# MassLive.com vs The Republican

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.

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 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MassLive.com | The Republican |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/masslivecom/id419879721/reviews) | [4.5 (473 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-republican/id509601933/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6K** | 473 |
| Positive reviews | 19.0% of reviews | **72.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#140** | — |
| Size | 32 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [MassLive.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/419879724) | [The Republican Company](https://appshunter.io/developer/509601936) |

## What reviewers say

### MassLive.com

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

**Currently charting:** #140 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


### The Republican

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-republican/id509601933)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Republican Monthly | $24.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Good local news
- 👍 Factual and informative
- 👍 Consistently updated
- 👍 Smooth interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😞 New format disliked
- 😞 Small article size
- 😞 Difficult to enlarge print
- 😞 Difficult to change pages
- 😞 Paper won't scroll vertical

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot get e-edition
- App won't work
- App crashes with iPadOS 13.1 update
- Email not working yet

**Requested features**

- Allow payment for online only
- Add national and international news


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MassLive.com free?

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

### Is The Republican free?

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

### Which has better reviews, MassLive.com or The Republican?

MassLive.com and The Republican are both rated 4.5 out of 5 on the App Store, from 6K and 473 ratings respectively.

### Do MassLive.com or The Republican have ads?

MassLive.com shows ads; The Republican does not.

### Which is updated more often, MassLive.com or The Republican?

MassLive.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and The Republican every 6 months. Most recently, MassLive.com was updated on September 23, 2026 and The Republican on September 25, 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.*