Comparison

LA Times vs Archinect

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

Head to head
About

LA Times

Access award-winning journalism, breaking news, and in-depth coverage of California and global events. Browse digital content or the eNewspaper, save articles, and watch exclusive videos. Stay informed with curated news feeds and push notifications.

Highlights
  • Award-winning journalism
  • Breaking news alerts
  • Digital content browsing
  • eNewspaper access
  • Save articles to 'My Library'
  • Exclusive video content
Features
Read full description

Get the trustworthy news you need everywhere you go with the Los Angeles Times app. Receive instant access to our award-winning journalism, breaking news, politics, the best in food, entertainment, events and more for Southern California and the world. Updated with a new design, the L.A. Times app gives you the option of browsing our digital content or paging through the eNewspaper. Our content includes in-depth coverage of Los Angeles, California and the West; exclusive narrative storytelling such as “Column One”; revitalized reporting on the latest in food and dining; a unique take on politics and the 2020 campaign; comprehensive coverage of the arts, pop culture and the entertainment industry; on and off-season reporting on L.A.’s home teams and major sports events. New tools include “My Library,” to save your own reading list, and a video section to access the latest short documentaries and other videos. Download the iOS app to experience our new digital publishing platform. APP FEATURES: • Top News: Scan a curated feed of the most important news as it happens • Push notifications: Get the latest news from our newsroom as soon as stories break • eNewspaper experience: Download today’s issue for offline reading and browse archives of past issues • Video section: Enjoy exclusive video • My Library: View saved stories and view your recent activity • Share content easily with Twitter, Facebook, or email SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS: • If you’re a current digital subscriber, sign in with your email address and password to get unlimited access to the app’s content. • Non-subscribers, download the app a select number of stories stories each month. For full access, try a free month of Unlimited Digital Access to the app, the L.A. Times website, and our eNewspaper; then it's only $15.99 a month. Make sure to create a registration while in the app so you'll be able to log in to the website and eNewspaper when you visit them in web browsers. • Your subscription automatically renews each month unless auto-renew is turned off within your Account Settings at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. • Your iTunes account will be charged $15.99 for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. • No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. • Subscriptions may be managed by the user 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 • You can read our Privacy Policy here: https://www.latimes.com/privacy-policy • You can read our Terms of Service here: https://www.latimes.com/terms-of-service • CA Notice of Collection - https://www.latimes.com/privacy-policy#california-notice-of-collection • Do Not Sell My Info - https://membership.latimes.com/privacy-settings • Questions about your subscription, including adding or removing access to the L.A. Times website from your app access, can be directed to Customer Service: 213-347-5300. TECHNICAL HELP AND ASSISTANCE: If you ever have questions about how the app works, want to provide helpful feedback, or experience crashes or freezes after installing an update, please contact us at mobile@latimes.com. A quick email to our support team helps our developers identify and resolve issues faster. We work hard to make sure you have the best experience using our app.

About

Archinect

Access architecture news, job listings, and community discussions on the go. Receive instant push notifications for breaking industry updates.

Highlights
  • Mobile access to articles
  • Job listings
  • Community discussions
  • Push alerts for breaking news
  • Architecture industry updates
Features
Read full description

The official Archinect iPhone/iPod app provides easy and quick mobile access to articles, jobs and discussions from Archinect.com. The app also provides push alerts for instant notifications of breaking news in the architecture and related industries.

Screenshots

LA Times4 screens
Archinect4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Archinect at 83% against LA Times's 29%. Archinect also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 7) and ads (none vs shown). LA Times's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 10 months). On price 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. LA Times sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Archinect asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

LA Times holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LA Times has 20K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 29% of LA Times's written reviews are positive against 83% of Archinect's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LA Times ships an update every 4 weeks, Archinect every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
LA Times versus Archinect: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLA TimesArchinect
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (20K ratings) — better4.0 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews29.1% of reviews83.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings20K — better9
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterEvery 10 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
Best chart rank#16 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB3 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperLos Angeles Times Communications LLCArchinect

Customer experience

LA Times

All ratings19,567 ratings
Positive90.8%
Neutral3.7%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews127 reviews
Positive29.1%
Neutral10.2%
Negative60.6%

Archinect

All ratings9 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews59 reviews
Positive83.1%
Neutral5.1%
Negative11.9%

User reviews

LA Times

From 20K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth navigation
  • 👍 Great UI design
  • 🚀 Fast load times
  • 💡 Useful features like traffic alerts
  • 👍 Comprehensive local and national news coverage

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy search functionality
  • 🔒 Subscription issues and paywall problems
  • 🔋 Slow performance on older devices
  • 👎 Outdated or irrelevant content
  • 👎 Overwhelming with ads

Archinect

From 9 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and no frills
  • 👍 Interesting and concise articles
  • 👍 Subscription-free and ad-free
  • 🏆 Great idea and design
  • 👍 Professional quality images

Room to improve

  • 😞 Forum users can be pessimistic
  • 🐛 App does not open
  • 🐛 App crashes shortly after opening
  • 🐛 App won't open after update
  • 🐛 New update makes it crash

Bugs and requests

LA Times

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Images not loading properly
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Paywall issues preventing access to content
  • Sync problems between app and website

Requested features

5 requests
  • Customizable news feed and section ordering
  • Offline reading mode
  • Better integration with subscription accounts
  • Improved article navigation and scrolling
  • Accessibility features for visually impaired users

Archinect

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App does not open
  • App crashes shortly after opening
  • App won't open after update
  • New update makes it crash
  • Won't connect
Show 4 more
  • Keeps crashing when opening
  • App crashes frequently
  • App is terrible and buggy
  • Does not have a function to log into accounts

Requested features

3 requests
  • iPad app availability
  • iPad version of website and iPhone app
  • Job search filter options similar to website

In-app purchases

7 purchases

LA Times

Subscriptions5
  • Stage News App Only$4.991 Month
  • News App Only$4.991 Month
  • Unlimited Digital Access3 Months trial$5.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Unlimited Access - Stage App$7.991 Month
  • Unlimited Digital Access1 Month trial$15.991 Month
One-time2
  • Jonathan Gold's 101 List$2.99
  • Jonathan Gold's 101 List for 2016$2.99
None

Archinect

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is LA Times free?
LA Times is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Archinect free?
Archinect is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, LA Times or Archinect?
LA Times is rated higher. LA Times averages 4.6 out of 5 from 20K ratings, while Archinect averages 4.0 from 9 ratings.
Do LA Times or Archinect have ads?
LA Times shows ads; Archinect does not.
Which is updated more often, LA Times or Archinect?
LA Times ships an update every 4 weeks, and Archinect every 10 months. Most recently, LA Times was updated on October 27, 2026 and Archinect on October 23, 2026.

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