Comparison

Chicago Tribune vs WBEZ

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

WBEZ

Listen to Chicago's NPR news station live or on-demand. Access local and national news, podcasts, and investigative journalism from WBEZ and its partners. Catch up on missed shows with rewind functionality.

Highlights
  • Live radio streaming
  • On-demand audio features
  • Podcast library
  • Rewind live shows
  • Curated daily stories
  • Investigative journalism
Features
Read full description

The WBEZ app lets you listen to the news and voices of Chicago on your schedule, wherever you are. Listen to live radio broadcasts, on-demand audio features and podcasts with the best storytelling locally and around the nation. You’ll enjoy original WBEZ Chicago programming and shows from our partners, including NPR, BBC and more. Take your trusted news on the go. Listen to the news live wherever your day takes you. The WBEZ app delivers Chicago news, national news and international news right to your hand. You never have to miss a minute again. You can rewind at any moment and replay any live show from the last week to catch up on anything you missed. With the WBEZ app, continue to get investigative journalism, cultural reporting, news headlines and more on your timeline. Discover something new. Browse through the best audio stories and shows WBEZ Chicago has to offer. Each day, featured stories are curated just for you from our newsroom. Plus, you can find popular podcasts from WBEZ, NPR and other featured partners; including titles such as Curious City, Nerdette, Motive and Wait Wait...Don’t Tell Me! There’s something for everyone with the WBEZ app. WBEZ Chicago is listener-supported and Chicago’s NPR news station, one of the largest and most respected public media stations in the country.

Screenshots

Chicago Tribune4 screens
WBEZ4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: WBEZ at 71% against Chicago Tribune's 21%. WBEZ also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 9) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). Chicago Tribune's advantage is ratings volume (19K vs 651) and chart position (#52 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. WBEZ asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

WBEZ holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chicago Tribune has 19K ratings behind it against 651, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 21% of Chicago Tribune's written reviews are positive against 71% of WBEZ's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Chicago Tribune versus WBEZ: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChicago TribuneWBEZ
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (19K ratings)4.7 (651 ratings) — better
Positive reviews20.7% of reviews71.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings19K — better651
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionAd-supported — better
Best chart rank#52 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size190 MB31 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperTribune Publishing Company, LLCChicago Public Media, Inc.

Customer experience

Chicago Tribune

All ratings18,499 ratings
Positive86.3%
Neutral4.6%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews184 reviews
Positive20.7%
Neutral8.2%
Negative71.2%

WBEZ

All ratings567 ratings
Positive91.5%
Neutral1.8%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews129 reviews
Positive71.3%
Neutral4.7%
Negative24.0%

User reviews

Chicago Tribune

From 19K 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

WBEZ

From 651 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy access to live and on-demand content
  • 👍 Convenient listening experience
  • 🌐 Accessible from anywhere
  • 🗞️ Comprehensive news coverage
  • 🎧 High-quality audio

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔁 Ads interrupting playback
  • 🔍 Confusing navigation and UI
  • ⏱️ Playback issues (freezing, skipping)
  • 🔋 High battery consumption

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

WBEZ

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashing on launch
  • Streaming issues on poor internet connections
  • Push notifications causing app to freeze
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between audio sources

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved search and content discovery
  • Sleep timer functionality
  • Ability to resume playback from where left off
  • CarPlay and Bluetooth speaker support
  • More granular access to local news

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
None

WBEZ

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chicago Tribune free?
Chicago Tribune is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is WBEZ free?
WBEZ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chicago Tribune or WBEZ?
WBEZ is rated higher. Chicago Tribune averages 4.4 out of 5 from 19K ratings, while WBEZ averages 4.7 from 651 ratings.
Do Chicago Tribune or WBEZ have ads?
Both Chicago Tribune and WBEZ show ads.
Which is updated more often, Chicago Tribune or WBEZ?
Chicago Tribune ships an update every 3 weeks, and WBEZ every 3 weeks. Most recently, Chicago Tribune was updated on November 1, 2026 and WBEZ on October 29, 2026.

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