# Castanet vs Vancouver Sun

The clearest difference is rating: Castanet at 5.0 against Vancouver Sun's 3.1. Castanet also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). Vancouver Sun's advantage is ratings volume (19 vs 1). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Vancouver Sun sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Castanet asks for nothing beyond the download.

Castanet holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Vancouver Sun has 19 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 19% of Castanet's written reviews are positive against 11% of Vancouver Sun's.

Castanet ships an update every 6 weeks, Vancouver Sun monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Castanet | Vancouver Sun |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castanet/id383228296/reviews)** | [3.1 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vancouver-sun/id406561903/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **19** |
| Positive reviews | **19.4% of reviews** | 10.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 31 MB | 65 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Castanet Media Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/383228299) | [Postmedia Network INC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/406384675) |

## What reviewers say

### Castanet

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castanet/id383228296)

Access local and national news, classifieds, events, and more from the Okanagan region. Features include direct messaging for classifieds, posting ads, webcams, and an airport arrivals/departures page.

**Highlights:** Local and national news, Classifieds with messaging, Post classified ads, Scenic and traffic webcams, Airport arrivals/departures, Events listings, Obituaries

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Vancouver Sun

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vancouver-sun/id406561903)

Access local and national news with a personalized feed. Enjoy in-depth articles, videos, and curated content from top journalists. Stay informed about your community and beyond.

**Highlights:** Customizable news feed, In-depth articles and explainers, Extensive video coverage, Access to Postmedia network publications, Personalize topics and journalists, Discover trending Canadian stories

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Vancouver Sun | $6.99 | per month |
| The Vancouver Sun | $9.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good journalism content
- 👍 Supports Canadian news access abroad

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐌 Unfathomably slow loading
- 🐌 App is slow and cumbersome
- 🐌 Content not updated frequently
- 🐌 Relic from the past
- 🐌 App is too painful to browse

**Reported bugs**

- App is unnecessarily difficult to use
- Unfathomably slow to load
- Content doesn’t seem to get updated more than once or twice a day
- Subscription still requires advertisements to load
- Doesn’t allow you to select and look up words

**Requested features**

- Adapt to competitor usability
- Better Vancouver area coverage
- iPad version
- Fix app freezing
- Fix share pop-up


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Castanet free?

Castanet is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Vancouver Sun free?

Vancouver Sun is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Castanet or Vancouver Sun?

Castanet is rated higher. Castanet averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Vancouver Sun averages 3.1 from 19 ratings.

### Do Castanet or Vancouver Sun have ads?

Vancouver Sun shows ads; Castanet does not.

### Which is updated more often, Castanet or Vancouver Sun?

Castanet ships an update every 6 weeks, and Vancouver Sun monthly. Most recently, Castanet was updated on October 17, 2026 and Vancouver Sun on October 18, 2026.

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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.*