# SFGATE vs Clear Reader ™

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SFGATE at none against Clear Reader ™'s 1. SFGATE also leads on ratings volume (86 vs 1) and chart position (#77 vs unranked). Clear Reader ™'s advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Clear Reader ™ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SFGATE asks for nothing beyond the download.

Clear Reader ™ holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SFGATE has 86 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

SFGATE ships an update weekly, Clear Reader ™ every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SFGATE | Clear Reader ™ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (86 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sfgate/id6762748205/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clear-reader/id6763055559/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **86** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 78.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#77** | — |
| Size | 36 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hearst Newspapers](https://appshunter.io/developer/397018366) | [Space 64 LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1769185943) |

## What reviewers say

### SFGATE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sfgate/id6762748205)

**Currently charting:** #77 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers, #155 Top Free · News (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** Ad-free reading experience, In-depth news coverage, Bay Area culture insights, Exclusive content for members, Connect with local places

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Clear Reader ™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clear-reader/id6763055559)

This app offers a calm and focused way to read curated news feeds offline. It provides tools for managing articles, adjusting the reading experience, and searching cached content, promoting deliberate reading over scrolling.

**Highlights:** Calm, minimal RSS feed interface, Offline article caching, Search cached articles, Save articles for later, Filter articles by keywords, Customizable themes and text size

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Clear Reader Pro | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SFGATE free?

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

### Is Clear Reader ™ free?

Clear Reader ™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, SFGATE or Clear Reader ™?

Clear Reader ™ is rated higher. SFGATE averages 4.6 out of 5 from 86 ratings, while Clear Reader ™ averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do SFGATE or Clear Reader ™ have ads?

Neither SFGATE nor Clear Reader ™ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SFGATE or Clear Reader ™?

SFGATE ships an update weekly, and Clear Reader ™ every 2 days. Most recently, SFGATE was updated on September 30, 2026 and Clear Reader ™ on September 21, 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.*