# SILive.com vs PennLive

SILive.com and PennLive both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 44% of SILive.com's written reviews are positive against 16% of PennLive's. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SILive.com sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 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 — 4.6 for SILive.com against 4.5 for PennLive. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.6K and 3.2K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 44% of SILive.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 October 14, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SILive.com | PennLive |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (6.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/silivecom/id421906731/reviews)** | [4.5 (3.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pennlive/id421910267/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.6K** | 3.2K |
| Positive reviews | **44.1% 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 | #186 | **#117** |
| Size | 33 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [SILive.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/421906734) | [PennLive LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/421910270) |

## What reviewers say

### SILive.com

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/silivecom/id421906731)

**Currently charting:** #186 Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

Stay informed with local news, sports, and weather impacting your community. Get timely and reliable reporting from journalists who live and work in your area, covering everything from local events to politics and culture.

**Highlights:** Local news reporting, Sports coverage, Weather updates, Community events, Politics and business news, Dining and culture

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

**In-app purchases (18)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $1.99 | per month |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $2.99 | per month |
| All Access to Sports Insider | $7.99 | per month |
| Digital Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $9.99 | per month |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly Access | $11.00 | per month |
| All Access to SILive.com | $11.99 | per month |
| All Access to Staten Island Live | $15.00 | per month |
| All Access to SILive.com | $75.00 | per year |
| All Access to Sports Insider | $79.99 | per year |
| All Access to SILive.com | $99.99 | per year |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $99.99 | per year |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $99.99 | per year |
| Annual Access | $100.00 | per year |
| All Access to SILive.com | $119.99 | per year |
| Monthly Subscription | $119.99 | per month |
| All Access to Staten Island Live | $150.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent source of local news and information
- 🚀 Timely updates and notifications
- 💡 Good coverage of Staten Island community

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 💰 Excessive ads and paywalls
- 🤔 Perceived political bias in reporting
- 🔍 Poor search functionality

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes when opening certain articles
- Notification links often lead to wrong stories
- Inconsistent performance across devices

**Requested features**

- Improved article navigation and scrolling
- Ability to customize font size and layout
- Restore classic app version with better functionality


### PennLive

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

**Currently charting:** #117 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 SILive.com free?

SILive.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, SILive.com or PennLive?

SILive.com is rated higher. SILive.com averages 4.6 out of 5 from 6.6K ratings, while PennLive averages 4.5 from 3.2K ratings.

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

Both SILive.com and PennLive show ads.

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

SILive.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and PennLive every 3 weeks. Most recently, SILive.com was updated on October 14, 2026 and PennLive on October 12, 2026.

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

SILive.com currently peaks at #186 in the App Store charts, and PennLive at #117. 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.*