# Journal Star vs Big Red Today

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Big Red Today at 81% against Journal Star's 4%. Big Red Today also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 7) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). Journal Star's advantage is rating (2.7 vs 2.2) and ratings volume (311 vs 31). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Journal Star sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per month. Big Red Today asks for nothing beyond the download.

Journal Star holds the better App Store score, 2.7 against 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Journal Star has 311 ratings behind it against 31, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 4% of Journal Star's written reviews are positive against 81% of Big Red Today's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Journal Star ships an update monthly, Big Red Today every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Journal Star | Big Red Today |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[2.7 (311 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-star/id372575588/reviews)** | [2.2 (31 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/big-red-today/id472372169/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **311** | 31 |
| Positive reviews | 4.0% of reviews | **80.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | **#189** | — |
| Size | 103 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Lee Enterprises](https://appshunter.io/developer/366562520) | [BH Media Group](https://appshunter.io/developer/663389623) |

## What reviewers say

### Journal Star

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-star/id372575588)

**Currently charting:** #189 Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

Access in-depth local news, sports, and weather for Lincoln, Nebraska. Enjoy exclusive commentary, photography, and podcasts. Personalize your news feed and receive breaking alerts.

**Highlights:** Personalized news feed, Breaking news alerts, Exclusive commentary and podcasts, Video updates, Bookmark stories, Listen to articles, Customizable text size

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscriptions | $29.99 | per month |
| Subscriptions | $42.99 | per month |
| Subscriptions | $44.99 | per month |
| Subscriptions | $50.00 | per year |
| Subscriptions | $289.99 | per year |
| Subscriptions | $344.99 | per year |
| Subscriptions | $379.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 📱 Good for accessing local news on mobile
- ✍️ Well-written articles
- 📰 Comprehensive local news coverage

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 Articles fail to load or display blank pages
- 🐛 Login issues and constant re-authentication required
- 💰 High subscription cost ($25.99-$26.99/month)
- 📵 Intrusive and excessive ads

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on launch or during use
- Articles fail to load or display blank/white screens
- Black screen pop-ups that cannot be closed
- Login credentials not saved; constant re-authentication required
- App stops loading pages in e-edition after some time

**Requested features**

- Landscape mode support for tablets
- Improved search functionality
- Better content organization and categorization
- Free or lower-cost subscription tier
- Removal or reduction of ads for paid subscribers


### Big Red Today

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/big-red-today/id472372169)

Get 24/7 access to Nebraska Cornhuskers news, photos, and videos. Follow live game updates, breaking news, and insider blog posts. Relive games with recaps and view team information like polls and standings.

**Highlights:** Live game updates, Breaking news and blog posts, Photos and video galleries, Team info: polls, standings, rosters, Game recap videos, Player and coach interviews

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Free and convenient articles
- 👍 Great Husker coverage
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Well-designed
- 👍 Wealth of information

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes or doesn't stay open
- 🐛 Removed valuable information (roster, schedule, scores, live updates)
- 🐛 Disruptive ads
- 🐛 Expensive subscription model
- 🐛 Paywall is ridiculous

**Reported bugs**

- App does not stay open
- App only contains news stories after update
- Videos and links do not work
- App requires frequent re-entry of credentials
- Last update was 3 years ago

**Requested features**

- Add roster, schedule, scores, and live updates
- Improve app stability
- Offer a more affordable subscription option
- Allow blog access
- Add push notifications for new articles or breaking news


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Journal Star free?

Journal Star is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Big Red Today free?

Big Red Today is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Journal Star or Big Red Today?

Journal Star is rated higher. Journal Star averages 2.7 out of 5 from 311 ratings, while Big Red Today averages 2.2 from 31 ratings.

### Do Journal Star or Big Red Today have ads?

Both Journal Star and Big Red Today show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Journal Star or Big Red Today?

Journal Star ships an update monthly, and Big Red Today every 5 weeks. Most recently, Journal Star was updated on October 18, 2026 and Big Red Today on October 13, 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.*