The Spectrum vs Newsworthy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Spectrum
Access in-depth local journalism, including community events, sports, and photography. Enjoy a fast, customizable reading experience with real-time notifications and offline access. Includes a digital replica of the print edition and access to other eNewspapers.
- In-depth local journalism
- Streamlined, fast-loading experience
- Real-time notifications
- Customizable reading experience
- Offline reading
- eNewspaper replica
- Access to USA TODAY and other eNewspapers
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From critically acclaimed storytelling to powerful photography to engaging videos — The Spectrum 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.thespectrum.com/privacy/ • Terms of Service: https://cm.thespectrum.com/terms/ • Help Center: https://help.thespectrum.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.
Newsworthy
This news reader app delivers concise summaries of politics, entertainment, and current events from diverse sources. Enjoy fast loading, easy navigation, and optimized articles. Remove ads with a subscription.
- News summaries
- Politics, entertainment, current events
- Multiple news sources
- Super fast loading
- Easy navigation
- Optimized news articles
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Newsworthy is a fast, personalized news reader built around one idea: you choose the sources. No account. No sign-up. No email required — just open the app and start reading. Follow the outlets you trust and Newsworthy pulls their latest into a single, clean feed — politics, world, current events, and more, all in one place. Browse by category with a tap, or get started instantly with "Pick for me." READ IT YOUR WAY Switch between Light, Sepia, and Dark for comfortable reading any time of day. Your feed is ready the moment you open the app. LOCAL NEWS Add your city and see headlines from where you live, right alongside the national feed. FEATURES • Build your own feed from dozens of trusted sources • Browse by category with a tap • Light, Sepia & Dark reading modes • Local news for your city • Save articles to read later • Fast search across the news GO AD-FREE (OPTIONAL) Remove display ads with Newsworthy Premium — $2.99/month or $19.99/year, with a 1-month free trial.* Prefer free? Newsworthy stays free, always. *Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Manage subscriptions and turn off auto-renew in your Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription, where applicable. Privacy Policy: http://newsleap.com/privacy/ Terms of Service: http://newsleap.com/support/ We read every email. If you have an idea to make Newsworthy better, tell us — and please keep the reviews coming!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Newsworthy at 4.7 against The Spectrum's 4.2. Newsworthy also leads on ratings volume (7K vs 160) and review sentiment (80% vs 65%). The Spectrum's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. The Spectrum sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Newsworthy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Newsworthy holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Newsworthy has 7K ratings behind it against 160, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of The Spectrum's written reviews are positive against 80% of Newsworthy's.
The Spectrum ships an update monthly, Newsworthy every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | The Spectrum | Newsworthy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (160 ratings) | 4.7 (7K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 65.2% of reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 160 | 7K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 184 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | USA TODAY Co., Inc. | NewsLeap |
Customer experience
The Spectrum
Newsworthy
Bugs and requests
The Spectrum
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Newsworthy
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes on launch
- Disappearing app icon
- Inability to remove full-page ads
Requested features
5 requests- Ad selection tool
- More frequent news updates
- Improved content curation
- Paid version without ads
- Windows desktop app
In-app purchases
The Spectrum
- Monthly Digital Rate1 Month trial2 variants$9.991 Month
- The Spectrum Digital Subscription1 Month trial$16.991 Month
- The Spectrum Digital Subscription1 Year trial$69.991 Year
Newsworthy
- Ad-Free Monthly1 Month trial$2.991 Month
- Ad-Free Annual$19.991 Year
Questions
Is The Spectrum free?
Is Newsworthy free?
Which has better reviews, The Spectrum or Newsworthy?
Do The Spectrum or Newsworthy have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Spectrum or Newsworthy?
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