# Sun Sentinel vs AP Playbook

The clearest difference is review sentiment: AP Playbook at 100% against Sun Sentinel's 27%. AP Playbook also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ads (none vs shown). Sun Sentinel's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.1) and update cadence (monthly vs every 6 months). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sun Sentinel sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. AP Playbook asks for nothing beyond the download.

Sun Sentinel holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sun Sentinel has 7K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 27% of Sun Sentinel's written reviews are positive against 100% of AP Playbook's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Sun Sentinel ships an update monthly, AP Playbook every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sun Sentinel | AP Playbook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sun-sentinel/id402230662/reviews)** | [4.1 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ap-playbook/id1409867755/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7K** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 27.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#94** | — |
| Size | 191 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **9.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tribune Publishing Company, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/290161713) | [The Associated Press](https://appshunter.io/developer/284901419) |

## What reviewers say

### Sun Sentinel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sun-sentinel/id402230662)

**Currently charting:** #94 Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

Access in-depth local news, sports, business, and entertainment from South Florida's premier news source. Customize your reading experience with personalized sections, exclusive videos, and photo galleries. Read stories offline and receive breaking news alerts.

**Highlights:** Local news, sports, business, entertainment, Push notifications for breaking news, Exclusive videos and photo galleries, Customizable section order, Save stories for later, Offline reading, Progress tracking for read articles

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| News App Only | $19.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Digital Access | $19.99 | per month |
| Sun Sentinel | $199.99 | per year |
| Premium Story Credits | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 📰 Great reporting and articles
- 🗞️ Excellent local news coverage
- 🗞️ Variety of content

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🗞️ Biased and one-sided reporting
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and search
- 💻 Buggy and glitchy app
- 📢 Intrusive and excessive ads
- 🔒 Issues with account login and subscription access

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes frequently
- Repeated login issues for subscribers
- Inability to access subscriber-only content
- Outdated and repetitive content

**Requested features**

- Restore landscape mode on iPad
- Improve search functionality
- Reduce ads for paid subscribers
- Provide a dark mode option


### AP Playbook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ap-playbook/id1409867755)

This app centralizes, visualizes, and strategizes newsroom plans. It helps newsrooms collaboratively plan coverage, monitor assignments, and track costs for all formats. Users can build plans with topic and assignment cards, view dashboards, and receive notifications for story developments.

**Highlights:** Collaborative coverage planning, Assignment monitoring, Cost tracking, Visual dashboards, Topic and assignment cards, Notifications for updates

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sun Sentinel free?

Sun Sentinel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is AP Playbook free?

AP Playbook is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Sun Sentinel or AP Playbook?

Sun Sentinel is rated higher. Sun Sentinel averages 4.5 out of 5 from 7K ratings, while AP Playbook averages 4.1 from 7 ratings.

### Do Sun Sentinel or AP Playbook have ads?

Sun Sentinel shows ads; AP Playbook does not.

### Which is updated more often, Sun Sentinel or AP Playbook?

Sun Sentinel ships an update monthly, and AP Playbook every 6 months. Most recently, Sun Sentinel was updated on October 27, 2026 and AP Playbook on October 24, 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.*