# PG Reader vs The Philadelphia Inquirer

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | PG Reader | The Philadelphia Inquirer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (2.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pg-reader/id365895829/reviews)** | [4.6 (18K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-philadelphia-inquirer/id577251728/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2.4K | **18K** |
| Positive reviews | 32.0% of reviews | **35.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#31** |
| Size | 57 MB | 225 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette](https://appshunter.io/developer/342115595) | [Philadelphia Media Network, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/431740905) |

## What reviewers say

### PG Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pg-reader/id365895829)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💯 Great local news coverage
- 🏆 Excellent sports reporting
- 👍 Easy to navigate app
- 🌐 Helpful for out-of-town readers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- ⚠️ Unreliable login and content access
- 💸 Paywall and subscription issues
- 🔍 Lacking search and organization features

**Reported bugs**

- Login functionality not working
- Content not loading or updating properly
- Notifications not taking users to the app
- Frequent app freezes and crashes

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Improved push notifications
- Better integration with social media
- More comprehensive local coverage


### The Philadelphia Inquirer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-philadelphia-inquirer/id577251728)

**Currently charting:** #31 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers, #43 Top Grossing · News, #107 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Inquirer Digital Subscription | $19.99 | per month |
| Premium Digital Access | $27.99 | per month |
| Day Pass | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*