PCN Select vs Observer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PCN Select
Access Pennsylvania's non-profit television network for unbiased politics, policy, history, culture, and sports programming. Stream live TV, watch on-demand videos, and explore a multi-week schedule with predictive search.
- Multiple Live TV Streams
- Video On Demand
- Multi-week Schedule
- Predictive Search
- Politics & Policy Programs
- History & Culture Programs
- Sports Programs
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PCN (Pennsylvania Cable Network) is a statewide, non-profit television network responsive to Pennsylvania through complete, unbiased politics and policy programming and unique programs showcasing the diverse range of Pennsylvania’s people in history and culture, sports, and more. Watch PCN on cable in Pennsylvania or stream on the PCN app. PCN App Featured and Enhancements: · Multiple Live TV Streams · Video On Demand · Multi-week Schedule · Predictive Search · Easy Navigation PCN Programs: Politics & Policy · Candidate Debates & Interviews - FREE · Election Coverage · LIVE PA House Feed - FREE · LIVE PA Senate Feed - FREE · LIVE Call-In Program · PA Court Sessions · On The Issues · This Week: PA · Journalists Roundtable · Civics 101 - FREE Online Educational Resource · Capital BlueCross Public Affairs Forum - FREE History & Culture · Gettysburg Battlewalks · Gettysburg Collection · PCN Tours · PA Books · Voices of Veterans · Exploring Pennsylvania Boroughs · Keystone Cuisine · Battlefield Pennsylvania · It's History! · PCN Profiles · Pennsylvania's Historic Courthouses · Pennsylvania Farm Show · Ag Progress Days Sports · PIAA High School Championships · High School Football Game of the Week · High School Wrestling Match of the Week We appreciate your feedback! Please rate our app so we can continue to improve it. Additional program details can be found at pcntv.com. For program suggestions or bugs, please reach us at info@pcntv.com.
Observer
Access daily news for Washington County, Greene County, and the Mon Valley in southwestern Pennsylvania. This app delivers localized news content directly to your mobile device.
- Daily newspaper coverage
- Washington County news
- Greene County news
- Mon Valley news
- Southwestern PA news
- Mobile access
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The Observer-Reporter is a daily newspaper covering Washington County, Greene County and the Mon Valley in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania. Get your Southwestern PA news when you want it through our customized app for your mobile devices.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Observer at 4.1 against PCN Select's 2.1. Observer also leads on ratings volume (473 vs 48). PCN Select's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases 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.
Observer holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Observer has 473 ratings behind it against 48, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 13% of PCN Select's written reviews are positive against 12% of Observer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
PCN Select ships an update every 2 months, Observer every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PCN Select | Observer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.1 (48 ratings) | 4.1 (473 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 13.3% of reviews — better | 11.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 48 | 473 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 76 MB | 75 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Pennsylvania Educational Communications Systems | Observer Publishing Company |
Customer experience
PCN Select
Observer
In-app purchases
PCN Select
No in-app purchases
Observer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is PCN Select free?
Is Observer free?
Which has better reviews, PCN Select or Observer?
Do PCN Select or Observer have ads?
Which is updated more often, PCN Select or Observer?
Other comparisons
