# MLive.com vs Traverse City Record Eagle

MLive.com and Traverse City Record Eagle both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 87% of Traverse City Record Eagle's written reviews are positive against 12% of MLive.com's. Traverse City Record Eagle also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and iOS requirement (12.4 vs 17.0). MLive.com's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (16K vs 317). On price, rating, 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 Traverse City Record Eagle sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Traverse City Record Eagle holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MLive.com has 16K ratings behind it against 317, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 12% of MLive.com's written reviews are positive against 87% of Traverse City Record Eagle's.

MLive.com ships an update every 3 weeks, Traverse City Record Eagle every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MLive.com | Traverse City Record Eagle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mlivecom/id419886579/reviews) | **[4.6 (317 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/traverse-city-record-eagle/id432655699/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **16K** | 317 |
| Positive reviews | 11.8% of reviews | **87.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#65** | — |
| Size | 33 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **12.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [MLive.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/419886587) | [CNHI LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1422875061) |

## What reviewers say

### MLive.com

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

**Currently charting:** #65 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


### Traverse City Record Eagle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/traverse-city-record-eagle/id432655699)

Access local news, commentary, photos, and videos on the go. Download daily editions for offline reading and stay updated with breaking news, sports, and weather. Enjoy features like interactive content and social sharing.

**Highlights:** Offline reading of daily editions, Breaking news alerts, Photo and video galleries, Print edition layout view, Free local weather and events, Social sharing of content

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Today's ePaper | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface
- 📰 Newspaper-style layout mimics print edition
- 📱 Convenient access from anywhere, anytime
- 🔍 Excellent local journalism and reporting
- ⚡ Smooth app performance and quick loading

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional articles fail to load
- 🐛 App crashes and instability issues
- 🐛 Blurry pages that take time to load clearly
- 🔐 Frequent re-login requirements for articles
- ❌ Poor search functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Articles frequently do not appear in reading pane when tapped
- App reverts to page 1A unexpectedly
- Split-screen feature fails approximately 50% of the time
- App crashes and closes unexpectedly
- Obituary links malfunction when highlighted

**Requested features**

- Color comics
- Expanded letters to editor section
- Improved search functionality
- Clearer navigation menus and edition selection
- Better article sharing capabilities


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MLive.com free?

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

### Is Traverse City Record Eagle free?

Traverse City Record Eagle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, MLive.com or Traverse City Record Eagle?

Traverse City Record Eagle is rated higher. MLive.com averages 4.4 out of 5 from 16K ratings, while Traverse City Record Eagle averages 4.6 from 317 ratings.

### Do MLive.com or Traverse City Record Eagle have ads?

Both MLive.com and Traverse City Record Eagle show ads.

### Which is updated more often, MLive.com or Traverse City Record Eagle?

MLive.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and Traverse City Record Eagle every 5 months. Most recently, MLive.com was updated on October 16, 2026 and Traverse City Record Eagle on October 14, 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.*