Ithaca Journal vs CNY Central News
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ithaca Journal
Stay informed with local news, in-depth journalism, and breaking alerts. Access a digital replica of the print edition, along with national news, and customize your reading experience with offline access and personalized notifications.
- In-depth local journalism
- Breaking news alerts
- Sports coverage
- Streamlined reading experience
- Offline reading
- eNewspaper access
- Customizable notifications
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From critically acclaimed storytelling to powerful photography to engaging videos — the Ithaca Journal app delivers the local news that matters most to your community. APP FEATURES: • Access all of our in-depth journalism, including things to do around town, sports coverage from high school to the pros, and much more. • Enjoy a streamlined, fast-loading experience that makes it easy to view the stories, photos, and videos that matter to you. • Get breaking news, sports scores, and weather alerts with real-time notifications tailored to your interests. • Customize your experience by saving your favorite stories, adjusting text size, using night mode, or reading offline. • eNewspaper: Just like our print edition but accessible on your mobile devices. And access to USA TODAY and 200+ local eNewspapers. MORE INFORMATION: • Privacy Policy: https://cm.ithacajournal.com/privacy/ • Terms of Service: https://cm.ithacajournal.com/terms/ • Help Center: https://help.ithacajournal.com • Subscriptions are charged to your account at confirmation of purchase and automatically renew each month or year, unless turned off in your account settings 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 can manage your subscriptions and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to your Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription, where applicable. See "Subscription Support" in the app's Settings for more details and customer service contact information.
CNY Central News
Stay informed with instant news, weather, and sports updates. Watch live newscasts, get real-time local and national information, and receive breaking news alerts. This redesigned app offers faster performance and an easier user experience.
- Breaking news alerts
- Live newscasts
- Hourly and daily weather forecasts
- Live weather radar
- Traffic information
- Real-time updates
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Stay connected with the latest local news, live weather updates, breaking stories, and sports coverage with the CNY Central News app. Watch live newscasts, get real-time breaking news alerts, track traffic conditions, and stay ahead with accurate hourly and daily weather forecasts for Syracuse and the surrounding towns and communities of Central New York. Features: Breaking local news and national headlines Live streaming newscasts and video coverage Real-time weather forecasts and live radar Traffic updates and road conditions Instant push notifications for breaking news Coverage of local events, politics, sports, and community stories Personalized news experience Whether you're at home or on the go, the CNY Central News app keeps you informed with fast, reliable, and up-to-the-minute coverage of news, local weather, traffic updates, and the stories that matter most across Syracuse and Central New York area.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: CNY Central News at 4.8 against Ithaca Journal's 3.9. CNY Central News also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (16.3 vs 18.6). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Ithaca Journal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. CNY Central News asks for nothing beyond the download.
CNY Central News holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 158 and 263 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 21% of Ithaca Journal's written reviews are positive against 22% of CNY Central News's.
Ithaca Journal ships an update monthly, CNY Central News fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ithaca Journal | CNY Central News |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (158 ratings) | 4.8 (263 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 20.7% of reviews | 22.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 158 | 263 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 16.3 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 184 MB | 150 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | USA TODAY Co., Inc. | Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc |
Customer experience
Ithaca Journal
CNY Central News
Bugs and requests
Ithaca Journal
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
CNY Central News
Reported bugs
22 issues- Auth0 error preventing login
- App crashes on launch
- App freezes when opening articles
- Notifications lead to main feed instead of story
- Live stream requires disabling captions
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- App only works in portrait mode
- App crashes after updates
- No dark mode available
- Content obscured by an overlay message
- App shows outdated information
- Poor scrolling performance
- Live weather data is not current
- No sound for weather forecast videos
- App restricts viewing to vertical orientation
- Videos are unavailable
- Mandatory tutorial panels on every launch
- Breaking news notifications without content
- Links are frequently broken
- App redirects to external websites or App Store
- Video playback is interrupted by long ads
- App closes immediately upon opening
- App does not install or update properly
Requested features
30 requests- Fix Auth0 login error
- Reduce notification frequency
- Allow orientation change
- Add dark mode option
- Fix overlay issue preventing content view
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- Ensure notifications link to correct stories
- Update app with current data
- Improve news content depth
- Enhance scrolling experience
- Update stories more frequently
- Fix live weather data
- Add sound to weather forecast
- Allow landscape viewing
- Fix app freezing on article open
- Improve video playback
- Remove mandatory tutorial panels on launch
- Ensure breaking news content is available
- Improve fact-checking
- Fix broken links
- Reintroduce comment section
- Center cover pictures
- Allow specific weather notifications
- Make weather section more helpful (verbal forecast)
- Revert to old setup
- Fix app redirecting to website
- Remove spam advertising
- Stop redirecting to App Store
- Fix video ads
- Add school closing info
- Improve app stability
In-app purchases
Ithaca Journal
- Monthly Digital Rate1 Month trial2 variants$9.991 Month
- Ithaca Journal1 Month trial$16.991 Month
- Ithaca Journal Annual Digital Subscription1 Year trial$69.991 Year
CNY Central News
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Ithaca Journal free?
Is CNY Central News free?
Which has better reviews, Ithaca Journal or CNY Central News?
Do Ithaca Journal or CNY Central News have ads?
Which is updated more often, Ithaca Journal or CNY Central News?
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