Utne Reader vs Pocket Congress
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Utne Reader
This app curates essential stories from independent voices, focusing on environmental issues, marginalized communities, and political events. It also highlights the impact of art, philosophy, and spirituality.
- Independent voices
- Cultural zeitgeist focus
- Environmental crisis coverage
- Marginalized communities spotlight
- Political strife analysis
- Art, philosophy, spirituality appreciation
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Utne Reader assembles the most relevant stories of the day with a focus on independent voices – agents of change working from the trenches of the cultural zeitgeist. We profile the issues that matter most, shining a spotlight on environmental crises, marginalized communities, and political strife. Plus, we make time to appreciate the regenerative power of art, philosophy, and spirituality in all its forms.
Pocket Congress
Access information about your representatives and Congress with this app. Track bills, view voting records, and search legislative data. Easily find your representative and stay informed about government actions.
- View recent bills
- Find your Representative by zip code
- See Congress members' votes
- Read bill descriptions and vote trends
- Call representative offices
- Follow bills for updates
- Search 30 years of historical bill data
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Congressional App Challenge Winner (CA-13, 2022) Nothing's stopping you from reading through the Congressional Record or watching C-SPAN all day, but Pocket Congress makes information on the actions of your representatives and Congress as a whole much more accessible and searchable. With the app, you can: • See recent bills in Congress • Find your Representative using your zip code • See Congress members’ votes on recent bills. • Read a brief description about them and view trends about how they vote • Call their office, straight from the app! • Follow bills & receive updates on their progress You can also search for recent bills or through 30 years of historical data. • Search by category, such as 'healthcare' or 'environmental' • Search by bill name • For advanced users: search by bill number and create advanced filters For all bills, you can see their stage in the legislative process and a summary of the bill text authored by the Congressional Research Service. Share links to specific bills and congressmembers (perfect for educating your friends or spreading the word on social media)! “Very cool.” –Congressman Jeff Jackson Created by Siddharth M. Bhatia, a senior at Piedmont High School. www.sidmb.com Contact me: siddharth@sidmb.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pocket Congress at 67% against Utne Reader's 0%. Pocket Congress also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 11) and ads (none vs shown). Utne Reader's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 26.0). On price 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
Both are free to download. Utne Reader sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per 6 months. Pocket Congress asks for nothing beyond the download.
Utne Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 75 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of Utne Reader's written reviews are positive against 67% of Pocket Congress's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Utne Reader ships an update every 3 months, Pocket Congress every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Utne Reader | Pocket Congress |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (16 ratings) — better | 4.5 (75 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 16 | 75 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 48 MB | 23 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ogden Publications, Inc. | Siddharth Bhatia |
Customer experience
Utne Reader
Pocket Congress
In-app purchases
Utne Reader
- Utne Reader - The best of the alternative press1 Month trial$17.996 Months
- Utne Reader - The best of the alternative press1 Month trial$35.991 Year
- November/December 2013$6.99
- March/April 2014$6.99
- Winter 2014$6.99
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- September 2016 Digital$6.99
- Utne Reader Feed 2$6.99
- Utne Reader Feed 3$6.99
- Winter 2016$9.99
- Winter 2017$9.99
- Summer 2018$9.99
Pocket Congress
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Utne Reader free?
Is Pocket Congress free?
Which has better reviews, Utne Reader or Pocket Congress?
Do Utne Reader or Pocket Congress have ads?
Which is updated more often, Utne Reader or Pocket Congress?
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