Comparison

syracuse.com vs Ithaca Journal

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

Head to head
About

syracuse.com

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
Currently charting
Read full description

Get trusted local news from across Central New York. 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

Ithaca Journal

Stay informed with local news, in-depth journalism, and breaking alerts. Access a digital replica of the print edition, along with national news, and customize your reading experience with offline access and personalized notifications.

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

From critically acclaimed storytelling to powerful photography to engaging videos — the Ithaca Journal 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.ithacajournal.com/privacy/ • Terms of Service: https://cm.ithacajournal.com/terms/ • Help Center: https://help.ithacajournal.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

syracuse.com4 screens
Ithaca Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Ithaca Journal at free with in-app purchases against syracuse.com's subscription. syracuse.com's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 3.9) and ratings volume (6.9K vs 157). On price, review sentiment, 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. syracuse.com sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Ithaca Journal sells 3 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

syracuse.com holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: syracuse.com has 6.9K ratings behind it against 157, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 15% of syracuse.com's written reviews are positive against 21% of Ithaca Journal's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

syracuse.com ships an update every 3 weeks, Ithaca Journal monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
syracuse.com versus Ithaca Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parametersyracuse.comIthaca Journal
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (6.9K ratings) — better3.9 (157 ratings)
Positive reviews14.6% of reviews20.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6.9K — better157
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#77 — better#188
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB184 MB
Age rating12+12+
Developersyracuse.comUSA TODAY Co., Inc.

Customer experience

syracuse.com

All ratings6,906 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral5.8%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews89 reviews
Positive14.6%
Neutral4.5%
Negative80.9%

Ithaca Journal

All ratings157 ratings
Positive71.3%
Neutral12.1%
Negative16.6%
Written reviews29 reviews
Positive20.7%
Neutral6.9%
Negative72.4%

Bugs and requests

syracuse.com

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

Ithaca Journal

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

15 purchases

syracuse.com

Subscriptions15
  • Orange Sports Insider$7.991 Month
  • All Access to syracuse.com1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • Digital Access1 Month trial$9.991 Month
Show 12 more
  • Digital Access7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Subscriber Exclusive Content1 Month trial2 variants$9.991 Month
  • Monthly Access1 Month trial$10.001 Month
  • All Access to syracuse.com7 Days trial$10.001 Month
  • All Access to syracuse.com$11.991 Month
  • All Access to Syracuse$15.001 Month
  • All Access to syracuse.com6 Months trial$75.001 Year
  • All Access to syracuse.com$99.991 Year
  • All Access to syracuse.com1 Year trial2 variants$99.991 Year
  • Subscriber Exclusive Content1 Year trial2 variants$99.991 Year
  • Annual Access1 Year trial$100.001 Year
  • All Access to syracuse.com$119.991 Year
3 purchases

Ithaca Journal

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Digital Rate1 Month trial2 variants$9.991 Month
  • Ithaca Journal1 Month trial$16.991 Month
  • Ithaca Journal Annual Digital Subscription1 Year trial$69.991 Year

Questions

Is syracuse.com free?
syracuse.com is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ithaca Journal free?
Ithaca Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, syracuse.com or Ithaca Journal?
syracuse.com is rated higher. syracuse.com averages 4.4 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while Ithaca Journal averages 3.9 from 157 ratings.
Do syracuse.com or Ithaca Journal have ads?
Both syracuse.com and Ithaca Journal show ads.
Which is updated more often, syracuse.com or Ithaca Journal?
syracuse.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and Ithaca Journal monthly. Most recently, syracuse.com was updated on October 1, 2026 and Ithaca Journal on September 26, 2026.
Which is more popular, syracuse.com or Ithaca Journal?
syracuse.com currently peaks at #77 in the App Store charts, and Ithaca Journal at #188. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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