The Mining Journal vs Observer & Eccentric
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Mining Journal
Access local and national news, sports, and features from the Marquette area and the North-Central Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Stay informed with breaking news alerts, full article search, and local classifieds like garage sales.
- Breaking News Alerts
- Local News
- Local Sports
- Polls
- Full Article Search
- Garage Sales & Directions
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Local News and National News from The Mining Journal, the best source for local and national news, sports, and features in the Marquette area. The Mining Journal serves the city of Marquette and the North-Central Upper Peninsula of Michigan. - Breaking News Alerts - Local News - Local Sports - Polls - Full Article Search - Local Garage Sales and Directions
Observer & Eccentric
Stay informed with local news, in-depth journalism, and engaging multimedia content. Get real-time alerts for breaking news, sports scores, and weather. Customize your reading experience and access content offline.
- In-depth journalism
- Local news coverage
- Photography and videos
- Real-time notifications
- Customizable reading experience
- Offline reading
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From critically acclaimed storytelling to powerful photography to engaging videos — the Observer & Eccentric 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. MORE INFORMATION: • Privacy Policy: https://cm.hometownlife.com/privacy/ • Terms of Service: https://cm.hometownlife.com/terms/ • Help Center: https://help.hometownlife.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
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Observer & Eccentric at 4.6 against The Mining Journal's 1.0. Observer & Eccentric also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 31 months) and ratings volume (99 vs 2). The Mining Journal's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). 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
Both are free to download. Observer & Eccentric sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. The Mining Journal asks for nothing beyond the download.
Observer & Eccentric holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Observer & Eccentric has 99 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of The Mining Journal's written reviews are positive against 38% of Observer & Eccentric's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
The Mining Journal ships an update every 31 months, Observer & Eccentric monthly. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.
| Parameter | The Mining Journal | Observer & Eccentric |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.0 (2 ratings) | 4.6 (99 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better | 38.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 99 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 31 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 37 MB | 185 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Ogden Newspapers, Inc. | USA TODAY Co., Inc. |
Customer experience
The Mining Journal
Observer & Eccentric
In-app purchases
The Mining Journal
No in-app purchases
Observer & Eccentric
- Monthly Digital Rate1 Month trial$9.991 Month
- O&E Digital Subscription1 Month trial$16.991 Month
- Annual Digital Subscription1 Year trial$69.991 Year
Questions
Is The Mining Journal free?
Is Observer & Eccentric free?
Which has better reviews, The Mining Journal or Observer & Eccentric?
Do The Mining Journal or Observer & Eccentric have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Mining Journal or Observer & Eccentric?
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