# cleveland.com vs The Plain Dealer

The clearest difference is monetization model: The Plain Dealer at free with in-app purchases against cleveland.com's subscription. The Plain Dealer also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (43% vs 30%). cleveland.com's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and rating (4.5 vs 4.2). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and chart position there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. cleveland.com sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and The Plain Dealer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

cleveland.com holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12K and 4.8K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 30% of cleveland.com's written reviews are positive against 43% of The Plain Dealer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

cleveland.com ships an update every 3 weeks, The Plain Dealer every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | cleveland.com | The Plain Dealer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (12K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clevelandcom/id394810586/reviews)** | [4.2 (4.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-plain-dealer/id457556777/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **12K** | 4.8K |
| Positive reviews | 29.9% of reviews | **42.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#88** | #153 |
| Size | 34 MB | 35 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [cleveland.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/443416244) | [The Plain Dealer Publishing Company](https://appshunter.io/developer/457556780) |

## What reviewers say

### cleveland.com

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clevelandcom/id394810586)

**Currently charting:** #88 Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** Local news reporting, Sports coverage, Weather updates, Politics and business news, Cultural event coverage, Premium content access

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| cleveland.com Football Insider | $7.99 | per month |
| Digital Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Digital Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $9.99 | per month |
| All Access to cleveland.com | $11.99 | per month |
| All Access to Cleveland | $15.00 | per month |
| All access to cleveland.com | $75.00 | per year |
| All access to cleveland.com | $99.99 | per year |
| All access to cleveland.com | $119.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Informative local news and sports coverage
- 🌐 Convenient way to stay connected to Cleveland from afar

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐌 Slow app performance and frequent crashes
- 🔒 Inconsistent access to subscriber-only content
- 📰 Biased or low-quality journalism
- 💰 Excessive paywalling of content

**Reported bugs**

- Saved articles frequently deleted
- Inability to access specific sports sections

**Requested features**

- Improved search and navigation
- Restore high school sports coverage
- Bring back user comments and community features


### The Plain Dealer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-plain-dealer/id457556777)

**Currently charting:** #153 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers (US App Store)

Access award-winning local news, sports, and entertainment from your favorite newspaper. Enjoy an enhanced reading experience with online-only content, interactive puzzles, and easy sharing. Subscribers get full access, while non-subscribers can opt for an app-only subscription.

**Highlights:** Award-winning local news, Daily features and sports updates, Entertainment highlights, Online-only perks, Interactive puzzles and games, Easy article sharing

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Plain Dealer Subscription | $24.99 | per month |
| Racing Is Indy | $2.99 | one-time |
| Baseball Magazine: 2018 | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and smooth app experience
- 👍 Replicates print edition well
- 📱 Convenient digital access
- 🗞️ Comprehensive local news coverage

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
- 🔍 Navigation and layout issues
- 📱 Suboptimal mobile experience
- 🔒 Login and access problems

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes and freezes
- Inconsistent page loading and scrolling
- Inability to properly display full pages
- Unreliable login and authentication

**Requested features**

- Ability to jump between sections easily
- Option to enlarge text and images
- Offline reading mode
- Improved crossword and puzzle integration


## Frequently asked questions

### Is cleveland.com free?

cleveland.com is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is The Plain Dealer free?

The Plain Dealer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, cleveland.com or The Plain Dealer?

cleveland.com is rated higher. cleveland.com averages 4.5 out of 5 from 12K ratings, while The Plain Dealer averages 4.2 from 4.8K ratings.

### Do cleveland.com or The Plain Dealer have ads?

cleveland.com shows ads; The Plain Dealer does not.

### Which is updated more often, cleveland.com or The Plain Dealer?

cleveland.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and The Plain Dealer every 4 months. Most recently, cleveland.com was updated on November 8, 2026 and The Plain Dealer on November 6, 2026.

### Which is more popular, cleveland.com or The Plain Dealer?

cleveland.com currently peaks at #88 in the App Store charts, and The Plain Dealer at #153. 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.*