# Houston Chronicle vs The Eagle BCS

The clearest difference is monetization model: The Eagle BCS at free with in-app purchases against Houston Chronicle's subscription. The Eagle BCS also leads on review sentiment (42% vs 32%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Houston Chronicle's advantage is ratings volume (15K vs 229) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Houston Chronicle sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month and The Eagle BCS sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $25.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Houston Chronicle holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Houston Chronicle has 15K ratings behind it against 229, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 32% of Houston Chronicle's written reviews are positive against 42% of The Eagle BCS's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Houston Chronicle ships an update fortnightly, The Eagle BCS every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Houston Chronicle | The Eagle BCS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (15K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/houston-chronicle/id453564805/reviews)** | [4.3 (229 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-eagle-bcs/id624453752/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **15K** | 229 |
| Positive reviews | 32.3% of reviews | **42.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#41** | — |
| Size | 106 MB | 104 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Hearst Newspapers](https://appshunter.io/developer/397018366) | [BH Media Group](https://appshunter.io/developer/663389623) |

## What reviewers say

### Houston Chronicle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/houston-chronicle/id453564805)

**Currently charting:** #41 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers, #58 Top Grossing · News, #114 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers (US App Store)

Stay informed with trusted journalism about Houston and Texas. Receive news alerts, sports coverage, and in-depth analysis. Access a digital replica of the newspaper and enjoy exclusive content and puzzles.

**Highlights:** Customizable news alerts, Local and Texas news coverage, Sports and politics podcasts, Digital newspaper replica (e-Edition), Puzzles and exclusive guides, Text-to-audio story feature

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Houston Chronicle | $14.99 | per month |
| Houston Chronicle Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Houston Chronicle for iPad | $14.99 | per month |
| Houston Chronicle | $14.99 | per month |
| Houston Chronicle for iPad | $59.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to navigate and read
- 👍 Enjoyable and informative
- 👍 Great local coverage
- 👍 Excellent investigative reporting

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes constantly
- 🐛 Glitchy and unreliable app
- 🔒 Poor login experience
- 🔍 Lacking in national/world news coverage
- 📰 Biased and one-sided reporting

**Reported bugs**

- Articles not loading properly
- Frequent log-out issues
- Inconsistent content availability between app and website

**Requested features**

- Ability to save, listen, or share articles
- Improved search functionality
- Seamless integration between print and digital subscriptions
- More balanced and objective reporting


### The Eagle BCS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-eagle-bcs/id624453752)

Access local news, sports, and community stories with in-depth reporting. Enjoy exclusive commentary, photography, and podcasts. Subscribers can upgrade to a premium ad-free experience.

**Highlights:** Personalized news topics, Customizable alerts, Easy navigation, Exclusive commentary and photography, Podcasts, Ad-free premium option, Listen to articles

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscriptions | $25.99 | per month |
| Subscriptions | $38.99 | per month |
| Subscriptions | $42.99 | per month |
| Subscriptions | $50.00 | per year |
| Subscriptions | $249.99 | per year |
| Subscriptions | $314.99 | per year |
| Subscriptions | $349.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good local news coverage
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 👍 Great for Aggies
- 👍 Quick access to news
- 👍 Well-designed format

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😞 Push notifications cost money
- 😞 New format is terrible/confusing
- 😞 App is slow to boot up
- 😞 Ads are annoying/intrusive
- 😞 Sliding ads are horrible

**Reported bugs**

- Push notifications cost money
- E-edition no longer works properly
- Page to page selection is slow or doesn't work
- Puzzle pages no longer allow stylus/Apple Pencil use
- App doesn't respond or locks up

**Requested features**

- Make push notifications free
- Add a back button for obits
- Allow stylus/Apple Pencil use on puzzle pages
- Improve e-edition functionality
- Fix slow or non-working page selection


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Houston Chronicle free?

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

### Is The Eagle BCS free?

The Eagle BCS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Houston Chronicle or The Eagle BCS?

Houston Chronicle is rated higher. Houston Chronicle averages 4.5 out of 5 from 15K ratings, while The Eagle BCS averages 4.3 from 229 ratings.

### Do Houston Chronicle or The Eagle BCS have ads?

Both Houston Chronicle and The Eagle BCS show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Houston Chronicle or The Eagle BCS?

Houston Chronicle ships an update fortnightly, and The Eagle BCS every 2 months. Most recently, Houston Chronicle was updated on October 16, 2026 and The Eagle BCS on October 11, 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.*