# BDN e vs MDIslander News

The clearest difference is rating: MDIslander News at 5.0 against BDN e's 4.3. MDIslander News also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). BDN e's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MDIslander News sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $19.49 per 3 months. BDN e asks for nothing beyond the download.

MDIslander News holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BDN e has 468 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

BDN e ships an update every 7 months, MDIslander News every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BDN e | MDIslander News |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (468 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bdn-e-edition/id6504116375/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mdislander-news/id6741875184/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **468** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 17 MB | 98 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Bangor Daily News](https://appshunter.io/developer/462227141) | [Ellsworth Amerian](https://appshunter.io/developer/1794407203) |

## What reviewers say

### BDN e

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bdn-e-edition/id6504116375)

Access Maine's state and local news with this fast, easy-to-use e-paper application. Enjoy award-winning coverage of homestead, outdoors, sports, and politics with a light ad experience and quick page loads.

**Highlights:** State and local news coverage, Fast and easy navigation, Light ad experience, Quick page load times, Homestead and Outdoors coverage, Sports and politics news

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### MDIslander News

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mdislander-news/id6741875184)

Access local news and award-winning journalism from the Mount Desert Islander on your mobile device. Subscribers get unlimited access to regional news, while non-subscribers can start a subscription within the app.

**Highlights:** Local Acadia and Bar Harbor news, Award-winning journalism, Digital subscription access, In-app subscription options, Mobile news delivery

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MDIslander three-month | $19.49 | per 3 months |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BDN e free?

BDN e is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is MDIslander News free?

MDIslander News is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, BDN e or MDIslander News?

MDIslander News is rated higher. BDN e averages 4.3 out of 5 from 468 ratings, while MDIslander News averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do BDN e or MDIslander News have ads?

MDIslander News shows ads; BDN e does not.

### Which is updated more often, BDN e or MDIslander News?

BDN e ships an update every 7 months, and MDIslander News every 2 months. Most recently, BDN e was updated on October 24, 2026 and MDIslander News on October 4, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*