Comparison

The Freeman vs Sun.Star E

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

The Freeman

Features
Read full description

Founded in 1919, The Freeman is the oldest newspaper of Cebu, the Queen City of Southern Philippines. Owned by the Gullas family of Cebu in partnership with the Philippine STAR, The Freeman chronicles news, events, and happenings in and around Cebu, a bustling city and center of commerce in the South. The Freeman prides itself on being a newspaper for Cebuanos and by Cebuanos, carrying close to a century of journalism heritage. The Freeman is a daily newspaper. The Freeman provides availability to all editions of the publication by incorporating subscriptions allowing the purchase of a 7 day, one month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months and a yearly subscription to the paper. The 7 day, monthly and yearly subscriptions are auto-renewing subscriptions. Prices for the subscriptions are $1.99 for 7 days, $6.99 for one month, $12.99 for two months, $18.99 for three months, $29.99 for 6 months and $59.99 for a year. Payment for this subscription will be charged to your iTunes account upon purchase. The subscription will auto-renew within 24 hours of the current subscription expiring. Auto-renewing subscriptions can be managed via Account Settings allowing them to be turned off. No cancellations of the current subscription are allowed during the active subscription period. For any further information see http://subscriber.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/file/Website_Privacy_statement.doc Terms: https://www.philstar.com/member-agreement Privacy Policy: https://www.philstar.com/privacy-policy

About

Sun.Star E

Access the Sun.Star newspaper in its original digital format. Subscribe to daily editions and enjoy reading news as it's printed. Manage your subscriptions easily through account settings.

Highlights
  • Read newspaper in original format
  • Monthly subscription options
  • Manage subscriptions and auto-renewal
  • Access Sun.Star Cebu and SuperBalita Cebu
  • View news as printed
Features
Read full description

Sun.Star Read the Sun.Star newspaper in its original format. Sun.Star E-paper allows you to subscribe to two subscriptions: SunStar Cebu - 1 month or SuperBalita Cebu - 1 month • The cost of each subscription is $5.99 per month • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period • Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period • You may manage your subscriptions and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the your Account Settings after purchase • No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period • http://sunstar.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/iphone/homepage.aspx#_terms • http://sunstar.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/iphone/homepage.aspx#_privacy • Any unused portion of a free trial period, will be forfeited when you purchase an in-app subscription or if you decide to migrate to an authorized subscription from in-app.

Screenshots

The Freeman4 screens
Sun.Star E4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: The Freeman at none against Sun.Star E's shown. The Freeman also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. The Freeman sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Sun.Star E sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Freeman ships an update every 17 months, Sun.Star E every 13 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
The Freeman versus Sun.Star E: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe FreemanSun.Star E
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.5 (17 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—17 — better
Update frequencyEvery 17 monthsEvery 13 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size126 MB52 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperPhilstar Daily Inc.PressReader Inc

In-app purchases

6 purchases

The Freeman

Subscriptions6
  • The Freeman - Cebu$1.997 Days
  • The Freeman - Cebu$6.991 Month
  • The Freeman - Cebu$12.992 Months
Show 3 more
  • The Freeman - Cebu$18.993 Months
  • The Freeman - Cebu$29.996 Months
  • The Freeman - Cebu$59.991 Year
3 purchases

Sun.Star E

Subscriptions3
  • Sun.Star Cebu Monthly$5.991 Month
  • SuperBalita Cebu monthly2 variants$5.991 Month
  • SunStar Cebu Monthly$5.991 Month

Questions

Is The Freeman free?
The Freeman is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sun.Star E free?
Sun.Star E is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do The Freeman or Sun.Star E have ads?
Sun.Star E shows ads; The Freeman does not.
Which is updated more often, The Freeman or Sun.Star E?
The Freeman ships an update every 17 months, and Sun.Star E every 13 months. Most recently, The Freeman was updated on October 12, 2026 and Sun.Star E on October 22, 2026.

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