Chicago Tribune vs NJ.com
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Chicago Tribune
Access essential Chicago news, sports, business, and entertainment coverage. Customize your feed, receive breaking news alerts, and enjoy exclusive content like videos and photo galleries. Save articles for later and read offline.
- Personalized news feed
- Breaking news notifications
- Exclusive videos and photo galleries
- Save stories for offline reading
- Share stories easily
- iPad visual news view
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Now there's a simple, elegant and customizable way to get essential Chicago Tribune news, sports, business and entertainment coverage on your iPhone or iPad. FEATURES: • Stay informed with Chicago's best source of news, sports, business and entertainment • Sign up for push notifications to get the latest news from our newsroom as soon as stories break • Build a personalized news feed by selecting topics that interest you • Enjoy exclusive videos and photo galleries • Save must-read stories, photos and videos for when you have the time to enjoy them • Turn your device sideways for an entirely different visual view of the news (iPad only) • Get the latest breaking news from our newsroom in your notifications • Share stories easily with Twitter, Facebook, or email • Offline reading: Download and read content offline SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS: • Download the app to enjoy a sampling of free stories each month. For full access, try a free month of Unlimited Digital Access to the app, the Chicago Tribune website, and our eNewspaper; then it's only $19.99 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. • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. • 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 $19.99 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. • You can read our Privacy Policy here: http://www.tribpub.com/privacy-policy/ • You can read our Terms of Service here: http://www.tribpub.com/central-terms-of-service/ • Questions about your subscription, including adding or removing Web access to the Chicago Tribune website from your app access, can be directed to Customer Service: 610-440-3679. CRASHES / PROBLEMS? We've been working hard to fix any and all crashes in the app. If you're still experiencing crashes or freezes after installing this update, please contact us at consumerservices@chicagotribune.com. A quick email to our support team helps our developers identify and resolve crashes faster.
NJ.com
Stay informed with local news, sports, and weather impacting your community. Access timely and reliable reporting from journalists who live and work in your area. Covers a wide range of topics including news, politics, business, and culture.
- Local news reporting
- Sports coverage
- Weather updates
- Politics and business news
- Culture and events
- Premium content access
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Get trusted local news from across New Jersey. Breaking news, in-depth reporting, and all the stories people are talking about. Stay connected to what's happening around you with timely coverage of news, weather, sports, and more, optimized for your phone. Free to download. Get breaking news, alerts, and top stories. Subscribers receive unlimited access to in-depth reporting, exclusive content, and additional features. Subscriptions are available in-app. Our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use: http://www.advance.net/advancedigitalUserAgreementPP/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: NJ.com at none against Chicago Tribune's shown. Chicago Tribune's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Chicago Tribune sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month and NJ.com sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 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 — 4.4 for Chicago Tribune against 4.5 for NJ.com. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18K and 25K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 21% of Chicago Tribune's written reviews are positive against 19% of NJ.com's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chicago Tribune | NJ.com |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (18K ratings) | 4.5 (25K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 20.7% of reviews — better | 18.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 18K | 25K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | #50 — better | #57 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 190 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Tribune Publishing Company, LLC | NJ.com |
Customer experience
Chicago Tribune
NJ.com
User reviews
Chicago Tribune
From 18K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🗞️ Small town reporting for a big town
- 📰 Easy read for subscribers
- 🚀 Generally good news reporting
Room to improve
- 🔍 Needs better search and navigation
- 🌙 Lack of dark mode
- 🔌 Frequent login issues
- 📱 Clunky user interface
- 💰 Too many ads and pop-ups
NJ.com
From 25K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🗞️ Informative local news coverage
- 📰 Reliable source for NJ news
- 🔍 Helpful search functionality
Room to improve
- 🔒 Excessive paywall restrictions
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 💤 Slow loading times and performance issues
- 📢 Overwhelming ads and notifications
- 🗣️ Lack of user commenting features
Bugs and requests
Chicago Tribune
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inability to scroll through articles
- Frequent login prompts for subscribers
- Inconsistent behavior across updates
- Trouble accessing the digital edition
Requested features
4 requests- Dark mode option
- Audio playback for articles
- Improved search functionality with filters
- Better organization and navigation of content
NJ.com
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login issues and inability to access subscriber content
- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Navigation and search functionality problems
- Incompatibility with certain devices and OS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Bring back ability to save articles
- Improve app stability and performance
- Offer more free content access
- Restore team-specific sports browsing
- Add user commenting functionality
In-app purchases
Chicago Tribune
- Unlimited Digital Access1 Month trial4 variants$19.991 Month
- News Apps Only$19.991 Month
- Unlimited Digital Access1 Year trial$198.991 Year
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- Chicago Tribune1 Year trial$199.991 Year
- Credit Access$0.99
- Premium Story Credits$0.99
NJ.com
- Rutgers Sports Insider$5.991 Month
- Digital Access$9.991 Month
- Digital Access1 Month trial$9.991 Month
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- Subscriber Exclusive Content7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Subscriber Exclusive Content1 Month trial2 variants$9.991 Month
- Monthly Access1 Month trial$10.001 Month
- All Access to NJ.com7 Days trial$10.001 Month
- All Access to NJ.com$11.991 Month
- All Access to NJ.com$15.001 Month
- All Access to New Jersey$15.001 Month
- Rutgers Sports Insider$59.991 Year
- All Access to NJ.com6 Months trial$75.001 Year
- All Access to NJ.com1 Year trial$99.991 Year
- Subscriber Exclusive Content1 Year trial2 variants$99.991 Year
- Annual Access1 Year trial$100.001 Year
- All Access to NJ.com$119.991 Year
Questions
Is Chicago Tribune free?
Is NJ.com free?
Which has better reviews, Chicago Tribune or NJ.com?
Do Chicago Tribune or NJ.com have ads?
Which is updated more often, Chicago Tribune or NJ.com?
Which is more popular, Chicago Tribune or NJ.com?
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