Comparison

TIME Magazine vs Houston Chronicle

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

Head to head
About

TIME Magazine

Access award-winning articles and photography covering global issues, politics, health, and technology. Stay informed with breaking news and in-depth analysis from experts. Experience news events through personal accounts and inspiring features.

Highlights
  • Award-winning articles
  • Eye-opening photography
  • Global issue coverage
  • Health breakthroughs
  • Political analysis
  • Tech advances
Features
Read full description

Stay up-to-date with the latest news from around the world with TIME Magazine! 

Stay informed with award-winning articles and eye-opening photography. Learn about global issues from the experts and get the breaking new details. Meet the people who are changing the world and shaping social change. Experience news events firsthand through personal accounts and inspiring features. Plus discover new health breakthroughs, political analyses, the latest tech advances – and so much more! Download the app and receive a FREE ISSUE when you say yes to a monthly or annual subscription. TIME publishes 50 issues per year, including 16 double issues. 
TIME® Magazine Subscriptions Available: 
1 month and 1 year 
SUBSCRIBERS’ AUTOMATIC-RENEWAL FEATURE: Your subscription will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Your iTunes account will automatically be charged at the same price for renewal, as stated above, within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Current subscriptions may not be cancelled during the active subscription period, but you can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renewal by visiting your iTunes Account Settings after purchase. NOTE: WHEN PURCHASING A SUBSCRIPTION OR SINGLE-COPY OF THIS TITLE, YOU AGREE TO THE PRIVACY POLICY AND TERMS OF SERVICE WHICH CAN BE VIEWED BY GOING TO: Privacy Policy US: https://time.com/privacy/generic_privacy_new.html Privacy Policy US (California): https://time.com/privacy/generic_privacy_new.html#california EU Privacy Policy: http://time.com/privacy/generic_privacy_new_eu.html Terms of Service: https://time.com/privacy/privacy_terms_service.html

About

Houston Chronicle

Stay informed with trusted journalism about Houston and Texas. Receive news alerts, sports coverage, and in-depth analysis. Access a digital replica of the newspaper and enjoy exclusive content and puzzles.

Highlights
  • Customizable news alerts
  • Local and Texas news coverage
  • Sports and politics podcasts
  • Digital newspaper replica (e-Edition)
  • Puzzles and exclusive guides
  • Text-to-audio story feature
Features
Read full description

Know more about Houston with the Houston Chronicle app. Stay informed with trusted journalism wherever you are. • Get Houston news alerts and notifications, customized by preferred topics • Catch high school football, college sports, and Astros, Texans, Rockets coverage • Stay on top of Texas news, politics, business, food and development stories • Tune in to the politics podcast Texas Take and sports podcast Fifth Down for expert analysis • Page through the e-Edition, a digital replica of the newspaper • Stay sharp with Puzzmo’s reimagined favorites and brand-new puzzles • Listen to Chronicle stories with Everlit, a text-to-audio tool • Check out exclusive guides and compelling columns and commentary SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS: • Subscribe for unlimited digital access to the app, HoustonChronicle.com, e-Edition and newsletters. Get 1 month free, then $14.99 per month. Cancel anytime. • Current digital and print subscribers have unlimited access to the app. • Digital subscribers: Sign in to the app to access your benefit. • Print subscribers: If you haven’t activated your digital access yet, look for “Activate Access” at the bottom of the app welcome screen. PAYMENT: Payment will be charged to your account with the confirmation of your purchase and will automatically renew each month unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of your monthly period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. PRIVACY POLICY: https://www.HoustonChronicle.com/privacy_policy/ TERMS OF SERVICE: https://www.HoustonChronicle.com/terms_of_use/ FEEDBACK: We want to hear from you! Let us know if you have questions or suggestions: appsupport@chron.com.

