# Daily Press vs Virginian Pilot

The clearest difference is monetization model: Virginian Pilot at free with in-app purchases against Daily Press's subscription. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Daily Press sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Virginian Pilot sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Daily Press against 4.4 for Virginian Pilot. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1K and 2.3K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 24% of Daily Press's written reviews are positive against 29% of Virginian Pilot's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Daily Press | Virginian Pilot |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/daily-press/id397500600/reviews) | **[4.4 (2.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/virginian-pilot/id537988905/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1K | **2.3K** |
| Positive reviews | 24.3% of reviews | **28.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 189 MB | 190 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Tribune Publishing Company, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/290161713) | [Pilot Media](https://appshunter.io/developer/537988908) |

## What reviewers say

### Daily Press

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/daily-press/id397500600)

Access exclusive, premium storytelling from Hampton Roads' leading news source. Stay informed with breaking news, sports, business, and entertainment updates. Save articles for later and enjoy offline reading.

**Highlights:** Exclusive premium storytelling, News, sports, business, entertainment, Push notifications for breaking news, Save stories for offline reading, Share stories via social media/email, Offline reading capability

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| News App Only | $4.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Digital Access | $7.99 | per month |
| Digital All Access | $19.99 | per month |
| News Apps Only | $19.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Digital Access | $19.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $19.99 | per month |
| Daily Press | $199.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription | $199.99 | per year |
| Premium Story Credits | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Easy access
- 👍 Save paper with digital news
- 👍 Excellent, timely, well-written articles
- 👍 Great for local news

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🚨 Too much national news, little local coverage
- 🚨 Can't print puzzles for offline use
- 🚨 Terrible app, already made payment before update
- 🚨 Lost ability to print puzzles
- 🚨 Incompetent delivery service, missed deliveries

**Reported bugs**

- Constant update prompts despite already being updated
- Stories stop opening after page 12 on iPhone
- App won't open

**Requested features**

- Bring back local Peninsula news coverage
- Add comics section
- Provide print-like format, not just single articles


### Virginian Pilot

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/virginian-pilot/id537988905)

Access essential news, sports, business, and entertainment coverage from Virginia's leading source. Receive breaking news alerts, save articles for later, and read content offline. Share stories easily via social media or email.

**Highlights:** Essential news coverage, Push notifications for breaking news, Save stories, photos, and videos, Offline reading capabilities, Easy social media sharing, Breaking news alerts

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Digital Access | $7.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Digital Access | $19.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $19.99 | per month |
| Virginia Pilot | $199.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription | $199.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🇺🇸 Excellent military coverage
- 📰 Coastal Virginia information hub
- 🗞 Keeps me connected to my hometown

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤯 Overwhelming ads
- 🔒 Subscription issues and login problems
- 📱 Buggy and crash-prone app
- 🧭 Poor navigation and user experience
- 📦 Delivery and distribution problems

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes
- Paywall issues even for subscribers
- Inability to access full articles

**Requested features**

- Restore landscape mode for e-edition
- Improve search and filtering capabilities
- Provide access to previous day's editions
- Make puzzles and comics more accessible


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Daily Press free?

Daily Press is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Virginian Pilot free?

Virginian Pilot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Daily Press or Virginian Pilot?

Virginian Pilot is rated higher. Daily Press averages 4.4 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while Virginian Pilot averages 4.4 from 2.3K ratings.

### Do Daily Press or Virginian Pilot have ads?

Both Daily Press and Virginian Pilot show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Daily Press or Virginian Pilot?

Daily Press ships an update monthly, and Virginian Pilot monthly. Most recently, Daily Press was updated on November 1, 2026 and Virginian Pilot on November 1, 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.*