# PennLive vs PGe

The clearest difference is monetization model: PGe at free with in-app purchases against PennLive's subscription. PGe also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (28% vs 16%). PennLive's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.2) and chart position (#186 vs unranked). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PennLive sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and PGe sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PennLive holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.6K and 3.6K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 16% of PennLive's written reviews are positive against 28% of PGe's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

PennLive ships an update every 3 weeks, PGe monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PennLive | PGe |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (3.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pennlive/id421910267/reviews)** | [4.2 (3.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pge/id1287223857/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3.6K | **3.6K** |
| Positive reviews | 16.4% of reviews | **28.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#186** | — |
| Size | 32 MB | 70 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [PennLive LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/421910270) | [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette](https://appshunter.io/developer/342115595) |

## What reviewers say

### PennLive

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

**Currently charting:** #186 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


### PGe

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pge/id1287223857)

Access complete news coverage from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, presented in a traditional newspaper layout. Enjoy daily editions, interactive puzzles, and access to past issues.

**Highlights:** Traditional newspaper layout, Seven-day-a-week coverage, Interactive puzzles, 30-day past editions archive

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Post-Gazette Monthly Plan | $11.99 | per month |
| Post-Gazette Annual Plan | $129.99 | per year |
| Post-Gazette Day Pass | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth navigation
- 👍 Aesthetically pleasing
- 🚀 Convenient access to news
- 👍 Well-written and grammatically correct articles

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Outdated and delayed content
- 👎 Limited selection of articles
- 👎 Forced landscape mode on iPad
- 👎 Unreliable loading and downloading of editions

**Reported bugs**

- Blank screens when trying to open articles
- Jumping back to previous day's edition when using back button
- Inconsistent behavior when downloading new editions
- Puzzles and crosswords not working properly

**Requested features**

- Portrait mode option for iPad
- Ability to quickly browse and overview articles
- Automatic deletion of old editions to save storage
- Restore previous app features like toggling linked headlines


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PennLive free?

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

### Is PGe free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PennLive or PGe?

PennLive is rated higher. PennLive averages 4.5 out of 5 from 3.6K ratings, while PGe averages 4.2 from 3.6K ratings.

### Do PennLive or PGe have ads?

PennLive shows ads; PGe does not.

### Which is updated more often, PennLive or PGe?

PennLive ships an update every 3 weeks, and PGe monthly. Most recently, PennLive was updated on October 24, 2026 and PGe on October 22, 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.*