cleveland.com vs THE BLADE
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
cleveland.com
Stay informed with local news, sports, and weather updates impacting your community. Get timely and reliable reporting from trusted local journalists covering news, politics, business, and culture.
- Local news reporting
- Sports coverage
- Weather updates
- Politics and business news
- Cultural event coverage
- Premium content access
Read full descriptionHide full description
Get trusted local news from across Northeast Ohio. 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/
THE BLADE
Access trusted, timely, and comprehensive news coverage from the Toledo area's leading source. Stay informed about local news, politics, sports, and entertainment with engaging content from award-winning journalists. Connect with your community through impactful stories and insightful commentary.
- Trusted local news source
- Award-winning journalism
- Local news and politics
- Sports and entertainment coverage
- Community connection stories
- Future-forward news experience
Read full descriptionHide full description
Why Choose The Blade App? Trusted Source: Count on the leading news source in the Toledo area, for accurate, timely, and comprehensive news coverage produced by award-winning journalists. Engaging Content: From local news and politics to sports and entertainment, our award-winning journalism offers something for everyone in the region. Community Connection: Keep connected to your community with news that impacts your life, insightful commentary, and stories that celebrate the spirit of our area. Future-Forward News Experience The Blade app leads the way in transforming news delivery for the digital era. We are committed to merging the integrity and depth of traditional journalism with the innovation and accessibility of today's technology. Join us on this journey to stay informed, engaged, and connected. Update your app or download today to explore the ultimate news experience in the Toledo area and beyond.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: cleveland.com at 4.5 against THE BLADE's 4.0. cleveland.com also leads on chart position (#81 vs unranked) and ratings volume (11K vs 2.1K). THE BLADE's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 16) and ads (none vs shown). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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. cleveland.com sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. THE BLADE asks for nothing beyond the download.
cleveland.com holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: cleveland.com has 11K ratings behind it against 2.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of cleveland.com's written reviews are positive against 23% of THE BLADE's.
cleveland.com ships an update every 3 weeks, THE BLADE every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | cleveland.com | THE BLADE |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (11K ratings) — better | 4.0 (2.1K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 28.9% of reviews — better | 22.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 11K — better | 2.1K |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #81 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 73 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | cleveland.com | Toledo Blade |
Customer experience
cleveland.com
THE BLADE
User reviews
cleveland.com
From 11K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ⭐ Informative local news and sports coverage
- 🌐 Convenient way to stay connected to Cleveland from afar
Room to improve
- 🐌 Slow app performance and frequent crashes
- 🔒 Inconsistent access to subscriber-only content
- 📰 Biased or low-quality journalism
- 💰 Excessive paywalling of content
THE BLADE
From 2.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Convenient news source
- 👍 Easy to consume news format
- 🚀 Timely news delivery
- 🚀 Useful for local news
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Unreliable article loading
- 🐛 Slow performance
- 🐛 Buggy navigation
- 🐛 Incomplete content
Bugs and requests
cleveland.com
Reported bugs
2 issues- Saved articles frequently deleted
- Inability to access specific sports sections
Requested features
3 requests- Improved search and navigation
- Restore high school sports coverage
- Bring back user comments and community features
THE BLADE
Reported bugs
4 issues- Sections fail to load
- App freezes and crashes
- Inconsistent performance
- Forced updates with no delay option
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to adjust text size
- Vertical display option
- Search functionality
- Archiving of past editions
- Improved photo viewing experience
In-app purchases
cleveland.com
- cleveland.com Football Insider$7.991 Month
- Digital Access$9.991 Month
- Digital Access1 Month trial$9.991 Month
Show 11 moreShow fewer
- Digital Access7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Subscriber Exclusive Content1 Month trial2 variants$9.991 Month
- All Access to cleveland.com1 Month trial$10.001 Month
- All Access to cleveland.com$11.991 Month
- All Access to Cleveland$15.001 Month
- All access to cleveland.com6 Months trial$75.001 Year
- Insider Digital$79.991 Year
- All access to cleveland.com1 Year trial$99.991 Year
- Subscriber Exclusive Content1 Year trial2 variants$99.991 Year
- All Access to cleveland.com1 Year trial$100.001 Year
- All access to cleveland.com$119.991 Year
THE BLADE
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is cleveland.com free?
Is THE BLADE free?
Which has better reviews, cleveland.com or THE BLADE?
Do cleveland.com or THE BLADE have ads?
Which is updated more often, cleveland.com or THE BLADE?
Other comparisons
