# News 9 vs The Norman Transcript

News 9 and The Norman Transcript both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 80% of The Norman Transcript's written reviews are positive against 42% of News 9's. The Norman Transcript also leads on iOS requirement (12.4 vs 26.0). News 9's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (11K vs 138). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. The Norman Transcript sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. News 9 asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for News 9 against 4.5 for The Norman Transcript. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: News 9 has 11K ratings behind it against 138, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 42% of News 9's written reviews are positive against 80% of The Norman Transcript's.

News 9 ships an update every 3 months, The Norman Transcript every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | News 9 | The Norman Transcript |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (11K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/news-9/id405725825/reviews)** | [4.5 (138 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-norman-transcript/id924947333/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **11K** | 138 |
| Positive reviews | 42.1% of reviews | **80.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#202** | — |
| Size | 77 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **12.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Griffin Communications, L.L.C.](https://appshunter.io/developer/949756906) | [CNHI LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1422875061) |

## What reviewers say

### News 9

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/news-9/id405725825)

**Currently charting:** #202 Top Free · News (US App Store)

Access breaking news, developing stories, and local weather updates. Stream live video content for sports and current events.

**Highlights:** Breaking news updates, Developing stories, Local weather forecasts, Sports coverage, Live video streaming

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Excellent weather coverage
- 📢 Reliable real-time notifications
- 👍 Comprehensive local news reporting

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🕰️ Outdated or delayed news content
- 💤 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 📺 Excessive ads and commercials
- 🔍 Difficult to find relevant information

**Reported bugs**

- Live stream playback issues
- Breaking news notifications not linked to stories
- Weather forecast data not updating in real-time

**Requested features**

- Customizable notification settings
- Live video streaming during emergencies
- Improved weather radar and forecasting


### The Norman Transcript

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-norman-transcript/id924947333)

Access local news, commentary, photos, and videos from your community. Download daily editions for offline reading and stay updated with breaking news, sports, and weather.

**Highlights:** Offline reading of daily editions, Breaking news alerts, Local sports coverage, Photo and video galleries, Print edition layout view, Local weather and events, Social sharing of content

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Today's ePaper | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 📰 Newspaper style format
- ⬆️ Easy to zoom and increase font size
- 👍 Works well
- 📰 Love reading printed news
- 📰 Great app for local news

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🚫 No ad inserts (grocery ads needed)
- 🐛 Blank pages if not read in one sitting
- 🐛 Downloads with errors (50% of time)
- 🐛 Pages are fuzzy and unreadable
- ⚖️ Paper leans too much to the left

**Reported bugs**

- Blank pages if not read in one sitting
- Downloads with errors
- Pages are fuzzy and unreadable
- Bank video pops up and interrupts app incessantly
- Will not keep me logged in

**Requested features**

- Grocery ads needed
- Return to using more opinions from national news
- Wish for paper copy Monday and Tuesday
- Fix paper view snapping bug
- Fix setting not holding between app closes


## Frequently asked questions

### Is News 9 free?

News 9 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is The Norman Transcript free?

The Norman Transcript is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, News 9 or The Norman Transcript?

News 9 is rated higher. News 9 averages 4.6 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while The Norman Transcript averages 4.5 from 138 ratings.

### Do News 9 or The Norman Transcript have ads?

Both News 9 and The Norman Transcript show ads.

### Which is updated more often, News 9 or The Norman Transcript?

News 9 ships an update every 3 months, and The Norman Transcript every 5 months. Most recently, News 9 was updated on October 1, 2026 and The Norman Transcript on October 2, 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.*