app freezes and crashes
Requested features
4 requests- Dark mode option
- Improved push notifications
- Better integration with social media
- More comprehensive local coverage
Observer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
PG Reader
No in-app purchases
Observer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is PG Reader free?
Is Observer free?
Which has better reviews, PG Reader or Observer?
Do PG Reader or Observer have ads?
Which is updated more often, PG Reader or Observer?
Other comparisons
