PG Reader vs PennLive
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
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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
PennLive
Stay informed about local happenings with timely and reliable reporting on news, sports, and weather. Access in-depth coverage of community events, politics, business, and culture from a trusted source.
- Local news reporting
- Sports coverage
- Weather updates
- Politics and business news
- Culture and community events
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Get trusted local news from across Central Pennsylvania. 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. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Your subscriptions may be managed (and auto-renewal can be turned off) by going to your iTunes Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active subscription period. If we offer a free trial, any unused portion of the free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use: http://www.advance.net/advancedigitalUserAgreementPP/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PG Reader at none against PennLive's 15. PG Reader also leads on review sentiment (32% vs 16%). PennLive's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 8 months) and chart position (#179 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. PennLive sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. PG Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.
PG Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2K and 3.2K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of PG Reader's written reviews are positive against 16% of PennLive's.
PG Reader ships an update every 8 months, PennLive every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PG Reader | PennLive |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (2K ratings) — better | 4.5 (3.2K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 32.0% of reviews — better | 16.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2K | 3.2K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | — | #179 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 57 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | PennLive LLC |
Customer experience
PG Reader
PennLive
User reviews
PG Reader
From 2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💯 Great local news coverage
- 🏆 Excellent sports reporting
- 👍 Easy to navigate app
- 🌐 Helpful for out-of-town readers
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- ⚠️ Unreliable login and content access
- 💸 Paywall and subscription issues
- 🔍 Lacking search and organization features
PennLive
From 3.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast news coverage
- 👍 Great local news focus
- 👍 Excellent reporting staff
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app freezes and crashes
- 🔍 Difficult navigation and poor UI
- 💰 Excessive ads and paywall
- 🔍 Outdated and stale content
- 🔍 Biased and opinionated reporting
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
PennLive
Reported bugs
3 issues- App freezes and crashes on launch
- Inability to access articles after updates
- Inconsistent behavior across devices
Requested features
4 requests- Improved app stability and performance
- Streamlined and intuitive navigation
- Ability to read articles without paywall
- Unbiased and fact-based reporting
In-app purchases
PG Reader
No in-app purchases
PennLive
- Basic Access to PennLive.com$5.991 Month
- PennLive Sports Insider$7.991 Month
- Basic Access to PennLive.com$9.991 Month
Show 11 moreShow fewer
- Basic Access to PennLive.com1 Month trial2 variants$9.991 Month
- Basic Access to PennLive.com7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Subscriber Exclusive Content1 Month trial$9.991 Month
- All Access to PennLive.com$11.991 Month
- All Access to PennLive.com$15.001 Month
- All Access to PennLive.com6 Months trial$75.001 Year
- PennLive Sports Insider$79.991 Year
- All Access to PennLive.com$99.991 Year
- Basic Access to PennLive.com1 Year trial$99.991 Year
- BasicAccess to PennLive.com1 Year trial$99.991 Year
- Basic Access to PennLive.com$119.991 Year
Questions
Is PG Reader free?
Is PennLive free?
Which has better reviews, PG Reader or PennLive?
Do PG Reader or PennLive have ads?
Which is updated more often, PG Reader or PennLive?
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