# MLive.com vs Times Herald

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | MLive.com | Times Herald |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mlivecom/id419886579/reviews)** | [4.2 (555 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/times-herald/id520581929/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **16K** | 555 |
| Positive reviews | 11.7% of reviews | **39.0% 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 | **#79** | #188 |
| Size | 35 MB | 185 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:** #79 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 (10)**

| 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 | $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 |
| All access to MLive.com | $99.99 | per year |
| All access to MLive.com | $119.99 | 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


### Times Herald

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/times-herald/id520581929)

**Currently charting:** #188 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Digital Rate | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly Digital Rate | $14.99 | per month |
| The Times Herald Digital Subscription | $16.99 | per month |
| The Times Herald Annual Digital Subscription | $69.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Customer support phone number and contact options
- Font size adjustment controls
- Archive access feature
- Print functionality for crosswords
- Better notification system with confirmation


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*