PennLive vs PCN Select
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PennLive
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.
- Local news reporting
- Sports coverage
- Weather updates
- Politics and business news
- Culture and community events
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Get trusted local news from across Central Pennsylvania. Breaking news, in-depth reporting, and all the stories people are talking about. Stay connected to what's happening around you with timely coverage of news, weather, sports, and more, optimized for your phone. Free to download. Get breaking news, alerts, and top stories. Subscribers receive unlimited access to in-depth reporting, exclusive content, and additional features. Subscriptions are available in-app. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Your subscriptions may be managed (and auto-renewal can be turned off) by going to your iTunes Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active subscription period. If we offer a free trial, any unused portion of the free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use: http://www.advance.net/advancedigitalUserAgreementPP/
PCN Select
Access Pennsylvania's non-profit television network for unbiased politics, policy, history, culture, and sports programming. Stream live TV, watch on-demand videos, and explore a multi-week schedule with predictive search.
- Multiple Live TV Streams
- Video On Demand
- Multi-week Schedule
- Predictive Search
- Politics & Policy Programs
- History & Culture Programs
- Sports Programs
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PCN (Pennsylvania Cable Network) is a statewide, non-profit television network responsive to Pennsylvania through complete, unbiased politics and policy programming and unique programs showcasing the diverse range of Pennsylvania’s people in history and culture, sports, and more. Watch PCN on cable in Pennsylvania or stream on the PCN app. PCN App Featured and Enhancements: · Multiple Live TV Streams · Video On Demand · Multi-week Schedule · Predictive Search · Easy Navigation PCN Programs: Politics & Policy · Candidate Debates & Interviews - FREE · Election Coverage · LIVE PA House Feed - FREE · LIVE PA Senate Feed - FREE · LIVE Call-In Program · PA Court Sessions · On The Issues · This Week: PA · Journalists Roundtable · Civics 101 - FREE Online Educational Resource · Capital BlueCross Public Affairs Forum - FREE History & Culture · Gettysburg Battlewalks · Gettysburg Collection · PCN Tours · PA Books · Voices of Veterans · Exploring Pennsylvania Boroughs · Keystone Cuisine · Battlefield Pennsylvania · It's History! · PCN Profiles · Pennsylvania's Historic Courthouses · Pennsylvania Farm Show · Ag Progress Days Sports · PIAA High School Championships · High School Football Game of the Week · High School Wrestling Match of the Week We appreciate your feedback! Please rate our app so we can continue to improve it. Additional program details can be found at pcntv.com. For program suggestions or bugs, please reach us at info@pcntv.com.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: PennLive at 4.5 against PCN Select's 2.1. PennLive also leads on ratings volume (3.2K vs 48) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). PCN Select's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 15) and ads (none vs shown). On price, review sentiment and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. PennLive sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. PCN Select asks for nothing beyond the download.
PennLive holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PennLive has 3.2K ratings behind it against 48, 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 13% of PCN Select's.
PennLive ships an update every 3 weeks, PCN Select every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and July 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PennLive | PCN Select |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (3.2K ratings) — better | 2.1 (48 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 16.4% of reviews — better | 13.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3.2K — better | 48 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #153 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 76 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | PennLive LLC | Pennsylvania Educational Communications Systems |
Customer experience
PennLive
PCN Select
Bugs and requests
PennLive
Reported bugs
3 issues- App freezes and crashes on launch
- Inability to access articles after updates
- Inconsistent behavior across devices
Requested features
4 requests- Improved app stability and performance
- Streamlined and intuitive navigation
- Ability to read articles without paywall
- Unbiased and fact-based reporting
PCN Select
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
PennLive
- Basic Access to PennLive.com$5.991 Month
- PennLive Sports Insider$7.991 Month
- Basic Access to PennLive.com$9.991 Month
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- Basic Access to PennLive.com1 Month trial2 variants$9.991 Month
- Basic Access to PennLive.com7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Subscriber Exclusive Content1 Month trial$9.991 Month
- All Access to PennLive.com$11.991 Month
- All Access to PennLive.com$15.001 Month
- All Access to PennLive.com6 Months trial$75.001 Year
- PennLive Sports Insider$79.991 Year
- All Access to PennLive.com$99.991 Year
- Basic Access to PennLive.com1 Year trial$99.991 Year
- BasicAccess to PennLive.com1 Year trial$99.991 Year
- Basic Access to PennLive.com$119.991 Year
PCN Select
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is PennLive free?
Is PCN Select free?
Which has better reviews, PennLive or PCN Select?
Do PennLive or PCN Select have ads?
Which is updated more often, PennLive or PCN Select?
Other comparisons
