# syracuse.com vs PennLive

syracuse.com and PennLive are too close to call on the numbers: across 11 compared parameters — price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Both are free to download. syracuse.com sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and PennLive sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 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 — 4.4 for syracuse.com against 4.5 for PennLive. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.9K and 3.2K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 15% of syracuse.com's written reviews are positive against 16% of PennLive's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | syracuse.com | PennLive |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/syracusecom/id419888786/reviews) | **[4.5 (3.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pennlive/id421910267/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 3.2K |
| Positive reviews | 14.6% of reviews | **16.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Subscription | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#64** | #166 |
| Size | 32 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [syracuse.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/419888789) | [PennLive LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/421910270) |

## What reviewers say

### syracuse.com

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/syracusecom/id419888786)

**Currently charting:** #64 Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

Stay informed with local news, sports, and weather impacting your community. Get timely and reliable reporting from trusted local journalists covering a wide range of topics.

**Highlights:** Local news reporting, Sports coverage, Weather updates, Politics and business news, Culture and lifestyle content, Premium content access

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

**In-app purchases (15)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Orange Sports Insider | $7.99 | per month |
| All Access to syracuse.com | $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 syracuse.com | $10.00 | per month |
| All Access to syracuse.com | $11.99 | per month |
| All Access to Syracuse | $15.00 | per month |
| All Access to syracuse.com | $75.00 | per year |
| All Access to syracuse.com | $99.99 | per year |
| All Access to syracuse.com | $99.99 | per year |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $99.99 | per year |
| Annual Access | $100.00 | per year |
| All Access to syracuse.com | $119.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great content and curation
- 🚀 Informative and true news
- 🤑 Subscription provides value

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes and freezes
- 💰 Expensive subscription fees
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and use
- 📢 Too many ads and paywalls
- 🗞️ Sloppy reporting and writing

**Reported bugs**

- Login and subscription issues
- Compatibility problems with newer devices
- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Inability to refresh news feed or access content

**Requested features**

- Improved app performance and stability
- Subscription options that are more affordable
- Better user interface and navigation
- Reduction in ads and paywalls for content access
- Improved quality of reporting and writing


### PennLive

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pennlive/id421910267)

**Currently charting:** #166 Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

Stay informed about local happenings with timely and reliable reporting on news, sports, and weather. Access in-depth coverage of community events, politics, business, and culture from a trusted source.

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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Basic Access to PennLive.com | $5.99 | per month |
| PennLive Sports Insider | $7.99 | per month |
| Basic Access to PennLive.com | $9.99 | per month |
| Basic Access to PennLive.com | $9.99 | per month |
| Basic Access to PennLive.com | $9.99 | per month |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $9.99 | per month |
| All Access to PennLive.com | $11.99 | per month |
| All Access to PennLive.com | $15.00 | per month |
| All Access to PennLive.com | $75.00 | per year |
| PennLive Sports Insider | $79.99 | per year |
| All Access to PennLive.com | $99.99 | per year |
| Basic Access to PennLive.com | $99.99 | per year |
| BasicAccess to PennLive.com | $99.99 | per year |
| Basic Access to PennLive.com | $119.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast news coverage
- 👍 Great local news focus
- 👍 Excellent reporting staff

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app freezes and crashes
- 🔍 Difficult navigation and poor UI
- 💰 Excessive ads and paywall
- 🔍 Outdated and stale content
- 🔍 Biased and opinionated reporting

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes and crashes on launch
- Inability to access articles after updates
- Inconsistent behavior across devices

**Requested features**

- Improved app stability and performance
- Streamlined and intuitive navigation
- Ability to read articles without paywall
- Unbiased and fact-based reporting


## Frequently asked questions

### Is syracuse.com free?

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

### Is PennLive free?

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

### Which has better reviews, syracuse.com or PennLive?

PennLive is rated higher. syracuse.com averages 4.4 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while PennLive averages 4.5 from 3.2K ratings.

### Do syracuse.com or PennLive have ads?

Both syracuse.com and PennLive show ads.

### Which is updated more often, syracuse.com or PennLive?

syracuse.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and PennLive every 3 weeks. Most recently, syracuse.com was updated on September 22, 2026 and PennLive on September 23, 2026.

### Which is more popular, syracuse.com or PennLive?

syracuse.com currently peaks at #64 in the App Store charts, and PennLive at #166. 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.*