Comparison

Pantagraph vs The State Journal

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

Head to head
About

Pantagraph

Access local news, sports, and community stories from the Bloomington-Normal area. Features exclusive commentary, photography, video, and podcasts. Subscribers can upgrade to an ad-free premium experience.

Highlights
  • Personalized news topics
  • Breaking news alerts
  • Exclusive multimedia content
  • Ad-free premium option
  • Listen to articles
  • Customizable text size
  • Hourly and 10-day weather forecasts
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Your story lives in The Pantagraph. From reporting on all of your favorite teams to the news that matters most in your community, we cover it all. Get in-depth stories from the Bloomington-Normal area and beyond – including news, sports, opinion, obituaries, entertainment, and politics. Easily access the very latest news in an app built for you. Read, see, and hear exclusive commentary, stunning photography, video updates, and binge-worthy podcasts. Plus, subscribers have the ability to upgrade to News+, our premium ad-free experience! That means faster-loading pages and an uninterrupted reading experience. Our app features: * Your Stories – personalize your experience by selecting the local news topics that matter most to you * Get notified – stay in the loop by selecting alerts for news, sports, weather, and more * Easy navigation – see all the latest local stories by simply swiping up/down, and left/right. * Read stories your way – either in the News Feed or via the E-edition * Breaking news updates – top banners let you know what’s happening right now * Follow author – get notifications whenever your favorite writers post a story * Bookmark for later – save stories to enjoy at your leisure * Listen to articles – press the play button to listen instead * Customize your text size – make the content bigger or smaller in your profile settings * Weather where you are – hourly, 10-day forecasts, and frequent video updates Free to download. Subscribers enjoy unlimited access. https://pantagraph.com/terms/

About

The State Journal

Stay informed with local news, in-depth journalism, and multimedia content. Receive real-time alerts for breaking news, sports scores, and weather. Customize your reading experience and access a digital replica of the print edition.

Highlights
  • In-depth local journalism
  • Breaking news alerts
  • Sports scores and weather updates
  • Customizable reading experience
  • Offline reading
  • Digital eNewspaper replica
  • Access to USA TODAY
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

From critically acclaimed storytelling to powerful photography to engaging videos — The State Journal-Register app delivers the local news that matters most to your community. APP FEATURES: • Access all of our in-depth journalism, including things to do around town, sports coverage from high school to the pros, and much more. • Enjoy a streamlined, fast-loading experience that makes it easy to view the stories, photos, and videos that matter to you. • Get breaking news, sports scores, and weather alerts with real-time notifications tailored to your interests. • Customize your experience by saving your favorite stories, adjusting text size, using night mode, or reading offline. • eNewspaper: Just like our print edition but accessible on your mobile devices. And access to USA TODAY and 200+ local eNewspapers. MORE INFORMATION: • Privacy Policy: https://cm.sj-r.com/privacy/ • Terms of Service: https://cm.sj-r.com/terms/ • Help Center: https://help.sj-r.com • Subscriptions are charged to your account at confirmation of purchase and automatically renew each month or year, unless turned off in your account settings at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage your subscriptions and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to your Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription, where applicable. See "Subscription Support" in the app's Settings for more details and customer service contact information.

Screenshots

Pantagraph4 screens
The State Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: The State Journal at 4.2 against Pantagraph's 3.4. The State Journal also leads on review sentiment (32% vs 19%). Pantagraph's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Pantagraph sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $27.99 per month and The State Journal sells 4 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

The State Journal holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 402 and 401 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 19% of Pantagraph's written reviews are positive against 32% of The State Journal's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pantagraph ships an update every 2 months, The State Journal monthly. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Pantagraph versus The State Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPantagraphThe State Journal
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (402 ratings)4.2 (401 ratings) — better
Positive reviews19.0% of reviews31.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings402 — better401
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#164 — better#195
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size101 MB185 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperLee EnterprisesUSA TODAY Co., Inc.

