# Florida Today vs Launch Buddy

The clearest difference is ads: Launch Buddy at none against Florida Today's shown. Launch Buddy also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). Florida Today's advantage is ratings volume (2.3K vs 2) and chart position (#130 vs unranked). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Florida Today sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month and Launch Buddy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Launch Buddy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Florida Today has 2.3K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Florida Today ships an update monthly, Launch Buddy weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Florida Today | Launch Buddy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (2.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/florida-today/id493011169/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/launch-buddy/id6758891454/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.3K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 48.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#130** | — |
| Size | 188 MB | 85 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.6** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [USA TODAY Co., Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/404843797) | [H Paige Technologies](https://appshunter.io/developer/535681370) |

## What reviewers say

### Florida Today

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/florida-today/id493011169)

**Currently charting:** #130 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers (US App Store)

Stay informed with local news, in-depth journalism, and a digital replica of the print edition. Receive real-time notifications for breaking news, sports scores, and weather. Customize your reading experience with offline access and adjustable text sizes.

**Highlights:** In-depth local journalism, Streamlined, fast-loading experience, Real-time notifications, Customizable reading experience, Offline reading, eNewspaper access, Access to USA TODAY

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Digital Rate | $14.99 | per month |
| Monthly Digital Subscription | $24.99 | per month |
| Florida Today Digital Subscription | $24.99 | per month |
| Florida Today Annual Digital Subscription | $69.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent local news coverage
- 🚀 Easy to navigate app
- 💡 Useful weather alerts and space news
- 🔍 Unbiased and factual reporting

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 💰 Expensive subscription costs
- 🔍 Perceived political bias in reporting
- 🔍 Limited national/world news coverage

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and inability to access subscribed content
- Inconsistent app performance across devices
- Unreliable e-newspaper delivery and sync issues

**Requested features**

- More interactive features like graphs and maps
- Ability to customize news feed and notifications
- Improved accessibility options for visually impaired users


### Launch Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/launch-buddy/id6758891454)

Stay informed about upcoming rocket launches with detailed mission information, real-time weather data from launch sites, and countdown timers. Track rocket families, launch pads, and view status indicators for each event. Offline access to cached data is also available.

**Highlights:** Upcoming launch list, Detailed mission information, Real-time launch site weather, Countdown timers, Rocket and launch pad specifics, Status indicators, Offline cached data

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Launch Buddy Pro Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Launch Buddy Pro | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Florida Today free?

Florida Today is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Launch Buddy free?

Launch Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Florida Today or Launch Buddy?

Launch Buddy is rated higher. Florida Today averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2.3K ratings, while Launch Buddy averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Florida Today or Launch Buddy have ads?

Florida Today shows ads; Launch Buddy does not.

### Which is updated more often, Florida Today or Launch Buddy?

Florida Today ships an update monthly, and Launch Buddy weekly. Most recently, Florida Today was updated on October 26, 2026 and Launch Buddy on October 10, 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.*