# SILive.com vs The Daily Journal

The clearest difference is monetization model: The Daily Journal at free with in-app purchases against SILive.com's subscription. The Daily Journal also leads on review sentiment (65% vs 44%). SILive.com's advantage is ratings volume (6.9K vs 253) and chart position (#126 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SILive.com sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and The Daily Journal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

SILive.com holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SILive.com has 6.9K ratings behind it against 253, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 44% of SILive.com's written reviews are positive against 65% of The Daily Journal's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

SILive.com ships an update every 3 weeks, The Daily Journal monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SILive.com | The Daily Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/silivecom/id421906731/reviews)** | [4.4 (253 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-daily-journal/id566359405/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 253 |
| Positive reviews | 44.1% of reviews | **65.2% 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 | **#126** | — |
| Size | 33 MB | 184 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [SILive.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/421906734) | [USA TODAY Co., Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/404843797) |

## What reviewers say

### SILive.com

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

**Currently charting:** #126 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


### The Daily Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-daily-journal/id566359405)

Access in-depth local journalism, including community events, sports, and breaking news. Enjoy a fast, customizable reading experience with real-time notifications and offline access. Includes a digital replica of the print edition and access to other eNewspapers.

**Highlights:** In-depth local journalism, Breaking news alerts, Streamlined reading experience, Customizable settings, Offline reading, eNewspaper access

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

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

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 📰 Articles appear before print
- 🚀 Indispensable when traveling
- 👍 Love the writers
- 👍 Convenient for getting news

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sometimes hard to load
- 👎 Impossible to cancel subscription
- 👎 Password and email don't work consistently
- 👎 Never lets me sign in
- 👎 Terrible content

**Reported bugs**

- Still being charged after cancellation
- Cannot get ahold of anyone for help
- Password and email issues
- App is awful, want newspaper back

**Requested features**

- More Cumberland County news
- Easier subscription cancellation


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SILive.com free?

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

### Is The Daily Journal free?

The Daily Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, SILive.com or The Daily Journal?

SILive.com is rated higher. SILive.com averages 4.6 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while The Daily Journal averages 4.4 from 253 ratings.

### Do SILive.com or The Daily Journal have ads?

Both SILive.com and The Daily Journal show ads.

### Which is updated more often, SILive.com or The Daily Journal?

SILive.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and The Daily Journal monthly. Most recently, SILive.com was updated on October 24, 2026 and The Daily Journal on October 23, 2026.

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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.*