Comparison

The Intelligencer vs phillyburbs

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

Head to head
About

The Intelligencer

Access local news, sports, and community information from The Wheeling Intelligencer and News-Register. Stay updated with breaking news alerts, search full articles, and find local garage sales.

Highlights
  • Breaking News Alerts
  • Local News Coverage
  • Local Sports Updates
  • Full Article Search
  • Community Event Information
  • Local Garage Sale Listings
Features
Read full description

Local news from The Wheeling Intelligencer and News-Register, the Ohio Valley's leading provider of news, sports and information. - Breaking News Alerts - Local News - Local Sports - Polls - Full Article Search - Local Garage Sales and Directions West Virginia’s oldest newspaper, older than the state itself, The Intelligencer has stood guard for 159 years against predatory interests which would violate civil rights. The Intelligencer was founded on August 24, 1852. Likewise, the Wheeling News-Register, founded on Sept. 22, 1890, continues a legacy of tradition in the Wheeling, W.Va., market. The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register cover news, sports, community events and other items in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia and Eastern Ohio.

About

phillyburbs

Access local news, in-depth journalism, and engaging multimedia content. Stay informed with breaking news, sports scores, and weather alerts through customizable notifications. Enjoy a streamlined reading experience with offline access and a digital replica of the print edition.

Highlights
  • In-depth local journalism
  • Breaking news and alerts
  • Sports coverage
  • Customizable notifications
  • Offline reading
  • eNewspaper access
Features
Read full description

From critically acclaimed storytelling to powerful photography to engaging videos — the phillyburbs 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.phillyburbs.com/privacy/ • Terms of Service: https://cm.phillyburbs.com/terms/ • Help Center: https://help.phillyburbs.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.

Screenshots

The Intelligencer4 screens
phillyburbs4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: The Intelligencer at 5.0 against phillyburbs's 4.1. The Intelligencer also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). phillyburbs's advantage is ratings volume (227 vs 1) and update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). 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. phillyburbs sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. The Intelligencer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Intelligencer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: phillyburbs has 227 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of The Intelligencer's written reviews are positive against 16% of phillyburbs's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Intelligencer ships an update every 4 months, phillyburbs monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
The Intelligencer versus phillyburbs: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Intelligencerphillyburbs
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.1 (227 ratings)
Positive reviews28.6% of reviews — better16.2% of reviews
Number of ratings1227 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS9.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB185 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperOgden Newspapers, Inc.USA TODAY Co., Inc.

Customer experience

The Intelligencer

Written reviews14 reviews
Positive28.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative71.4%

phillyburbs

All ratings227 ratings
Positive78.0%
Neutral2.6%
Negative19.4%
Written reviews37 reviews
Positive16.2%
Neutral2.7%
Negative81.1%

Bugs and requests

The Intelligencer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

phillyburbs

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • App does not open
  • App changes default newspaper to Courier Times
  • Unable to change default newspaper back
  • The Daily Intelligencer not listed
  • Unable to view e-edition
Show 9 more
  • App freezes frequently
  • Login issues after transition
  • Password reset not working
  • App requires daily sign-in
  • Classified screen goes blank
  • App asks to subscribe again for paid subscribers
  • Notifications not working
  • Subscription management features missing
  • App not working for Intelligencer subscribers

Requested features

8 requests
  • Allow changing default newspaper
  • Include The Daily Intelligencer
  • Improve classified ad functionality
  • Bring back scroll feature
  • Allow e-paper to fill screen width
Show 3 more
  • Improve text expansion for older users
  • Improve login persistence
  • Add subscription management features

In-app purchases

None

The Intelligencer

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

phillyburbs

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Digital Rate1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • Monthly Digital Subscription1 Month trial$14.991 Month
  • phillyburbs - monthly1 Month trial$16.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • phillyburbs - monthly1 Year trial$69.991 Year

Questions

Is The Intelligencer free?
The Intelligencer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is phillyburbs free?
phillyburbs is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Intelligencer or phillyburbs?
The Intelligencer is rated higher. The Intelligencer averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while phillyburbs averages 4.1 from 227 ratings.
Do The Intelligencer or phillyburbs have ads?
phillyburbs shows ads; The Intelligencer does not.
Which is updated more often, The Intelligencer or phillyburbs?
The Intelligencer ships an update every 4 months, and phillyburbs monthly. Most recently, The Intelligencer was updated on November 1, 2026 and phillyburbs on November 2, 2026.

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