Screenshots

TIME Magazine4 screens
Houston Chronicle4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: TIME Magazine at free with in-app purchases against Houston Chronicle's subscription. TIME Magazine also leads on ads (none vs shown). Houston Chronicle's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (15K vs 2.6K). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases 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. TIME Magazine sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Houston Chronicle sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for TIME Magazine against 4.5 for Houston Chronicle. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Houston Chronicle has 15K ratings behind it against 2.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 38% of TIME Magazine's written reviews are positive against 32% of Houston Chronicle's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TIME Magazine ships an update every 3 months, Houston Chronicle fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
TIME Magazine versus Houston Chronicle: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTIME MagazineHouston Chronicle
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2.6K ratings)4.5 (15K ratings) — better
Positive reviews38.3% of reviews — better32.1% of reviews
Number of ratings2.6K15K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#151#41 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB106 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperTIMEHearst Newspapers

Customer experience

TIME Magazine

All ratings2,506 ratings
Positive88.8%
Neutral2.7%
Negative8.5%
Written reviews196 reviews
Positive38.3%
Neutral7.1%
Negative54.6%

Houston Chronicle

All ratings14,607 ratings
Positive88.7%
Neutral4.5%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews196 reviews
Positive32.1%
Neutral14.8%
Negative53.1%

User reviews

TIME Magazine

From 2.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great app
  • 🚀 Intuitive and user-friendly
  • 💡 Innovative features
  • 🚀 Beautifully designed
  • 👍 Excellent content

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🐛 Subscription issues
  • 🐛 Inability to download current issues
  • 🐛 Poor customer support
  • 🐛 Confusing layout and navigation

Houston Chronicle

From 15K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to navigate and read
  • 👍 Enjoyable and informative
  • 👍 Great local coverage
  • 👍 Excellent investigative reporting

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes constantly
  • 🐛 Glitchy and unreliable app
  • 🔒 Poor login experience
  • 🔍 Lacking in national/world news coverage
  • 📰 Biased and one-sided reporting

Bugs and requests

TIME Magazine

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes on startup
  • Subscription not recognized
  • Unable to download latest issues
  • Login issues and account problems
  • Compatibility problems with iOS updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add audio playback for articles
  • Implement bookmarking and note-taking
  • Improve syncing and offline access
  • Provide better customization options
  • Integrate social sharing features

Houston Chronicle

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Articles not loading properly
  • Frequent log-out issues
  • Inconsistent content availability between app and website

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to save, listen, or share articles
  • Improved search functionality
  • Seamless integration between print and digital subscriptions
  • More balanced and objective reporting

In-app purchases

10 purchases

TIME Magazine

Subscriptions4
  • 1 Month Subscription7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • 1 Month Subscription1 Month trial$2.991 Month
  • 1 Year Subscription7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • 1 Year Subscription1 Month trial$29.991 Year
One-time6
  • April 12, 2010$4.99
  • TIME 100, 2010$4.99
  • December 27, 2010$4.99
Show 3 more
  • May 20, 2011$4.99
  • October 17, 2011$4.99
  • March 04, 2013$4.99
5 purchases

Houston Chronicle

Subscriptions5
  • Houston Chronicle$14.991 Month
  • Houston Chronicle Monthly1 Month trial$14.991 Month
  • Houston Chronicle for iPad14 Days trial$14.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Houston Chronicle14 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Houston Chronicle for iPad14 Days trial$59.991 Year

Questions

Is TIME Magazine free?
TIME Magazine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Houston Chronicle free?
Houston Chronicle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, TIME Magazine or Houston Chronicle?
Houston Chronicle is rated higher. TIME Magazine averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2.6K ratings, while Houston Chronicle averages 4.5 from 15K ratings.
Do TIME Magazine or Houston Chronicle have ads?
Houston Chronicle shows ads; TIME Magazine does not.
Which is updated more often, TIME Magazine or Houston Chronicle?
TIME Magazine ships an update every 3 months, and Houston Chronicle fortnightly. Most recently, TIME Magazine was updated on November 6, 2026 and Houston Chronicle on November 8, 2026.
Which is more popular, TIME Magazine or Houston Chronicle?
TIME Magazine currently peaks at #151 in the App Store charts, and Houston Chronicle at #41. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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