# The Gainesville Sun vs FastBack

The clearest difference is rating: The Gainesville Sun at 4.2 against FastBack's 3.0. The Gainesville Sun also leads on review sentiment (33% vs 0%) and update cadence (monthly vs every 16 months). FastBack's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. The Gainesville Sun sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month and FastBack sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

The Gainesville Sun holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Gainesville Sun has 500 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of The Gainesville Sun's written reviews are positive against 0% of FastBack's.

The Gainesville Sun ships an update monthly, FastBack every 16 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and August 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Gainesville Sun | FastBack |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (500 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-gainesville-sun/id429457788/reviews)** | [3.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fastback-smooth-web-browser/id931018273/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **500** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **33.0% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 16 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#200** | — |
| Size | 183 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [USA TODAY Co., Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/404843797) | [Studio Mee](https://appshunter.io/developer/300673322) |

## What reviewers say

### The Gainesville Sun

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-gainesville-sun/id429457788)

**Currently charting:** #200 Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

Stay informed with local news, in-depth journalism, and real-time alerts. Access a digital replica of the print edition, customize your reading experience, and enjoy offline access to important stories and updates.

**Highlights:** In-depth local journalism, Breaking news and alerts, Streamlined reading experience, Customizable text size and night mode, Offline reading, Digital eNewspaper access

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Digital Rate | $19.99 | per month |
| Monthly Digital Subscription | $24.99 | per month |
| Gainesville Sun monthly | $24.99 | per month |
| Gainesville Sun annual | $69.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Excellent local news coverage
- 📰 Great for staying up-to-date on community events
- 📚 Comprehensive reporting on national and international news
- 👍 User-friendly app design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 📱 Clunky and unintuitive user interface
- 🗞️ Lack of local opinion pieces and editorial content
- 💰 Frustration with paywall and subscription issues

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes and becomes unresponsive
- Inability to access archived or older content
- Inconsistent performance across different devices
- Paywall issues and problems with subscription management

**Requested features**

- Improved search functionality
- Ability to customize news feed and section preferences
- Integration of local event calendars and community information
- Offline reading mode


### FastBack

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fastback-smooth-web-browser/id931018273)

This browser offers a unique "back" function that instantly displays the previous page without reloading. It's designed for a smoother news browsing experience, allowing users to navigate between articles and main pages seamlessly.

**Highlights:** Instant page recall on back, No reloads when navigating back, Smooth news browsing experience, Remembers frequently visited sites

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Gainesville Sun free?

The Gainesville Sun is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is FastBack free?

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

### Which has better reviews, The Gainesville Sun or FastBack?

The Gainesville Sun is rated higher. The Gainesville Sun averages 4.2 out of 5 from 500 ratings, while FastBack averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do The Gainesville Sun or FastBack have ads?

The Gainesville Sun shows ads; FastBack does not.

### Which is updated more often, The Gainesville Sun or FastBack?

The Gainesville Sun ships an update monthly, and FastBack every 16 months. Most recently, The Gainesville Sun was updated on September 23, 2026 and FastBack on August 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.*