# MLive.com vs Sturgis Journal

The clearest difference is rating: Sturgis Journal at 5.0 against MLive.com's 4.4. Sturgis Journal also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). MLive.com's advantage is ratings volume (16K vs 4) and chart position (#91 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MLive.com sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Sturgis Journal sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Sturgis Journal holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MLive.com has 16K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

MLive.com ships an update every 3 weeks, Sturgis Journal monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MLive.com | Sturgis Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mlivecom/id419886579/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sturgis-journal/id1638999171/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **16K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 11.8% 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 | **#91** | — |
| Size | 33 MB | 184 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [MLive.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/419886587) | [USA TODAY Co., Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/404843797) |

## What reviewers say

### MLive.com

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mlivecom/id419886579)

**Currently charting:** #91 Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

Stay informed with local news, sports, and weather that directly impacts your community. Access timely and reliable reporting from trusted journalists who live and work in your area. Coverage spans news, politics, business, culture, and more, ensuring you're always aware of what's happening in your backyard.

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

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

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wolverine Confidential. | $7.99 | per month |
| 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 | $10.00 | per month |
| All Access to MLive.com | $11.99 | per month |
| All Access to MLive | $15.00 | per month |
| All Access to MLive.com | $75.00 | per year |
| Wolverine Confidential. | $79.99 | per year |
| All access to MLive.com | $99.99 | per year |
| Digital Access | $99.99 | per year |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $99.99 | per year |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $99.99 | per year |
| Annual Access | $100.00 | per year |
| All access to MLive.com | $119.99 | per year |
| All Access to MLive | $150.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Quick, accurate, and well-written news
- 👍 Good coverage of Michigan news
- 🌐 Broad spectrum news coverage

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Paywalled content, too many articles behind subscription
- 🐛 Buggy, crashes, freezes, and loading issues
- 💤 Outdated, repetitive, and lacking in real reporting
- 🔍 Poor search functionality and content organization
- 📢 Excessive ads and intrusive advertising

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and inconsistent subscription handling
- Notifications not working as expected
- Scrolling and navigation problems

**Requested features**

- Ability to filter and customize content
- Improved local news coverage and focus
- Removal of paywall for breaking news and essential content


### Sturgis Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sturgis-journal/id1638999171)

Access local news, in-depth journalism, and engaging multimedia content. Receive real-time notifications for breaking news, sports, and weather. Customize your reading experience with offline access and adjustable text sizes.

**Highlights:** In-depth local journalism, Breaking news notifications, Sports coverage, Weather alerts, Offline reading, Customizable text size, eNewspaper access

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Digital Rate | $7.99 | per month |
| Monthly Digital Rate | $14.99 | per month |
| Monthly Digital Subscription | $16.99 | per month |
| Annual Digital Subscription | $69.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MLive.com free?

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

### Is Sturgis Journal free?

Sturgis Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, MLive.com or Sturgis Journal?

Sturgis Journal is rated higher. MLive.com averages 4.4 out of 5 from 16K ratings, while Sturgis Journal averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do MLive.com or Sturgis Journal have ads?

Both MLive.com and Sturgis Journal show ads.

### Which is updated more often, MLive.com or Sturgis Journal?

MLive.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and Sturgis Journal monthly. Most recently, MLive.com was updated on October 21, 2026 and Sturgis Journal on October 8, 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.*