Customer experience

Pantagraph

All ratings402 ratings
Positive50.7%
Neutral20.9%
Negative28.4%
Written reviews63 reviews
Positive19.0%
Neutral11.1%
Negative69.8%

The State Journal

All ratings401 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral7.2%
Negative12.7%
Written reviews63 reviews
Positive31.7%
Neutral12.7%
Negative55.6%

User reviews

Pantagraph

From 402 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Good local news
  • 🚀 Always on time
  • 👍 Convenient for on the go
  • 🚀 Fast news delivery
  • 👍 Easy to navigate

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Repetitive articles
  • 🐛 Update issues
  • 🐛 Misleading update messages
  • 🐛 Sparse local university coverage
  • 🐛 Expensive subscription

The State Journal

From 401 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📰 Includes USA TODAY content
  • 👍 Easy to use interface
  • 🚀 Low footprint and fast loading
  • 📱 Convenient access at fingertips
  • 🎯 Good local news source

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes frequently
  • 🔐 Subscription access issues despite payment
  • 📵 E-newspaper fails to load
  • ⚠️ Poor content organization
  • 📉 Lack of local news coverage

Bugs and requests

Pantagraph

Reported bugs

25 issues
  • Update message misleading
  • App unusable after update
  • Paywall appears and won't allow viewing
  • Saved articles gone after update
  • App blacks out
Show 20 more
  • Article reloads when scrolling
  • Popups look like malware
  • Request cannot be processed, no content available
  • Pictures can no longer be enlarged
  • App randomly blacks out
  • App no longer works, loads blackout video
  • Twitchy scrolling, article reloads
  • Ads hijack you
  • Redirected to advertiser's site
  • App redirects to game in App Store
  • App crashes every time after software update
  • New version does not open
  • Annoying adverts take you to safari
  • Ads redirect to website, cannot return to news
  • App redirects to their website
  • Pop-up video ads before viewing article
  • Notifications never worked
  • App keeps crashing
  • Cannot see comments
  • App does not seem to work as well

Requested features

15 requests
  • Stop repeating things
  • Fix update message to go to update page
  • More local articles
  • More local news coverage
  • Improve coverage of local small university
Show 10 more
  • Offer subscription without advertising
  • Allow viewing of E-edition
  • Improve categorization and organization
  • Allow print size adjustment
  • Fix comment section accessibility
  • Disable comments section
  • More local news or all local news
  • Option to view paper as E-edition
  • Fix notification system
  • Allow viewing of comments

The State Journal

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App not loading e-newspaper section
  • Login credentials not recognized despite correct entry
  • Articles displaying in background, unreadable
  • Wrong date/edition displayed
  • Subscription not recognized despite active payment
Show 5 more
  • App locking/freezing phone
  • Stories not updating for days
  • White blank pages for some stories
  • Subscription renewal creating duplicate charges
  • App crashing on newer devices

Requested features

8 requests
  • Offline reading capability
  • Subscription status visibility in app
  • Better article organization by category
  • Full newspaper view layout
  • Continuous content updates throughout the day
Show 3 more
  • Remove ads from paid version
  • Improved customer support options
  • Faster obituaries loading

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Pantagraph

Subscriptions7
  • Subscriptions$27.991 Month
  • Subscriptions$40.991 Month
  • Subscriptions$44.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • Subscriptions$50.001 Year
  • Subscriptions$269.991 Year
  • Subscriptions$329.991 Year
  • Subscriptions$364.991 Year
4 purchases

The State Journal

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Digital Rate1 Month trial$14.991 Month
  • Monthly Digital Subscription1 Month trial$24.991 Month
  • SJ-R Monthly1 Month trial$24.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • SJ-R Annual1 Year trial$69.991 Year

Questions

Is Pantagraph free?
Pantagraph is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The State Journal free?
The State Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pantagraph or The State Journal?
The State Journal is rated higher. Pantagraph averages 3.4 out of 5 from 402 ratings, while The State Journal averages 4.2 from 401 ratings.
Do Pantagraph or The State Journal have ads?
Both Pantagraph and The State Journal show ads.
Which is updated more often, Pantagraph or The State Journal?
Pantagraph ships an update every 2 months, and The State Journal monthly. Most recently, Pantagraph was updated on October 29, 2026 and The State Journal on October 29, 2026.
Which is more popular, Pantagraph or The State Journal?
Pantagraph currently peaks at #164 in the App Store charts, and The State Journal at #195. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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