Comparison

Chicago Tribune vs NJ.com

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Personalized news feed
  • Breaking news notifications
  • Exclusive videos and photo galleries
  • Save stories for offline reading
  • Share stories easily
  • iPad visual news view
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Local news reporting
  • Sports coverage
  • Weather updates
  • Politics and business news
  • Culture and events
  • Premium content access
Features
Read full description

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

Chicago Tribune4 screens
NJ.com4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
Chicago Tribune versus NJ.com: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChicago TribuneNJ.com
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (18K ratings)4.5 (25K ratings) — better
Positive reviews20.7% of reviews — better18.7% of reviews
Number of ratings18K25K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionSubscription
Best chart rank#50 — better#57
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size190 MB32 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperTribune Publishing Company, LLCNJ.com

Customer experience

Chicago Tribune

All ratings18,424 ratings
Positive86.3%
Neutral4.6%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews179 reviews
Positive20.7%
Neutral8.4%
Negative70.9%

NJ.com

All ratings24,811 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral5.4%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews139 reviews
Positive18.7%
Neutral7.2%
Negative74.1%

User reviews

Chicago Tribune

From 18K App Store ratings

What 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 ratings

What 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

6 purchases

Chicago Tribune

Subscriptions4
  • Unlimited Digital Access1 Month trial4 variants$19.991 Month
  • News Apps Only$19.991 Month
  • Unlimited Digital Access1 Year trial$198.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Chicago Tribune1 Year trial$199.991 Year
One-time2
  • Credit Access$0.99
  • Premium Story Credits$0.99
16 purchases

NJ.com

Subscriptions16
  • Rutgers Sports Insider$5.991 Month
  • Digital Access$9.991 Month
  • Digital Access1 Month trial$9.991 Month
Show 13 more
  • 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?
Chicago Tribune is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NJ.com free?
NJ.com is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chicago Tribune or NJ.com?
NJ.com is rated higher. Chicago Tribune averages 4.4 out of 5 from 18K ratings, while NJ.com averages 4.5 from 25K ratings.
Do Chicago Tribune or NJ.com have ads?
Chicago Tribune shows ads; NJ.com does not.
Which is updated more often, Chicago Tribune or NJ.com?
Chicago Tribune ships an update every 3 weeks, and NJ.com every 3 weeks. Most recently, Chicago Tribune was updated on September 25, 2026 and NJ.com on September 26, 2026.
Which is more popular, Chicago Tribune or NJ.com?
Chicago Tribune currently peaks at #50 in the App Store charts, and NJ.com at #57. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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