Comparison

MLive.com vs Times Herald

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

MLive.com

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
Currently charting
Read full description

Get trusted local news from across Michigan. 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/

About

Times Herald

Access local news, in-depth journalism, and engaging multimedia content. Receive real-time notifications for breaking news, sports, and weather. Enjoy a customizable reading experience with offline access and a digital replica of the print edition.

Highlights
  • In-depth local journalism
  • Breaking news notifications
  • Sports coverage
  • Weather alerts
  • Customizable reading experience
  • Offline reading
  • Digital eNewspaper
Features
Read full description

From critically acclaimed storytelling to powerful photography to engaging videos — the Times Herald app delivers the local news that matters most to your community. APP FEATURES: • Access all of our in-depth journalism, including things to do around town, sports coverage from high school to the pros, and much more. • Enjoy a streamlined, fast-loading experience that makes it easy to view the stories, photos, and videos that matter to you. • Get breaking news, sports scores, and weather alerts with real-time notifications tailored to your interests. • Customize your experience by saving your favorite stories, adjusting text size, using night mode, or reading offline. • eNewspaper: Just like our print edition but accessible on your mobile devices. And access to USA TODAY and 200+ local eNewspapers. MORE INFORMATION: • Privacy Policy: https://cm.thetimesherald.com/privacy/ • Terms of Service: https://cm.thetimesherald.com/terms/ • Help Center: https://help.thetimesherald.com • Subscriptions are charged to your account at confirmation of purchase and automatically renew each month or year, unless turned off in your account settings 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. You can manage your subscriptions and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to your Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription, where applicable. See "Subscription Support" in the app's Settings for more details and customer service contact information.

Screenshots

MLive.com3 screens
Times Herald4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Times Herald at free with in-app purchases against MLive.com's subscription. Times Herald also leads on review sentiment (39% vs 12%). MLive.com's advantage is ratings volume (16K vs 555). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. MLive.com sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Times Herald sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MLive.com holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MLive.com has 16K ratings behind it against 555, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 12% of MLive.com's written reviews are positive against 39% of Times Herald's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MLive.com ships an update every 3 weeks, Times Herald monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
MLive.com versus Times Herald: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMLive.comTimes Herald
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (16K ratings) — better4.2 (555 ratings)
Positive reviews11.7% of reviews39.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16K — better555
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#79 — better#188
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB185 MB
Age rating+1212+
DeveloperMLive.comUSA TODAY Co., Inc.

Customer experience

MLive.com

All ratings16,266 ratings
Positive85.4%
Neutral6.4%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews137 reviews
Positive11.7%
Neutral12.4%
Negative75.9%

Times Herald

All ratings555 ratings
Positive79.6%
Neutral8.6%
Negative11.7%
Written reviews59 reviews
Positive39.0%
Neutral6.8%
Negative54.2%

User reviews

MLive.com

From 16K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

  • 🔒 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

Times Herald

From 555 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📰 Convenient access to local news
  • 🔔 Breaking news alerts functionality
  • 📱 Works well on mobile devices
  • ✅ Easy to use interface
  • 🌍 Comprehensive local and world news coverage

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • 😤 Poor user interface navigation
  • ⏳ Stale content - top stories remain unchanged for days
  • 💰 High subscription pricing
  • 🔐 Authentication and login issues

Bugs and requests

MLive.com

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

Times Herald

Reported bugs

13 issues
  • App crashes on iPad multiple times daily
  • Top stories page fails to open on app startup
  • App closes immediately when opening stories
  • E-newspaper mode won't load or open
  • App freezes when printing crosswords
Show 8 more
  • Grey screen loading errors
  • App incompatible with iOS 14 and newer
  • Login loops preventing access to content
  • Subscription verification failures despite active subscription
  • Missing app icon on home screen after download
  • Blank links in content
  • Font size adjustment not working
  • Share page not indicating successful message delivery

Requested features

10 requests
  • Customer support phone number and contact options
  • Font size adjustment controls
  • Archive access feature
  • Print functionality for crosswords
  • Better notification system with confirmation
Show 5 more
  • Improved share functionality with delivery confirmation
  • Obituaries and death notices section
  • Sports content filtering option
  • Tiered pricing options ($3-5/month range)
  • Offline reading capability

In-app purchases

10 purchases

MLive.com

Subscriptions10
  • Digital Access$9.991 Month
  • Digital Access1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • Digital Access7 Days trial$9.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Subscriber Exclusive Content1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • Monthly Access1 Month trial$10.001 Month
  • All Access to MLive.com$11.991 Month
  • All Access to MLive$15.001 Month
  • All Access to MLive.com6 Months trial$75.001 Year
  • All access to MLive.com1 Year trial$99.991 Year
  • All access to MLive.com$119.991 Year
4 purchases

Times Herald

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Digital Rate1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • Monthly Digital Rate1 Month trial$14.991 Month
  • The Times Herald Digital Subscription1 Month trial$16.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • The Times Herald Annual Digital Subscription1 Year trial$69.991 Year

Questions

Is MLive.com free?
MLive.com is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Times Herald free?
Times Herald is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MLive.com or Times Herald?
MLive.com is rated higher. MLive.com averages 4.4 out of 5 from 16K ratings, while Times Herald averages 4.2 from 555 ratings.
Do MLive.com or Times Herald have ads?
Both MLive.com and Times Herald show ads.
Which is updated more often, MLive.com or Times Herald?
MLive.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and Times Herald monthly. Most recently, MLive.com was updated on November 9, 2026 and Times Herald on November 6, 2026.
Which is more popular, MLive.com or Times Herald?
MLive.com currently peaks at #79 in the App Store charts, and Times Herald at #188. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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