PDI E vs The Freeman
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PDI E
Access digital versions of top Philippine newspapers, including exact replicas of print editions. Enjoy features like article sharing, smart zoom, offline reading, and automatic bookmarking. Offers a free download with a preview and various subscription options.
- Digital replicas of print newspapers
- Article sharing via social networks
- Smartzoom for enhanced reading
- Offline reading of downloaded issues
- Automatic bookmarking
- Complimentary 14-issue preview
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InquirerPlus is the exciting new home of the digital version of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inquirer Libre, Bandera, Cebu Daily News and several other top Inquirer Group titles. InquirerPlus delivers an exact replica of the printed titles with additional features such as article sharing via social networks, Smartzoom, storage of previously downloaded issues for on-the-go reading when wi-fi is not available and automatic-bookmarking of your place. If you are a print subscriber of an Inquirer title with a subscription term of at least six months, contact inquirerdigital@inquirer.com.ph for your complimentary access. The app is free to download and comes with a complimentary 14-issue preview. The Philippine Daily Inquirer offers the following subscriptions for inApp Purchase: Single copy ($0.99 each): any single title Inquirer Plus ($9.99/mo): gives one access to all the titles within the app. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period.You may manage your subscriptions by going to your 'Account Settings' after purchase. http://philippinedailyinquirerplus.pressreader.com/help
The Freeman
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Founded in 1919, The Freeman is the oldest newspaper of Cebu, the Queen City of Southern Philippines. Owned by the Gullas family of Cebu in partnership with the Philippine STAR, The Freeman chronicles news, events, and happenings in and around Cebu, a bustling city and center of commerce in the South. The Freeman prides itself on being a newspaper for Cebuanos and by Cebuanos, carrying close to a century of journalism heritage. The Freeman is a daily newspaper. The Freeman provides availability to all editions of the publication by incorporating subscriptions allowing the purchase of a 7 day, one month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months and a yearly subscription to the paper. The 7 day, monthly and yearly subscriptions are auto-renewing subscriptions. Prices for the subscriptions are $1.99 for 7 days, $6.99 for one month, $12.99 for two months, $18.99 for three months, $29.99 for 6 months and $59.99 for a year. Payment for this subscription will be charged to your iTunes account upon purchase. The subscription will auto-renew within 24 hours of the current subscription expiring. Auto-renewing subscriptions can be managed via Account Settings allowing them to be turned off. No cancellations of the current subscription are allowed during the active subscription period. For any further information see http://subscriber.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/file/Website_Privacy_statement.doc Terms: https://www.philstar.com/member-agreement Privacy Policy: https://www.philstar.com/privacy-policy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: The Freeman at none against PDI E's shown. The Freeman also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). PDI E's advantage is update cadence (every 7 months vs every 17 months). On price, 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. PDI E sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and The Freeman sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
PDI E ships an update every 7 months, The Freeman every 17 months. The most recent releases landed on September 11, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PDI E | The Freeman |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (127 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 16.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 127 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months — better | Every 17 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 42 MB | 126 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | PressReader Inc | Philstar Daily Inc. |
In-app purchases
PDI E
- PREMIUM Monthly$3.991 Month
- ALL ACCESS 1 Month$4.491 Month
- Philippine Daily$5.991 Month
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- Philippine Daily Inq. Standard$8.991 Month
- Philippine Daily Inquirer Plus$15.991 Month
- PREMIUM 12 Month$39.991 Year
- ALL ACCESS 12 Month$44.991 Year
- Single Copy$0.99
The Freeman
- The Freeman - Cebu$1.997 Days
- The Freeman - Cebu$6.991 Month
- The Freeman - Cebu$12.992 Months
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- The Freeman - Cebu$18.993 Months
- The Freeman - Cebu$29.996 Months
- The Freeman - Cebu$59.991 Year








