PG Reader vs Mon Valley Independent
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
Mon Valley Independent
Access 24/7 news updates and a daily e-edition of the newspaper. Receive alerts for major headlines, share stories on social media, and save your favorite articles. Features include display options and search functionality.
- 24/7 news updates
- Daily newspaper e-edition
- Headline alerts
- Social media sharing
- Favorite stories
- Search functionality
Read full descriptionHide full description
A must-have for Mon Valley! The Mon Valley Independent App gives you access to both news/information updated 24/7 AND the daily newspaper e-Edition! That means you'll never miss vital information and the latest news. The app allows you to receive alerts about the biggest headlines and also allows you to read content and share it on your favourite social media platforms. There are also display options, search functionality and the ability to "favorite" stories you enjoy.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: PG Reader at 2K against Mon Valley Independent's 57. Mon Valley Independent's advantage is monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, rating, update cadence 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for PG Reader against 4.8 for Mon Valley Independent. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PG Reader has 2K ratings behind it against 57, so its average is the more settled of the two.
PG Reader ships an update every 8 months, Mon Valley Independent every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PG Reader | Mon Valley Independent |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (2K ratings) | 4.8 (57 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 32.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2K — better | 57 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 6 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 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 57 MB | 37 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | The Mid Mon Valley Publishing Company |
Customer experience
PG Reader
Mon Valley Independent
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
Mon Valley Independent
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
PG Reader
No in-app purchases
Mon Valley Independent
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is PG Reader free?
Is Mon Valley Independent free?
Which has better reviews, PG Reader or Mon Valley Independent?
Do PG Reader or Mon Valley Independent have ads?
Which is updated more often, PG Reader or Mon Valley Independent?
Other comparisons
