CalMatters vs SFGATE
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CalMatters
Access in-depth, nonpartisan news and analysis focused on California's quality of life issues. Hold leaders accountable with investigative journalism covering the Golden State and its global economic impact.
- In-depth news analysis
- Focus on quality of life issues
- Investigative journalism
- Accountability reporting
- Covers California and its economy
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CalMatters is a nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization bringing Californians stories that probe, explain and explore solutions to quality of life issues while holding our leaders accountable. We are the only journalism outlet dedicated to covering America’s biggest state, 39 million Californians and the world’s fifth largest economy.
SFGATE
Access in-depth Bay Area news and culture with an ad-free reading experience. Unlock exclusive content and connect with the places that matter most to you.
- Ad-free reading experience
- In-depth news coverage
- Bay Area culture insights
- Exclusive content for members
- Connect with local places
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An ad-free reading experience, plus a handful of extras designed to bring you closer to the places you care about. The stories behind them, too. Become a Friend of SFGATE to unlock it all.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: SFGATE at 81% against CalMatters's 50%. SFGATE also leads on update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). CalMatters's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and chart position 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
CalMatters holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SFGATE has 124 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of CalMatters's written reviews are positive against 81% of SFGATE's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
CalMatters ships an update fortnightly, SFGATE weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CalMatters | SFGATE |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (18 ratings) — better | 4.6 (124 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 81.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 18 | 124 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #209 | #90 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 53 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | CalMatters | Hearst Newspapers |
Customer experience
CalMatters
SFGATE
In-app purchases
CalMatters
No in-app purchases
SFGATE
No in-app purchases
