# MassLive.com vs Boston Herald

The clearest difference is monetization model: Boston Herald at free with in-app purchases against MassLive.com's subscription. Boston Herald also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). MassLive.com's advantage is ratings volume (6K vs 926). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MassLive.com sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Boston Herald sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Boston Herald holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MassLive.com has 6K ratings behind it against 926, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 19% of MassLive.com's written reviews are positive against 14% of Boston Herald's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

MassLive.com ships an update every 3 weeks, Boston Herald monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MassLive.com | Boston Herald |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/masslivecom/id419879721/reviews) | **[4.7 (926 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boston-herald/id1471216824/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **6K** | 926 |
| Positive reviews | **19.0% of reviews** | 14.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | #198 | **#154** |
| Size | 32 MB | 188 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [MassLive.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/419879724) | [MediaNews Group](https://appshunter.io/developer/364357227) |

## What reviewers say

### MassLive.com

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/masslivecom/id419879721)

**Currently charting:** #198 Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

Stay informed with local news, sports, and weather that directly impacts your community. Get timely and reliable reporting from journalists who live and work in your area, covering everything from politics to culture.

**Highlights:** Local news reporting, Sports coverage, Weather updates, Community-focused journalism, Premium content access

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

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Digital Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Digital Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Digital Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly Access with Discount | $10.00 | per month |
| Monthly Access | $11.99 | per month |
| All Access to MassLive | $15.00 | per month |
| All Access to MassLive.com | $75.00 | per year |
| Annual Access | $99.99 | per year |
| Digital Access | $99.99 | per year |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $99.99 | per year |
| Annual Access with Discount | $100.00 | per year |
| Annual Access | $119.99 | per year |
| All Access to MassLive | $150.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 💯 Great coverage of important news
- 📰 Excellent local and state news
- 🏆 Best news and sports outlet for Massachusetts

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⏱️ Slow and glitchy performance
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 📢 Too many ads even with subscription
- 🗞️ Biased and sensationalist reporting
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find content

**Reported bugs**

- Login and account issues after updates
- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Broken comment and sharing functionality

**Requested features**

- Separate sports and news sections
- Improved search and filtering options
- Ability to customize content feed
- Offline reading mode


### Boston Herald

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boston-herald/id1471216824)

**Currently charting:** #154 Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

Access personalized news recommendations and save articles for later. Customize notifications and enjoy offline reading. Browse the digital replica of the daily newspaper directly within the app.

**Highlights:** Personalized news recommendations, Save articles for later, Customizable push notifications, Digital newspaper replica (E-News), Offline reading, Follow/Unfollow topics

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Boston Herald Monthly Sub | $11.99 | per month |
| Boston Herald Annual Sub | $139.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Decent site
- 👍 Great sports coverage
- 👍 Informative and balanced news

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and frustrating app
- 🔍 Poor navigation and user experience
- 💰 Paywall for content
- 🔍 Outdated and cluttered layout
- 🔍 Small font size

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues
- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Compatibility problems with older devices

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Improved navigation and organization
- Ability to customize font size


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MassLive.com free?

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

### Is Boston Herald free?

Boston Herald is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, MassLive.com or Boston Herald?

Boston Herald is rated higher. MassLive.com averages 4.5 out of 5 from 6K ratings, while Boston Herald averages 4.7 from 926 ratings.

### Do MassLive.com or Boston Herald have ads?

Both MassLive.com and Boston Herald show ads.

### Which is updated more often, MassLive.com or Boston Herald?

MassLive.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and Boston Herald monthly. Most recently, MassLive.com was updated on September 26, 2026 and Boston Herald on September 27, 2026.

### Which is more popular, MassLive.com or Boston Herald?

MassLive.com currently peaks at #198 in the App Store charts, and Boston Herald at #154. 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.*