Comparison

PG Reader vs The Baltimore Sun

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read 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

About

The Baltimore Sun

Access exclusive news, sports, business, and entertainment from Maryland's top news source. Stay informed with breaking alerts, save articles for later, and enjoy offline reading. Customize your news feed and share stories easily.

Highlights
  • Exclusive premium storytelling
  • Breaking news push notifications
  • Exclusive videos and photo galleries
  • Customizable section list
  • Save stories for offline reading
  • Easy social sharing
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Now there's a simple, elegant and customizable way to get all of the Baltimore Sun's exclusive, premium storytelling on your iPhone and iPad. FEATURES: • Stay informed with Baltimore's best source of news, sports, business and entertainment • Sign up for push notifications to get the latest news from our newsroom as soon as stories break • Enjoy exclusive videos and photo galleries • Edit the section list to be in your preferred order • Save must-read stories, photos and videos for when you have the time to enjoy them • Get the latest breaking news from our newsroom in your notifications • Share stories easily with Twitter, Facebook, or email • Offline reading: Download and read content offline SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS: • For full access, try one free month of Unlimited Digital Access to the app, the Baltimore Sun website, and our eNewspaper; then it's only $19.99 a month. Make sure to create a registration while in the app so you'll be able to log in to the website and eNewspaper when you visit them in web browsers. • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. • Your subscription automatically renews each month unless auto-renew is turned off within your Account Settings at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. • Your iTunes account will be charged $19.99 for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. • No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. • Subscriptions may be managed by the user by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. • You can read our Privacy Policy here: http://www.tribpub.com/privacy-policy/ • You can read our Terms of Service here: http://www.tribpub.com/central-terms-of-service/ • Questions about your subscription, including adding or removing Web access to the Baltimore Sun website from your app access, can be directed to Customer Service: 888-539-1280. CRASHES / PROBLEMS? We've been working hard to fix any and all crashes in the app. If you're still experiencing crashes or freezes after installing this update, please contact us at mobile@baltimoresun.com. A quick email to our support team helps our developers identify and resolve crashes faster.

Screenshots

PG Reader4 screens
The Baltimore Sun4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PG Reader at none against The Baltimore Sun's 12. PG Reader also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.5). The Baltimore Sun's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 8 months) and chart position (#120 vs unranked). On price, review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. The Baltimore Sun sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. PG Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PG Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2K and 5.8K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of PG Reader's written reviews are positive against 30% of The Baltimore Sun's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PG Reader ships an update every 8 months, The Baltimore Sun every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
PG Reader versus The Baltimore Sun: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPG ReaderThe Baltimore Sun
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2K ratings) — better4.5 (5.8K ratings)
Positive reviews32.0% of reviews — better30.2% of reviews
Number of ratings2K5.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
Best chart rank—#120 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB190 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperPittsburgh Post-GazetteTribune Publishing Company, LLC

Customer experience

PG Reader

All ratings1,951 ratings
Positive92.0%
Neutral3.0%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews100 reviews
Positive32.0%
Neutral7.0%
Negative61.0%

The Baltimore Sun

All ratings5,820 ratings
Positive86.7%
Neutral5.2%
Negative8.2%
Written reviews126 reviews
Positive30.2%
Neutral9.5%
Negative60.3%

User reviews

PG Reader

From 2K App Store ratings

What 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

The Baltimore Sun

From 5.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Hard to use
  • 👍 A new reader
  • 👍 Old Pimlico boy
  • 👍 The latest redesign of the app is a keeper

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Full of Ads and Broken Features
  • 🐛 Requires constant updates
  • 🐛 Missing functions
  • 🐛 Terrible app just got worse
  • 🐛 Dominated by Ads

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

The Baltimore Sun

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • No access to digital paper
  • App stopped working
  • News will not load
  • Can't login
  • Scrolling doesn't work
Show 5 more
  • Unable to view content in the app as a subscriber
  • Fee to read!
  • So much respect for the Sun but...
  • Awful and scam
  • Can't find the comics

Requested features

4 requests
  • Allow for rotation display on ipad
  • Landscape mode turned off
  • Restore Restore landscape orientation
  • Bring back landscape view!

In-app purchases

None

PG Reader

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

The Baltimore Sun

Subscriptions9
  • App-only subscription - Stage$0.991 Month
  • Unlimited Access - Stage$1.991 Month
  • App-Only Access$4.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Unlimited Digital Access - Tes$7.991 Month
  • Unlimited Digital Access1 Month trial3 variants$19.991 Month
  • News App Only$19.991 Month
  • Baltimore Sun Monthly Subscription1 Month trial$19.991 Month
  • The Baltimore Sun1 Year trial$199.991 Year
  • Baltimore Sun Yearly Subscription1 Year trial$199.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Story Credits$0.99

Questions

Is PG Reader free?
PG Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Baltimore Sun free?
The Baltimore Sun is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PG Reader or The Baltimore Sun?
PG Reader is rated higher. PG Reader averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2K ratings, while The Baltimore Sun averages 4.5 from 5.8K ratings.
Do PG Reader or The Baltimore Sun have ads?
Both PG Reader and The Baltimore Sun show ads.
Which is updated more often, PG Reader or The Baltimore Sun?
PG Reader ships an update every 8 months, and The Baltimore Sun every 3 weeks. Most recently, PG Reader was updated on October 14, 2026 and The Baltimore Sun on October 14, 2026.

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