Patch vs NAR Mobile
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Patch
Stay informed about your local community with real-time news, events, and weather updates. Discover schools, homes for sale, jobs, and announcements in a single, easy-to-scroll feed. Receive breaking news alerts and share stories with friends.
- Local news and events for 1,200+ towns
- Breaking news push notifications
- Local weather forecasts and alerts
- Find local jobs and announcements
- One-scroll feed for town happenings
- Bookmark articles for later reading
- Support for following multiple towns
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If you're looking for "everything local," Patch is the app for you. Local schools? Check. Breaking news? Check. Homes for sale? We've got those, too. You'll always be in touch with your town with the Patch app. Check out these features: • News and events for 1,200+ Patch Towns, with more towns added every month. • Push notifications as important news breaks — you’ll be the first to get the scoop. • Swipe left or right to view articles faster. • Local weather forecasts and alerts — you'll never be caught without an umbrella or snow boots again. • Find local events, jobs and announcements in your area. • Get everything that is happening in your town in a one-scroll feed! • Share stories to your Facebook friends or email/SMS to a friend! • Patch also has fun iMessage animal stickers to share your emotions with your friends! • Love an article? You can bookmark it to your phone to come back and read it later. • Want to follow multiple towns? No problem, swipe left or right to navigate between your favorite Patch towns. Our new Patch app delivers a beautiful browsing and reading experience for iOS users. Our pages load lightning fast. You'll never be kept waiting to see what's behind that headline. The sleek design provides an in-depth storytelling experience fueled by concise writing and rich imagery. TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: We're eager to hear your feedback and suggestions. How can we make the app even better? What features would you like to see? We aim to be the best news app in the country, and your ideas are crucial. Please email us at Feedback@patch.com Images used under license from Shutterstock.com
NAR Mobile
Access the latest real estate news, market updates, and industry trends. Connect with other professionals, discover member benefits, and access training and educational resources to grow your business.
- Latest real estate news and market updates
- Personalized content feed and notifications
- Member directory for networking
- Access to membership benefits and discounts
- Code of Ethics status and training
- Professional education and continuing courses
- Podcasts and video series
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Grow your real estate business, be the first to know, and get ahead of the competition with the NAR App for REALTORS®: fresh insight backed by a century of real estate expertise! Benefits of the NAR App include: - Latest News and Information: Important insights you need at your fingertips, with reliable real estate news, current housing market updates, up-to-date industry trends, and valuable real estate marketing tools. Expertly navigate the residential and commercial real estate news that's most important to you (and your clients) so you're up to date and ahead of the game, all while you're on the go. - Personalized Content: Customize your feed based on your interests and get notified when new content is available. Everything you want, and nothing that you don't in an easy-to-navigate NAR app. Leverage what you learn, bookmark and share it with clients. - Member Directory: Find a member by name, location, field of business, language, and certifications & designations to expand your referral network. - Membership Benefits & Latest Discounts: Quickly access member benefits and member discounts to save money and make the most of special offers on technology, marketing products, and more. (NAR rental car discount, anyone?!) - Code of Ethics: The NAR real estate agent app allows you to check your REALTOR® Code of Ethics status and quickly access required training. - Professional Education: Build on your experience with comprehensive learning and development opportunities. Access a wide selection of real estate training options wherever you are, whenever you want. - Competitive Advantage: This app for REALTORS® helps you make informed decisions faster and with confidence. Read about the latest real estate trends and elevate your learning with real estate continuing education courses. - Listen & Watch: Stream videos series and listen to podcasts that elevate the conversation around the issues relevant to you and what you do. - Your Member Profile: Quickly access and manage your Member Profile on the go. The NAR real estate app, helps you, the REALTOR® elevate your business: - Showcase industry expertise - Provide insights and marketing resources that can be passed on to clients - Stay ahead of the competition - Grow your business As a REALTOR® you're always on the job, which means every moment matters! Whether you've got five minutes between meetings or two hours between showings, just tap into the app for important insights, invaluable stats, and personalized content. Get deal-making updates for your business while you're doing business with the NAR real estate agent app. Use of the NAR App and the services provided through the App are subject to the Terms of Use (https://www.nar.realtor/terms-of-use) and Privacy Policy (https://www.nar.realtor/data-privacy-security/privacy-policy) of the National Association of REALTORS®. REALTORS® are members of the National Association of REALTORS®.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Patch at 4.7 against NAR Mobile's 3.7. Patch also leads on review sentiment (58% vs 25%) and ratings volume (26K vs 30). NAR Mobile's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Patch holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Patch has 26K ratings behind it against 30, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Patch's written reviews are positive against 25% of NAR Mobile's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Patch | NAR Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (26K ratings) — better | 3.7 (30 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 58.3% of reviews — better | 25.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 26K — better | 30 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Best chart rank | #148 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Patch Media | National Association of REALTORS |
Customer experience
Patch
NAR Mobile
Bugs and requests
Patch
Reported bugs
4 issues- Articles failing to load or open properly
- Notification issues, including duplicate or missing alerts
- Inconsistent app behavior after updates
- Difficulty clearing unread article indicators
Requested features
5 requests- Allow users to select specific news categories of interest
- Improve notification system to be more reliable and customizable
- Restore reader comment functionality
- Enhance location-based targeting and content curation
- Offer more affordable or free access options
NAR Mobile
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Patch
No in-app purchases
NAR Mobile
No in-app purchases









