LA Times vs Straight Arrow | SAN
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Award-winning journalism
- Breaking news alerts
- Digital content browsing
- eNewspaper access
- Save articles to 'My Library'
- Exclusive video content
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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.
Straight Arrow | SAN
Access unbiased, fact-based news and in-depth context to understand current events. Discover original video podcasts and reporting often missed by mainstream media, providing a more complete picture of the world.
- Unbiased news delivery
- Fact-based reporting
- Original video podcasts
- Media Miss™ and Media Landscape tools
- In-depth context
- Cross-topic coverage
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Straight Arrow fearlessly exposes the hard truths about the stories that matter most to you. No manipulation. No bias. No agenda. We go beyond the headlines to bring you the context and clarity you deserve — without spin or manipulation. From immigration to the cost of living, education to health care, Straight Arrow reports the facts you need to form your own opinions. Register in the app to become a founding member and get unlimited access to the stories that matter. Plus, discover reporting you're not seeing from mainstream media outlets. Straight Arrow’s Media Miss and Media Landscape tools highlight stories right- and left-leaning outlets aren't covering — giving you a complete picture of the news. Independent media ratings groups like AllSides have described Straight Arrow’s reporting as Certified Balanced™. Join the Straight Arrow movement as we raise the bar on journalism in a time of media bias and mistrust. Having trouble? Please reach out to support@san.com. Follow Straight Arrow on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, X and YouTube. https://www.facebook.com/straightarrownews/ https://www.instagram.com/straightarrownews/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/straight-arrow-news/ https://www.tiktok.com/@straightarrownews https://x.com/straightarrow__ https://www.youtube.com/c/straightarrownews
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Straight Arrow | SAN at free against LA Times's subscription. Straight Arrow | SAN also leads on review sentiment (66% vs 29%) and ads (none vs shown). LA Times's advantage is chart position (#16 vs #53). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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
Both are free to download. LA Times sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Straight Arrow | SAN sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.95 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for LA Times against 4.7 for Straight Arrow | SAN. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20K and 9.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 29% of LA Times's written reviews are positive against 66% of Straight Arrow | SAN's.
LA Times ships an update every 4 weeks, Straight Arrow | SAN fortnightly. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.
| Parameter | LA Times | Straight Arrow | SAN |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (20K ratings) | 4.7 (9.7K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 29.4% of reviews | 65.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 20K — better | 9.7K |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #16 — better | #53 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 101 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Los Angeles Times Communications LLC | Straight Arrow News, LLC |
Customer experience
LA Times
Straight Arrow | SAN
User reviews
LA Times
From 20K App Store ratingsWhat 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
Straight Arrow | SAN
From 9.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Unbiased and transparent reporting
- 👍 Comprehensive coverage of news stories
- 🔍 Helpful 'Media Miss' feature
- 🤝 Balanced perspectives from different sources
- 💡 Innovative approach to news delivery
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional app crashes or bugs
- 🔊 Audio volume issues
- 🔍 Difficulty finding relevant stories
- 🌐 Limited coverage of international news
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
Straight Arrow | SAN
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashing on launch
- Video playback issues
- Inconsistent UI behavior
Requested features
4 requests- Dark mode option
- Improved search functionality
- Expanded international news coverage
- Customizable news feed preferences
In-app purchases
LA Times
- Stage News App Only$4.991 Month
- News App Only$4.991 Month
- Unlimited Digital Access3 Months trial$5.991 Month
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- Unlimited Access - Stage App$7.991 Month
- Unlimited Digital Access1 Month trial$15.991 Month
- Jonathan Gold's 101 List$2.99
- Jonathan Gold's 101 List for 2016$2.99
Straight Arrow | SAN
- Monthly$12.951 Month
- Yearly$99.901 Year






