PG Reader vs PCN Select
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
PCN Select
Access Pennsylvania's non-profit television network for unbiased politics, policy, history, culture, and sports programming. Stream live TV, watch on-demand videos, and explore a multi-week schedule with predictive search.
- Multiple Live TV Streams
- Video On Demand
- Multi-week Schedule
- Predictive Search
- Politics & Policy Programs
- History & Culture Programs
- Sports Programs
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PCN (Pennsylvania Cable Network) is a statewide, non-profit television network responsive to Pennsylvania through complete, unbiased politics and policy programming and unique programs showcasing the diverse range of Pennsylvania’s people in history and culture, sports, and more. Watch PCN on cable in Pennsylvania or stream on the PCN app. PCN App Featured and Enhancements: · Multiple Live TV Streams · Video On Demand · Multi-week Schedule · Predictive Search · Easy Navigation PCN Programs: Politics & Policy · Candidate Debates & Interviews - FREE · Election Coverage · LIVE PA House Feed - FREE · LIVE PA Senate Feed - FREE · LIVE Call-In Program · PA Court Sessions · On The Issues · This Week: PA · Journalists Roundtable · Civics 101 - FREE Online Educational Resource · Capital BlueCross Public Affairs Forum - FREE History & Culture · Gettysburg Battlewalks · Gettysburg Collection · PCN Tours · PA Books · Voices of Veterans · Exploring Pennsylvania Boroughs · Keystone Cuisine · Battlefield Pennsylvania · It's History! · PCN Profiles · Pennsylvania's Historic Courthouses · Pennsylvania Farm Show · Ag Progress Days Sports · PIAA High School Championships · High School Football Game of the Week · High School Wrestling Match of the Week We appreciate your feedback! Please rate our app so we can continue to improve it. Additional program details can be found at pcntv.com. For program suggestions or bugs, please reach us at info@pcntv.com.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: PG Reader at 4.7 against PCN Select's 2.1. PG Reader also leads on ratings volume (2K vs 48) and review sentiment (32% vs 13%). PCN Select's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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.
PG Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PG Reader has 2K ratings behind it against 48, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of PG Reader's written reviews are positive against 13% of PCN Select's.
PG Reader ships an update every 8 months, PCN Select every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PG Reader | PCN Select |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (2K ratings) — better | 2.1 (48 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 32.0% of reviews — better | 13.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2K — better | 48 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 57 MB | 76 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | Pennsylvania Educational Communications Systems |
Customer experience
PG Reader
PCN Select
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
PCN Select
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
PG Reader
No in-app purchases
PCN Select
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is PG Reader free?
Is PCN Select free?
Which has better reviews, PG Reader or PCN Select?
Do PG Reader or PCN Select have ads?
Which is updated more often, PG Reader or PCN Select?
Other comparisons
