Comparison

Just the News App vs LaunchStack

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

Head to head
About

Just the News App

This news app delivers factual reporting from trusted journalists, prioritizing accuracy over speed. It offers exclusive content with unprecedented transparency, allowing users to examine the evidence behind each story.

Highlights
  • Fact-based reporting
  • Trusted journalists
  • Exclusive news content
  • Transparent sourcing
  • Dig Deeper tool
  • Neutral voice
Features
Read full description

Just the News is committed to just reporting facts from journalists with a long record of public trust and excellence. In an era where opinion and supposition are too often substituted for fact and where journalists rush to get things first and hope their stories are correct, Just the News tries to stand out by returning to the bedrock promise of getting news first, but first getting it right. We try to deliver exclusive news you can trust. Just the News is a back-to-the-future initiative where old-fashioned, honest and exclusive reporting is delivered in a neutral voice, but delivered through the modern channels of YouTube, podcasting, e-books and social media. And in a twist of old and new, Just the News journalists deliver unprecedented transparency by offering a Dig Deeper tool on their Web site that allows consumers to see the underlying core materials and evidence that substantiate each story. These embeds replace the shaky promise of modern journalists to "just trust us, we're right" with "we trust readers to look at the facts and make up their own minds." Just the News is sticking just to the facts, without regard to outcome or personal bias. We will construct original, exclusive content with a neutrality and transparency that lets readers, viewers and listeners make up their own minds. Just the News is based in Washington, with an eye toward covering events in the capital for those who live outside it. It consists of four divisions dedicated to Web reporting, exclusive news, podcasting and long-form nonfiction book publishing. Its mission can be succinctly summarized by three brand statements: Honest Journalism, Trusted Reporters Information Without Indoctrination Rising Above Rhetoric

About

LaunchStack

Stay updated on all Starship activities with live countdowns and customizable alerts for testing, road closures, and launch events. This dedicated fan app provides a single source for breaking news and live coverage links, ensuring you never miss a critical moment.

Highlights
  • Live launch countdown
  • Customizable alerts
  • Booster and ship testing updates
  • Road closure notifications
  • Breaking news updates
  • Live coverage links
Features
Read full description

LaunchStack is a focused mobile app for fans who want one place to follow Starship activity. Get a live countdown to the next launch and stay informed with customizable alerts for the moments that matter most: • Booster testing • Ship testing • Road closures • Launch activity • Breaking updates • Live coverage links Built for fans who want a dedicated Starship experience instead of a general launch app, LaunchStack helps you keep up with testing, closures, and launch timelines without digging through multiple sources. Whether you care about prelaunch signals, launch day timing, or quick access to coverage when things start moving, LaunchStack keeps the most important updates in one place. LaunchStack is an independent fan app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by SpaceX. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Just the News App4 screens
LaunchStack4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: LaunchStack at 100% against Just the News App's 19%. LaunchStack also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.7). Just the News App's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (40 vs 4). On price, update cadence, ads 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. LaunchStack sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Just the News App asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

LaunchStack holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Just the News App has 40 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 19% of Just the News App's written reviews are positive against 100% of LaunchStack's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Just the News App ships an update weekly, LaunchStack every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Just the News App versus LaunchStack: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJust the News AppLaunchStack
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.7 (40 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews18.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings40 — better4
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 8 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
Best chart rank#133 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB61 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperBentley Media Group, LLCFrancis Norman

Customer experience

Just the News App

All ratings32 ratings
Positive40.6%
Neutral6.3%
Negative53.1%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive18.8%
Neutral6.3%
Negative75.0%

LaunchStack

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Just the News App

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

LaunchStack

Subscriptions2
  • LaunchStack Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • LaunchStack Pro Yearly$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Just the News App free?
Just the News App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is LaunchStack free?
LaunchStack is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Just the News App or LaunchStack?
LaunchStack is rated higher. Just the News App averages 2.7 out of 5 from 40 ratings, while LaunchStack averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Just the News App or LaunchStack have ads?
Neither Just the News App nor LaunchStack shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Just the News App or LaunchStack?
Just the News App ships an update weekly, and LaunchStack every 8 days. Most recently, Just the News App was updated on October 30, 2026 and LaunchStack on October 17, 2026.

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