# NJ.com vs CT Insider

The clearest difference is ads: NJ.com at none against CT Insider's shown. NJ.com also leads on ratings volume (25K vs 4.6K). CT Insider's advantage is review sentiment (35% vs 19%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. NJ.com sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and CT Insider sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 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 — 4.5 for NJ.com against 4.6 for CT Insider. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NJ.com has 25K ratings behind it against 4.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 19% of NJ.com's written reviews are positive against 35% of CT Insider's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NJ.com | CT Insider |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (25K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/njcom/id419202474/reviews) | **[4.6 (4.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ct-insider/id1518822730/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **25K** | 4.6K |
| Positive reviews | 18.7% of reviews | **35.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Subscription | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#57** | #69 |
| Size | 32 MB | 103 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [NJ.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/419202477) | [Hearst Newspapers](https://appshunter.io/developer/397018366) |

## What reviewers say

### NJ.com

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/njcom/id419202474)

**Currently charting:** #57 Top Grossing · News, #201 Top Free · News (US App Store)

Stay informed with local news, sports, and weather impacting your community. Access timely and reliable reporting from journalists who live and work in your area. Covers a wide range of topics including news, politics, business, and culture.

**Highlights:** Local news reporting, Sports coverage, Weather updates, Politics and business news, Culture and events, Premium content access

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

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rutgers Sports Insider | $5.99 | per month |
| Digital Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Digital Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $9.99 | per month |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly Access | $10.00 | per month |
| All Access to NJ.com | $10.00 | per month |
| All Access to NJ.com | $11.99 | per month |
| All Access to NJ.com | $15.00 | per month |
| All Access to New Jersey | $15.00 | per month |
| Rutgers Sports Insider | $59.99 | per year |
| All Access to NJ.com | $75.00 | per year |
| All Access to NJ.com | $99.99 | per year |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $99.99 | per year |
| Annual Access | $100.00 | per year |
| All Access to NJ.com | $119.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🗞️ Informative local news coverage
- 📰 Reliable source for NJ news
- 🔍 Helpful search functionality

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Excessive paywall restrictions
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 💤 Slow loading times and performance issues
- 📢 Overwhelming ads and notifications
- 🗣️ Lack of user commenting features

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and inability to access subscriber content
- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Navigation and search functionality problems
- Incompatibility with certain devices and OS versions

**Requested features**

- Bring back ability to save articles
- Improve app stability and performance
- Offer more free content access
- Restore team-specific sports browsing
- Add user commenting functionality


### CT Insider

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ct-insider/id1518822730)

**Currently charting:** #69 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers, #91 Top Grossing · News, #115 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers (US App Store)

Access statewide Connecticut news, from local communities to statewide sports. Receive customized alerts, read the e-Edition, and enjoy text-to-audio storytelling. Offers puzzles and local guides.

**Highlights:** Connecticut news alerts, Customizable homepage, Sports coverage, e-Edition replica, Text-to-audio stories, Local guides and commentary

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CT Insider Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| CT Insider Monthly | $14.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to read news
- 👍 Clean interface
- 👍 Brings together local CT news

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App not working/freezing
- 🐛 Unable to log in/stay logged in
- 🐛 Outdated/missing local news
- 🔍 Poor search/sorting options
- 💰 Expensive subscription

**Reported bugs**

- Notifications don't open articles
- Subscription issues/double billing
- Compatibility problems on Android

**Requested features**

- Add search by keyword
- Allow saving favorite articles
- Enable article commenting
- Improve integration with email/website


## Frequently asked questions

### Is NJ.com free?

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

### Is CT Insider free?

CT Insider is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, NJ.com or CT Insider?

CT Insider is rated higher. NJ.com averages 4.5 out of 5 from 25K ratings, while CT Insider averages 4.6 from 4.6K ratings.

### Do NJ.com or CT Insider have ads?

CT Insider shows ads; NJ.com does not.

### Which is updated more often, NJ.com or CT Insider?

NJ.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and CT Insider every 3 weeks. Most recently, NJ.com was updated on September 26, 2026 and CT Insider on September 25, 2026.

### Which is more popular, NJ.com or CT Insider?

NJ.com currently peaks at #57 in the App Store charts, and CT Insider at #69. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*