Comparison

PG Reader vs The Philadelphia Inquirer

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 Philadelphia Inquirer

Access award-winning local news, sports, and insights with a streamlined reading experience. Stay informed with breaking alerts, customizable feeds, and convenient features like dark mode and adjustable text sizes. Offers digital subscriptions for full access.

Highlights
  • Intuitive news feed
  • Seamless section navigation
  • Bookmarking and sharing
  • Breaking news alerts
  • Customizable news feed
  • Adjustable text size
  • Dark mode
Features
Read full description

Staying on top of award-winning Philadelphia news is now faster and easier than ever with The Philadelphia Inquirer’s iPhone and iPad app — the official iOS news app for The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News. With The Philadelphia Inquirer App you can: Discover the latest breaking news and important updates with our intuitive news feed and uncluttered reading experience. Explore the news topics you care about, from sports teams like the Eagles and Phillies to local news and insights, with our seamless section navigation. Remember the stories that matter to you with quick action buttons for bookmarking and sharing. Never miss a story with Basic and Premium digital all-access subscriptions, available as an in-app purchase. Additional Features: Alerts and Notifications — Be the first to know with verified breaking news. Easily access breaking news articles with one tap on a notification. Newsletters — Stay on top of the news in your inbox. Sign up for the newsletters you’d like to receive to get the very best of The Inquirer. Frequent Updates — Stay connected with 24/7 coverage and other important news throughout the day. Log In — Use your existing Inquirer account or register a new one. Customized Feed — Customize your news feed to follow the topics that matter most to you. Switch between your custom feed and Latest Headlines with just a tap. Custom Text Size — Read more comfortably with the ability to increase/decrease article font sizes. Split Screen Support — Multitask with The Inquirer App and other apps at the same time on compatible iPads. Today Widget — Quickly access the latest headlines by adding our custom widget to your homescreen or Today screen. Dark Mode — Activate from the Settings tab and the app will switch to dark mode when activated on your device for easier nighttime reading. We’d love to hear your feedback! Reach out to our support team under Settings > Submit Feedback.

Screenshots

PG Reader4 screens
The Philadelphia Inquirer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PG Reader at none against The Philadelphia Inquirer's 3. The Philadelphia Inquirer's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 8 months) and chart position (#31 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment 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 Philadelphia Inquirer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. PG Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for PG Reader against 4.6 for The Philadelphia Inquirer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Philadelphia Inquirer has 18K ratings behind it against 2.4K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 32% of PG Reader's written reviews are positive against 36% of The Philadelphia Inquirer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PG Reader ships an update every 8 months, The Philadelphia Inquirer fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
PG Reader versus The Philadelphia Inquirer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPG ReaderThe Philadelphia Inquirer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (2.4K ratings) — better4.6 (18K ratings)
Positive reviews32.0% of reviews35.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.4K18K — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#31 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB225 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperPittsburgh Post-GazettePhiladelphia Media Network, Inc.

Customer experience

PG Reader

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

The Philadelphia Inquirer

All ratings18,061 ratings
Positive91.1%
Neutral3.7%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews156 reviews
Positive35.9%
Neutral9.6%
Negative54.5%

User reviews

PG Reader

From 2.4K 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 Philadelphia Inquirer

From 18K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🗞️ Solid online edition of newspaper
  • 👍 Provides a good reading experience
  • 🔍 Comprehensive news coverage
  • 🗓️ Timely and relevant news
  • 📰 Essential for local news

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Biased and opinionated reporting
  • 🤖 Intrusive and disruptive ads
  • 🤯 Frustrating navigation and UI
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • 🔒 Difficult to cancel subscription

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 Philadelphia Inquirer

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Articles not loading or updating properly
  • Compatibility issues with certain WiFi connections
  • Repeated crashes when interacting with ads
  • Scrolling issues and content being obscured by ads

Requested features

5 requests
  • Save/share articles with options to print, email, or link
  • Ability to clip and share articles
  • Dark mode option
  • Improved article organization and search
  • Better integration with email and browsers

In-app purchases

None

PG Reader

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Subscriptions2
  • Inquirer Digital Subscription1 Year trial$19.991 Month
  • Premium Digital Access3 Months trial$27.991 Month
One-time1
  • Day Pass$0.99

Questions

Is PG Reader free?
PG Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Philadelphia Inquirer free?
The Philadelphia Inquirer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PG Reader or The Philadelphia Inquirer?
PG Reader is rated higher. PG Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2.4K ratings, while The Philadelphia Inquirer averages 4.6 from 18K ratings.
Do PG Reader or The Philadelphia Inquirer have ads?
Both PG Reader and The Philadelphia Inquirer show ads.
Which is updated more often, PG Reader or The Philadelphia Inquirer?
PG Reader ships an update every 8 months, and The Philadelphia Inquirer fortnightly. Most recently, PG Reader was updated on October 29, 2026 and The Philadelphia Inquirer on October 31, 2026.

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