# The Hamilton Spectator vs Canada Press

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Hamilton Spectator | Canada Press |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-hamilton-spectator/id444566581/reviews) | **[4.6 (55 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/canada-press/id853852419/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 20 | **55** |
| Positive reviews | 9.5% of reviews | **59.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 12 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 110 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [thestar.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/379481071) | [Studio BabDreams](https://appshunter.io/developer/431517875) |

## What reviewers say

### The Hamilton Spectator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-hamilton-spectator/id444566581)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Flexible Digital Access | $14.99 | per month |
| Annual Digital Access | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Wonderful local news coverage
- 👍 Hard-working reporters and editors
- 👍 Valuable asset in difficult times

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Canada Press

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/canada-press/id853852419)

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.

**Highlights:** Access 500+ news feeds, Browse daily, weekly, monthly press, Locate local newspapers, Receive push notifications, Search articles by keywords, Share news with friends

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 month | $0.99 | per month |
| 3 months | $1.99 | per 3 months |
| 6 months | $3.99 | per 6 months |
| 1 year | $5.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great news coverage
- 👍 Informative content
- 👍 Quality fact-checking
- 👍 Dedication and integrity
- 👍 Valuable resource

**What reviewers complain about**

-  anúncios Intrusive ads
- 💰 Paywall articles
- 🚫 Very little free news
- 😩 Terribly boring
- 🚫 No news, only advertising

**Reported bugs**

- App will no longer display any articles, blank white screen
- Bug with alerts deleting all other alerts

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Hamilton Spectator free?

The Hamilton Spectator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Canada Press free?

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

### Which has better reviews, The Hamilton Spectator or Canada Press?

Canada Press is rated higher. The Hamilton Spectator averages 4.5 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Canada Press averages 4.6 from 55 ratings.

### Do The Hamilton Spectator or Canada Press have ads?

Both The Hamilton Spectator and Canada Press show ads.

### Which is updated more often, The Hamilton Spectator or Canada Press?

The Hamilton Spectator ships an update fortnightly, and Canada Press every 12 months. Most recently, The Hamilton Spectator was updated on October 29, 2026 and Canada Press on October 26, 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.*