# El Universal + vs Despertar del Sur

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: El Universal + at none against Despertar del Sur's 4. Despertar del Sur's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Despertar del Sur sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. El Universal + asks for nothing beyond the download.

El Universal + ships an update every 5 weeks, Despertar del Sur fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | El Universal + | Despertar del Sur |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/el-universal-plus/id483272548/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2** | — |
| Positive reviews | 63.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 46 MB | 65 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [El Universal CPN](https://appshunter.io/developer/383395270) | [Misael Tamayo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1450841713) |

## What reviewers say

### El Universal +

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/el-universal-plus/id483272548)

Access breaking news, in-depth analysis, and multimedia content from a leading Mexican news source. Enjoy a modern, intuitive design with real-time updates, exclusive podcasts, videos, and photo galleries. Subscribers receive special event access and benefits.

**Highlights:** Real-time news updates, Expert analysis and reports, Exclusive podcasts and videos, Photo galleries, Subscriber-exclusive events and benefits, Modern, intuitive design

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Excellent news source
- 📲 Keeps me connected to Mexico
- ⏱️ Timely and up-to-date information

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐞 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find content
- 💤 Slow loading times
- 📢 Excessive ads and pop-ups

**Reported bugs**

- Notifications don't link to correct articles
- Images and galleries not displaying properly
- Sections not updating regularly

**Requested features**

- Improve notification settings and functionality
- Enhance article linking from notifications
- Optimize layout and readability
- Add offline reading mode


### Despertar del Sur

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/despertar-del-sur/id1567313576)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 MES | $3.99 | one-time |
| 3 MESES | $9.99 | one-time |
| 6 MESES | $17.99 | one-time |
| 12 MESES | $32.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is El Universal + free?

El Universal + is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Despertar del Sur free?

Despertar del Sur is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do El Universal + or Despertar del Sur have ads?

El Universal + shows ads; Despertar del Sur does not.

### Which is updated more often, El Universal + or Despertar del Sur?

El Universal + ships an update every 5 weeks, and Despertar del Sur fortnightly. Most recently, El Universal + was updated on October 30, 2026 and Despertar del Sur on October 20, 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.*