Comparison

The Spectrum vs Newsworthy

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • News summaries
  • Politics, entertainment, current events
  • Multiple news sources
  • Super fast loading
  • Easy navigation
  • Optimized news articles
Features
Read full description

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

The Spectrum4 screens
Newsworthy4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Spectrum ships an update monthly, Newsworthy every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
The Spectrum versus Newsworthy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe SpectrumNewsworthy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (160 ratings)4.7 (7K ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.2% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1607K — better
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size184 MB11 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperUSA TODAY Co., Inc.NewsLeap

Customer experience

The Spectrum

All ratings160 ratings
Positive81.3%
Neutral8.8%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive65.2%
Neutral4.3%
Negative30.4%

Newsworthy

All ratings7,007 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral3.6%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews115 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral7.8%
Negative12.2%

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

3 purchases

The Spectrum

Subscriptions3
  • 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
2 purchases

Newsworthy

Subscriptions2
  • Ad-Free Monthly1 Month trial$2.991 Month
  • Ad-Free Annual$19.991 Year

Questions

Is The Spectrum free?
The Spectrum is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Newsworthy free?
Newsworthy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Spectrum or Newsworthy?
Newsworthy is rated higher. The Spectrum averages 4.2 out of 5 from 160 ratings, while Newsworthy averages 4.7 from 7K ratings.
Do The Spectrum or Newsworthy have ads?
Both The Spectrum and Newsworthy show ads.
Which is updated more often, The Spectrum or Newsworthy?
The Spectrum ships an update monthly, and Newsworthy every 3 months. Most recently, The Spectrum was updated on October 29, 2026 and Newsworthy on October 29, 2026.

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