# Journal Star vs Briefd.

The clearest difference is ads: Briefd. at none against Journal Star's shown. Journal Star's advantage is chart position (#196 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, in-app purchases 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 and Briefd. sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

## The numbers

| Metric | Journal Star | Briefd. |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[2.7 (311 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-star/id372575588/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **311** | — |
| Positive reviews | 4.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Monthly | — |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#196** | — |
| Size | 103 MB | 44 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lee Enterprises](https://appshunter.io/developer/366562520) | [Tawil Charaniya](https://appshunter.io/developer/1891540984) |

## What reviewers say

### Journal Star

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

**Currently charting:** #196 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


### Briefd.

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/briefd/id6761794568)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $2.99 | per month |
| Briefd Weekdays | $6.99 | per month |
| Briefd Daily | $9.99 | per month |
| 5 Credits | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Journal Star free?

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

### Is Briefd. free?

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

### Do Journal Star or Briefd. have ads?

Journal Star shows ads; Briefd. does not.

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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.*