MassLive.com vs The Republican
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MassLive.com
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.
- Local news reporting
- Sports coverage
- Weather updates
- Community-focused journalism
- Premium content access
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Get trusted local news from across Massachusetts. Breaking news, in-depth reporting, and all the stories people are talking about. Stay connected to what's happening around you with timely coverage of news, weather, sports, and more, optimized for your phone. Free to download. Get breaking news, alerts, and top stories. Subscribers receive unlimited access to in-depth reporting, exclusive content, and additional features. Subscriptions are available in-app. Our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use: http://www.advance.net/advancedigitalUserAgreementPP/
The Republican
Access award-winning local news, daily features, sports, entertainment, and more from your favorite newspaper. Enjoy online-only perks like bonus magazines, puzzles, and easy article sharing. Subscribers get full access by logging in.
- Award-winning local news
- Daily features and updates
- Sports and entertainment highlights
- Online-only perks
- Bonus magazines and supplements
- Interactive puzzles and games
- Easy article sharing
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Welcome to The Republican's new Online Newspaper app! Dive into the newspaper anytime, anywhere. Keep up with award-winning local news, daily features, sports updates, entertainment highlights, special sections, and more—all at your fingertips! Enjoy online-only perks with an enhanced reading experience, including bonus magazines, supplements, interactive puzzles and games, and easy article sharing with friends and family. Republican subscribers receive full access to each edition without any extra cost. Just log in with your existing email and password to explore everything we offer! Terms of Use: https://www.advancelocal.com/advancelocalUserAgreement/user-agreement.html Privacy Policy: https://www.advancelocal.com/advancelocalUserAgreement/privacy-policy.html ====== SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION ====== If you are not a current Republican subscriber, we offer the following App-only subscription option: 1 Month Auto-renewing Subscription: $24.99 Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Your subscriptions may be managed (and auto-renewal can be turned off) by going to your iTunes Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active subscription period.
Screenshots
Verdict
MassLive.com and The Republican both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 72% of The Republican's written reviews are positive against 19% of MassLive.com's. The Republican also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ads (none vs shown). MassLive.com's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (6K vs 473). On price, rating, 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. MassLive.com sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and The Republican sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $24.99 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 MassLive.com against 4.5 for The Republican. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MassLive.com has 6K ratings behind it against 473, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 19% of MassLive.com's written reviews are positive against 72% of The Republican's.
MassLive.com ships an update every 3 weeks, The Republican every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MassLive.com | The Republican |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (6K ratings) | 4.5 (473 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 19.0% of reviews | 72.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 6K — better | 473 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #192 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | MassLive.com | The Republican Company |
Customer experience
MassLive.com
The Republican
User reviews
MassLive.com
From 6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💯 Great coverage of important news
- 📰 Excellent local and state news
- 🏆 Best news and sports outlet for Massachusetts
Room to improve
- ⏱️ Slow and glitchy performance
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 📢 Too many ads even with subscription
- 🗞️ Biased and sensationalist reporting
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find content
The Republican
From 473 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Good local news
- 👍 Factual and informative
- 👍 Consistently updated
- 👍 Smooth interface
Room to improve
- 😞 New format disliked
- 😞 Small article size
- 😞 Difficult to enlarge print
- 😞 Difficult to change pages
- 😞 Paper won't scroll vertical
Bugs and requests
MassLive.com
Reported bugs
3 issues- Login and account issues after updates
- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Broken comment and sharing functionality
Requested features
4 requests- Separate sports and news sections
- Improved search and filtering options
- Ability to customize content feed
- Offline reading mode
The Republican
Reported bugs
4 issues- Cannot get e-edition
- App won't work
- App crashes with iPadOS 13.1 update
- Email not working yet
Requested features
2 requests- Allow payment for online only
- Add national and international news
In-app purchases
MassLive.com
- Digital Access$9.991 Month
- Digital Access1 Month trial$9.991 Month
- Digital Access7 Days trial$9.991 Month
Show 11 moreShow fewer
- Subscriber Exclusive Content1 Month trial2 variants$9.991 Month
- Monthly Access with Discount1 Month trial$10.001 Month
- Monthly Access$11.991 Month
- All Access to MassLive$15.001 Month
- All Access to MassLive.com6 Months trial$75.001 Year
- Annual Access1 Year trial$99.991 Year
- Digital Access$99.991 Year
- Subscriber Exclusive Content1 Year trial2 variants$99.991 Year
- Annual Access with Discount1 Year trial$100.001 Year
- Annual Access$119.991 Year
- All Access to MassLive$150.001 Year
The Republican
- Republican Monthly$24.991 Month
Questions
Is MassLive.com free?
Is The Republican free?
Which has better reviews, MassLive.com or The Republican?
Do MassLive.com or The Republican have ads?
Which is updated more often, MassLive.com or The Republican?
Other comparisons
