# syracuse.com vs Ithaca Journal

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | syracuse.com | Ithaca Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/syracusecom/id419888786/reviews)** | [3.9 (157 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ithaca-journal/id520501616/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 157 |
| Positive reviews | 14.6% of reviews | **20.7% 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 | **#90** | #188 |
| Size | 32 MB | 184 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [syracuse.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/419888789) | [USA TODAY Co., Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/404843797) |

## What reviewers say

### syracuse.com

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

**Currently charting:** #90 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


### Ithaca Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ithaca-journal/id520501616)

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

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Digital Rate | $9.99 | per month |
| Ithaca Journal | $16.99 | per month |
| Ithaca Journal Annual Digital Subscription | $69.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked 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 #90 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*