# Chicago Tribune vs NJ.com

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.

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. Both last shipped on September 26, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chicago Tribune | NJ.com |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (18K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chicago-tribune/id383137151/reviews) | **[4.5 (25K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/njcom/id419202474/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 18K | **25K** |
| Positive reviews | **20.7% of reviews** | 18.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Subscription | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#52** | #55 |
| Size | 190 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Tribune Publishing Company, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/290161713) | [NJ.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/419202477) |

## What reviewers say

### Chicago Tribune

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chicago-tribune/id383137151)

**Currently charting:** #52 Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Digital Access | $19.99 | per month |
| News Apps Only | $19.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Digital Access | $198.99 | per year |
| Chicago Tribune | $199.99 | per year |
| Credit Access | $0.99 | one-time |
| Premium Story Credits | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🗞️ Small town reporting for a big town
- 📰 Easy read for subscribers
- 🚀 Generally good news reporting

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Needs better search and navigation
- 🌙 Lack of dark mode
- 🔌 Frequent login issues
- 📱 Clunky user interface
- 💰 Too many ads and pop-ups

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to scroll through articles
- Frequent login prompts for subscribers
- Inconsistent behavior across updates
- Trouble accessing the digital edition

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Audio playback for articles
- Improved search functionality with filters
- Better organization and navigation of content


### NJ.com

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/njcom/id419202474)

**Currently charting:** #55 Top Grossing · News, #183 Top Free · News (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rutgers Sports Insider | $5.99 | per month |
| Digital Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Digital Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $9.99 | per month |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly Access | $10.00 | per month |
| All Access to NJ.com | $10.00 | per month |
| All Access to NJ.com | $11.99 | per month |
| All Access to NJ.com | $15.00 | per month |
| All Access to New Jersey | $15.00 | per month |
| Rutgers Sports Insider | $59.99 | per year |
| All Access to NJ.com | $75.00 | per year |
| All Access to NJ.com | $99.99 | per year |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $99.99 | per year |
| Annual Access | $100.00 | per year |
| All Access to NJ.com | $119.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🗞️ Informative local news coverage
- 📰 Reliable source for NJ news
- 🔍 Helpful search functionality

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Excessive paywall restrictions
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 💤 Slow loading times and performance issues
- 📢 Overwhelming ads and notifications
- 🗣️ Lack of user commenting features

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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 26, 2026 and NJ.com on September 26, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Chicago Tribune or NJ.com?

Chicago Tribune currently peaks at #52 in the App Store charts, and NJ.com at #55. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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