Comparison

The Freeman vs Philstar

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
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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

Philstar

Access trusted news from the Philippines and around the world with this fast and easy-to-use application. Stay informed on breaking news, politics, sports, entertainment, and more through original reporting and multimedia features.

Highlights
  • Free access to news
  • Timely and relevant stories
  • Breaking news and politics
  • Sports, entertainment, lifestyle, business
  • Original reporting and explainers
  • Multimedia features
Features
Read full description

Over a decade, the Philstar Global app has provided free access to trusted news from the Philippines and around the world. Light, fast and easy to use, the latest version of the Philstar app connects you to the most timely and relevant stories — from breaking news and politics to sports, entertainment, lifestyle and business. Access original reporting, in-depth explainers, opinion pieces and multimedia features from Philstar.com, Interaksyon, The Philippine STAR, Pilipino Star Ngayon, The Freeman, Pang-Masa and Banat — all in one place. Stay informed with credible journalism that empowers you to make sense of what’s happening — wherever you are, whenever you need it.

Screenshots

The Freeman4 screens
Philstar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Philstar at none against The Freeman's 6. Philstar also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 17 months). The Freeman's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16). On price 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. Philstar asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Freeman ships an update every 17 months, Philstar every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
The Freeman versus Philstar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe FreemanPhilstar
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.3 (18 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—51.4% of reviews
Number of ratings—18 — better
Update frequencyEvery 17 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Ad-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better16
Further details — not scored
Size126 MB54 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperPhilstar Daily Inc.Philstar Global Corporation

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
None

Philstar

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Freeman free?
The Freeman is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Philstar free?
Philstar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do The Freeman or Philstar have ads?
Philstar shows ads; The Freeman does not.
Which is updated more often, The Freeman or Philstar?
The Freeman ships an update every 17 months, and Philstar every 5 weeks. Most recently, The Freeman was updated on October 12, 2026 and Philstar on October 23, 2026.

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