Stuff.co.nz vs The Japan Times
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Stuff.co.nz
Access New Zealand's essential news with up-to-the-minute reports, live videos, and blogs. Stay informed on breaking stories, weather, sports, politics, and more, with personalized notifications and on-demand video content.
- Live breaking news reports
- Video on demand
- Daily Stuff Quiz
- NZ weather forecasts
- Personalized notifications
- Variety of news categories
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Stuff is New Zealand’s essential news source - independent and dedicated to making Aotearoa a better place. We deliver live, lively and trustworthy journalism from across this glorious nation. On our app you can: • Get up-to-the minute reports on breaking stories in New Zealand on our live videos and blogs • Easily read stories on the latest news, weather, sports, politics, money, business, celebrities, travel - whatever Kiwis are talking about today, we got you • Watch video on demand - including from our ThreeNews 6pm bulletin • Do the highly addictive daily Stuff Quiz (a national obsession) • See the latest NZ weather forecasts • Personalise your experience by enabling notifications Share feedback to experience@stuff.co.nz or click “Report a bug” from the end of the Settings screen on the app. Please note: This app features Nielsen’s proprietary measurement software, which contributes to market research, like Nielsen’s TV Ratings. Please see http://www.nielsen.com/digitalprivacy for more information.
The Japan Times
Stay informed with breaking news and featured stories delivered as they happen. Access audio versions of articles and engage in discussions with a paid subscription. Bookmark articles for later reading.
- Breaking news notifications
- Featured stories
- Bookmark articles
- Audio versions of stories (paid)
- Comment on articles (paid)
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Welcome to the revamped version of The Japan Times app, powered by a new system that ensures you receive the latest news stories as they emerge and develop. As with the previous version, you can enable notifications for breaking news and featured stories. You will be able to bookmark stories, but unfortunately, we are unable to transfer your archived bookmarks to the new system. Paid subscribers can access audio versions of stories and have the ability to comment.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: The Japan Times at 65% against Stuff.co.nz's 21%. The Japan Times also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.7) and ads (none vs shown). Stuff.co.nz's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 9 months) and monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
The Japan Times holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 131 and 243 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 21% of Stuff.co.nz's written reviews are positive against 65% of The Japan Times's.
Stuff.co.nz ships an update weekly, The Japan Times every 9 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.
| Parameter | Stuff.co.nz | The Japan Times |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (131 ratings) | 4.5 (243 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 20.8% of reviews | 65.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 131 | 243 — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 9 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 74 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Stuff Limited | The Japan Times, Ltd. |
Customer experience
Stuff.co.nz
The Japan Times
User reviews
Stuff.co.nz
From 131 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📰 Great source for NZ news
- 🌍 Useful for expats to stay connected
- 🗞️ Variety of interesting articles
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🤖 Buggy and glitchy performance
- 🤯 Frustrating ad redirects and popups
- 🕰️ Slow loading times
- 🔍 Poor search functionality
The Japan Times
From 243 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📰 Informative news coverage
- 🌍 Diverse perspectives on global affairs
- 📚 Helpful for English language learning
- 🇯🇵 Valuable insights into Japanese culture and society
Room to improve
- 🔒 Paywall limits free access to content
- 📱 Outdated or buggy app experience
- 🔍 Inconsistent article navigation and search
- 🔋 High data consumption
Bugs and requests
Stuff.co.nz
Reported bugs
5 issues- Constant app crashes and freezes
- Redirects to App Store without user interaction
- Videos not playing properly or getting stuck
- Scrolling issues and content jumping around
- Login and password reset problems
Requested features
4 requests- Dark mode option
- Ability to save articles for offline reading
- Improved navigation and article browsing
- Better personalization and customization options
The Japan Times
Reported bugs
3 issues- Login issues and frequent sign-outs
- Crashes and freezes on launch
- Incompatibility with latest iOS devices
Requested features
4 requests- Dark mode option
- Improved iPad compatibility
- Customizable font and text size
- Offline reading mode
In-app purchases
Stuff.co.nz
No in-app purchases
The Japan Times
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Stuff.co.nz free?
Is The Japan Times free?
Which has better reviews, Stuff.co.nz or The Japan Times?
Do Stuff.co.nz or The Japan Times have ads?
Which is updated more often, Stuff.co.nz or The Japan Times?
Other comparisons
