Comparison

Utne Reader vs Pocket Congress

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Independent voices
  • Cultural zeitgeist focus
  • Environmental crisis coverage
  • Marginalized communities spotlight
  • Political strife analysis
  • Art, philosophy, spirituality appreciation
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

Utne Reader4 screens
Pocket Congress4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Utne Reader versus Pocket Congress: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUtne ReaderPocket Congress
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (16 ratings) — better4.5 (75 ratings)
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1675 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOgden Publications, Inc.Siddharth Bhatia

Customer experience

Utne Reader

All ratings16 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Pocket Congress

All ratings75 ratings
Positive82.7%
Neutral8.0%
Negative9.3%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Utne Reader

Subscriptions2
  • 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
One-time9
  • November/December 2013$6.99
  • March/April 2014$6.99
  • Winter 2014$6.99
Show 6 more
  • 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
None

Pocket Congress

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Utne Reader free?
Utne Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pocket Congress free?
Pocket Congress is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Utne Reader or Pocket Congress?
Utne Reader is rated higher. Utne Reader averages 4.9 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Pocket Congress averages 4.5 from 75 ratings.
Do Utne Reader or Pocket Congress have ads?
Utne Reader shows ads; Pocket Congress does not.
Which is updated more often, Utne Reader or Pocket Congress?
Utne Reader ships an update every 3 months, and Pocket Congress every 5 weeks. Most recently, Utne Reader was updated on October 9, 2026 and Pocket Congress on October 15, 2026.

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