The Hamilton Spectator vs Canada Press
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Hamilton Spectator
Stay informed with up-to-date local and global news. This app provides breaking news, in-depth reporting, and community-specific coverage. Engage in discussions and access opinions from columnists, all in a convenient mobile format.
- Breaking news and in-depth reporting
- Community-specific local news
- Personalized community selection
- Commenting and discussion features
- Opinions and commentary from columnists
- Credible, source-based reporting
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Your city. Your Stories. From community and local coverage to global issues and breaking news, The Hamilton Spectator reports on topics that matter and affect the day-to-day lives of our readers. Download The Hamilton Spectator app now to receive the best features of The Spectator’s website, all within the palm of your hand. • Made for You: A custom newsfeed that evolves with your interests. • Stay Informed: Real-time breaking news alerts so you’re always the first to know. • Resume Reading: Pick up exactly where you left off, instantly. • Trending Now: Stay ahead of the curve with the stories Hamilton is talking about. • Instant Access: Your saved stories are now organized in one streamlined hub. • Newsletter Management: You can now browse, subscribe, and manage your newsletter preferences directly within the app. Stay informed with curated stories delivered straight to your inbox. Questions or feedback? Contact us at specmobilefeedback@torstar.ca SEE BELOW FOR IMPORTANT NOTICES By installing and using the App, you agree to our Privacy and Anti-Spam Notice (available at https://www.thespec.com/about/mobile-app-privacy-anti-spam-notice.html), our Privacy Policy (available at https://metroland.com/privacy-policy/) and our Terms of Use (available at http://notices.torstar.com/main_terms_of_use_daily_and_community_brands_EN/), each of which is accessible with the App's settings menu. This App (including any updates or upgrades) may (i) automatically communicate with The Hamilton Spectator's or its third party service providers' servers and record usage and browsing pattern metrics, (ii) manage App-related preferences or data stored on your device, and (iii) collect personal information, all as more particularly set out in our Privacy and Anti-Spam Notice and our Privacy Policy. You may withdraw your consent to the above at any time by removing or disabling the App. The Spec mobile application, an application offered by Metroland Media Group Ltd., 8 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8 For assistance, please contact us at circ@thespec.com.
Canada Press
Access over 500 news feeds from 110 Canadian newspapers and magazines in one place. Stay updated with daily, weekly, and monthly publications, and discover local news near you. Share articles, search by keywords, and receive push notifications for your favorite sources.
- Access 500+ news feeds
- Browse daily, weekly, monthly press
- Locate local newspapers
- Receive push notifications
- Search articles by keywords
- Share news with friends
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Explore more than 500 news feeds from 110 Canadian newspapers and magazines. *** ALL THE NEWS IN A SINGLE APP *** ► Daily press (National & local) ► Weekly press ► Monthly press ► Internet press Among the features : ▷ Locate local newspapers near your location. ▷ Receive by push the latest updates of your favorite newspapers. ▷ Share news with your friends ▷ Search articles by keywords *** FREE APP *** Enjoy this amazing app. *** PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION *** - Remove advertising in the app - Remove limit on the number of posts - Direct access to website reader (when available) END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT : https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ PRIVACY POLICY : http://www.babdreams.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The Hamilton Spectator and Canada Press both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 59% of Canada Press's written reviews are positive against 10% of The Hamilton Spectator's. Canada Press also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). The Hamilton Spectator's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 12 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. The Hamilton Spectator sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month and Canada Press sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for The Hamilton Spectator against 4.6 for Canada Press. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 55 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 10% of The Hamilton Spectator's written reviews are positive against 59% of Canada Press's.
The Hamilton Spectator ships an update fortnightly, Canada Press every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Hamilton Spectator | Canada Press |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (20 ratings) | 4.6 (55 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 9.5% of reviews | 59.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 20 | 55 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 12 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 110 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | thestar.com | Studio BabDreams |
Customer experience
The Hamilton Spectator
Canada Press
User reviews
The Hamilton Spectator
From 20 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Wonderful local news coverage
- 👍 Hard-working reporters and editors
- 👍 Valuable asset in difficult times
Room to improve
- 👎 Left-leaning bias perceived
- 👎 Repetitive content
- 👎 Old news stays on for days
- 👎 Difficult to access all parts of the news
- 👎 Poor replacement for browser version
Canada Press
From 55 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great news coverage
- 👍 Informative content
- 👍 Quality fact-checking
- 👍 Dedication and integrity
- 👍 Valuable resource
Room to improve
- anúncios Intrusive ads
- 💰 Paywall articles
- 🚫 Very little free news
- 😩 Terribly boring
- 🚫 No news, only advertising
Bugs and requests
The Hamilton Spectator
Reported bugs
40 issues- Everything is repeated multiple times
- Old news stays on for days
- Difficult to access all parts of the paper
- Some stories listed for weeks
- Others show up multiple times
Show 35 moreShow fewer
- Misses direct access to Home and Obituaries
- Keeps asking to sign in every time
- App does not work well on iPhone
- Site does not work properly on Safari
- App does not work on iPad
- Cutoff content on iPad
- App crashes when trying to open/refresh
- Ads don't load, show white screen
- App crashes when refreshing news
- App doesn't load or keeps crashing
- App crashes immediately upon installation
- Blank screens popping up
- App won't open after updates
- App resets itself or sits jammed with no content
- App crashes constantly, blank pages
- Uneven and sporadic refreshing
- Poor loading
- App crashes when loading
- Blank page, no news after update
- Constantly crashing
- App won't open
- App doesn't show breaking news or local news
- App won't load anymore, just crashes
- No content at all once the app loads
- Crashes all the time
- App crashes when I refresh news
- App hasn't worked for months
- App hasn't worked properly in months
- App doesn't work at all
- App does not open at all since the latest update
- App crashes for over a month
- App doesn't even open
- App instantly crashes and closes after update
- App won't open on my phone
- App not completely loading properly or keeps crashing
Requested features
14 requests- Update app for newspaper format
- Allow lookup of pages like Toronto Star
- Update app to read like paper version
- More options for notifications
- Bring back landscape reading
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Allow sharing of articles
- Allow favouriting of articles
- Fix app layout for better access
- Improve app functionality and usability
- Fix bugs causing crashes and blank screens
- Reinstall landscape mode
- Return to previous scroll position after reading
- Improve app layout compared to other e-papers
- Allow access to former papers missed
Canada Press
Reported bugs
2 issues- App will no longer display any articles, blank white screen
- Bug with alerts deleting all other alerts
Requested features
7 requests- Indicate paywall articles with a “$”
- Segregate free sources from paywall sources
- Delete papers that won’t let you into items after quota
- Include some dissident reporting
- Fix bug with alerts deleting other alerts
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Adjust font size
- Include a few international sources
In-app purchases
The Hamilton Spectator
- Flexible Digital Access6 Months trial$14.991 Month
- Annual Digital Access1 Year trial$49.991 Year
Canada Press
- 1 month$0.991 Month
- 3 months$1.993 Months
- 6 months$3.996 Months
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- 1 year$5.991 Year
Questions
Is The Hamilton Spectator free?
Is Canada Press free?
Which has better reviews, The Hamilton Spectator or Canada Press?
Do The Hamilton Spectator or Canada Press have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Hamilton Spectator or Canada Press?
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