# LA Times vs Archinect

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | LA Times | Archinect |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (20K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/la-times/id373238146/reviews)** | [4.0 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/archinect/id508857846/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **20K** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | 29.1% of reviews | **83.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 weeks** | Every 10 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#15** | — |
| Size | 37 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **8.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Los Angeles Times Communications LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1449774969) | [Archinect](https://appshunter.io/developer/508857889) |

## What reviewers say

### LA Times

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/la-times/id373238146)

**Currently charting:** #15 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers, #26 Top Grossing · News, #68 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers, #125 Top Free · News (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Stage News App Only | $4.99 | per month |
| News App Only | $4.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Digital Access | $5.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Access - Stage App | $7.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Digital Access | $15.99 | per month |
| Jonathan Gold's 101 List | $2.99 | one-time |
| Jonathan Gold's 101 List for 2016 | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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- 👎 Outdated or irrelevant content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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/archinect/id508857846)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😞 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

**Reported bugs**

- App does not open
- App crashes shortly after opening
- App won't open after update
- New update makes it crash
- Won't connect

**Requested features**

- iPad app availability
- iPad version of website and iPhone app
- Job search filter options similar to website


## Frequently asked 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.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*