# Oregonlive.com vs The Columbian

The clearest difference is review sentiment: The Columbian at 54% against Oregonlive.com's 16%. The Columbian also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 18) and rating (4.5 vs 4.3). Oregonlive.com's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 7 months) and chart position (#105 vs unranked). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Oregonlive.com sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. The Columbian asks for nothing beyond the download.

The Columbian holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10K and 2.5K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 16% of Oregonlive.com's written reviews are positive against 54% of The Columbian's.

Oregonlive.com ships an update every 3 weeks, The Columbian every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Oregonlive.com | The Columbian |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (10K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oregonlivecom/id394812078/reviews) | **[4.5 (2.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-columbian/id1323054032/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **10K** | 2.5K |
| Positive reviews | 16.0% of reviews | **54.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | **#105** | — |
| Size | 32 MB | 135 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [OregonLive.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/443432345) | [The Columbian](https://appshunter.io/developer/577482559) |

## What reviewers say

### Oregonlive.com

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oregonlivecom/id394812078)

**Currently charting:** #105 Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

Get timely and reliable local news, sports, and weather updates impacting your community. Stay informed about unfolding events in your backyard, from politics and business to culture and more. Access premium content and in-depth reporting with an All Access subscription.

**Highlights:** Local news reporting, Sports coverage, Weather updates, Premium content access, Timely and reliable information

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

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Oregonian College Insider | $7.99 | per month |
| Digital Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Digital Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Digital Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly Access | $10.00 | per month |
| All Access to OregonLive | $11.99 | per month |
| All Access to Oregon | $15.00 | per month |
| All Access to OregonLive | $75.00 | per year |
| Oregonian College Insider | $79.99 | per year |
| All Access to OregonLive | $99.99 | per year |
| Digital Access | $99.99 | per year |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $99.99 | per year |
| Annual Access | $100.00 | per year |
| Annual Subscription | $100.00 | per year |
| All Access to OregonLive | $119.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Excellent news coverage
- 🗞️ Great local reporting
- 📰 Comprehensive news source

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 💰 Excessive ads and paywalls
- 🔍 Unreliable search functionality
- 🔒 Subscriber access issues
- 🔋 High battery consumption

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on launch
- Inability to access subscriber content
- Scrolling issues and content cutoffs
- Inconsistent login and sign-in behavior

**Requested features**

- Improved app stability and performance
- Streamlined user experience
- Better handling of subscriber content
- Enhanced search capabilities
- Dark mode option


### The Columbian

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-columbian/id1323054032)

Access local news and updates for Clark County, Washington. Stay informed on breaking news, government, business, sports, and community events through a multi-platform publishing company with over 125 years of service.

**Highlights:** Local news coverage, Breaking news alerts, Government and business updates, Sports scores, Local event listings, Multi-platform access

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great local journalism
- 👍 Variety of articles, comics, and local news
- 👍 Unbiased local, state and national coverage
- 👍 Convenient online access

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App freezes and crashes
- 🐛 Articles close themselves while reading
- 🔋 Slow app loading and connectivity issues
- 💰 Paid subscription required for full access

**Reported bugs**

- Consistent login failures
- Inability to access past articles

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Search functionality
- Improved navigation and article history
- Reduce paid subscription cost


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Oregonlive.com free?

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

### Is The Columbian free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Oregonlive.com or The Columbian?

The Columbian is rated higher. Oregonlive.com averages 4.3 out of 5 from 10K ratings, while The Columbian averages 4.5 from 2.5K ratings.

### Do Oregonlive.com or The Columbian have ads?

Both Oregonlive.com and The Columbian show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Oregonlive.com or The Columbian?

Oregonlive.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and The Columbian every 7 months. Most recently, Oregonlive.com was updated on October 19, 2026 and The Columbian on October 16, 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.*