# PennLive vs Spotlight PA

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Spotlight PA at 100% against PennLive's 16%. Spotlight PA also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). PennLive's advantage is ratings volume (3.6K vs 7) and chart position (#197 vs unranked). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PennLive sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Spotlight PA asks for nothing beyond the download.

Spotlight PA holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PennLive has 3.6K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 16% of PennLive's written reviews are positive against 100% of Spotlight PA's.

PennLive ships an update every 3 weeks, Spotlight PA every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PennLive | Spotlight PA |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (3.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pennlive/id421910267/reviews) | **[5.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spotlight-pa/id6498866659/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.6K** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 16.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#197** | — |
| Size | 35 MB | 53 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [PennLive.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/421910270) | [Spotlight PA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1741840400) |

## What reviewers say

### PennLive

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

**Currently charting:** #197 Top Grossing · News, #205 Top Free · 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, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Basic Access to PennLive.com | $5.99 | 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 |
| All Access to PennLive.com | $11.99 | per month |
| All Access to PennLive.com | $15.00 | per month |
| All 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


### Spotlight PA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spotlight-pa/id6498866659)

Access high-quality investigative journalism focused on Pennsylvania state government and urgent statewide issues. Receive top stories in a concise daily digest to stay informed without being overwhelmed.

**Highlights:** Investigative journalism, Public-service journalism, Focus on PA state government, Daily digest of top stories, Nonpartisan and nonprofit

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PennLive free?

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

### Is Spotlight PA free?

Spotlight PA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, PennLive or Spotlight PA?

Spotlight PA is rated higher. PennLive averages 4.5 out of 5 from 3.6K ratings, while Spotlight PA averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.

### Do PennLive or Spotlight PA have ads?

PennLive shows ads; Spotlight PA does not.

### Which is updated more often, PennLive or Spotlight PA?

PennLive ships an update every 3 weeks, and Spotlight PA every 2 weeks. Most recently, PennLive was updated on November 6, 2026 and Spotlight PA on November 4, 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.*