Comparison

The Weekly Packet vs Columbian

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

Head to head
About

The Weekly Packet

This app delivers local news and stories from the Blue Hill Peninsula in Maine, covering traditions, industries, and community decisions. It offers convenient digital access to the newspaper's content.

Highlights
  • Local news coverage
  • Community stories
  • Industry and tradition reporting
  • Municipal and educational news
  • Digital newspaper access
Features
Read full description

The Weekly Packet has been serving the Blue Hill Peninsula for the last five decades. It shares the stories and news of Blue Hill, Brooklin, Brooksville, Sedgwick and Surry, Maine. Steeped rich in traditions such as fishing, boat building and agriculture, the newspaper follows the lives of its people and industry while also serving as the local paper of record and reporting on the municipal and educational decisions that affect the lives of the people that call the peninsula their home. Blue Hill, with its hospital and diverse alternative health care providers, as well as its many businesses and cultural institutions, serves as a nexus for the area. Magazine Subscriptions are available for purchase inside this app. Three months subscription (automatically renewed until cancelled) Six months subscription (automatically renewed until cancelled) One year subscription (automatically renewed until cancelled) Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Your iTunes account will automatically be charged at the same price for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period unless you change your subscription preferences in your account settings. You can manage your subscriptions through your account settings after purchase on your device. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Please visit http://www.magzter.com/ns/privacy-policy.html for our Privacy Policy and http://www.magzter.com/ns/terms_condition.html for our Terms & Conditions

About

Columbian

Features
Read full description

The Columbian-Progress is a locally owned and operated news outlet in Columbia, Mississippi. For over 100 years, The Columbian-Progress has been covering the news, events, and people important to the various communities within Marion County. Free to download, the Columbian-Progress app allows users to continue supporting local journalism. They receive a mobile browsing/reading experience, complete with the following features: • Relevant, local news from the community • Various categorized sections, including Crime, Obituaries, Politics, Sports, and more. • Social posting features, allowing for Friends, Groups, Neighborhoods, and more to add user content (Photos, Videos, etc). • State, National, and International news coverage. • Daily Comic Strips and Political Cartoons. • Emailed newsletters and toggled notifications, to keep up to date with the latest stories. • New features and experimental updates, building the app into a powerful source of information for the local community. The Columbian-Progress app provides various digital subscription options, user content tools, and numerous advertising opportunities. BY DOWNLOADING THE COLUMBIAN-PROGRESS APP, users agree to: • The Columbian-Progress Terms of Service: https://www.columbianprogress.com/terms-of-service • The Columbian-Progress Privacy Policy: https://www.columbianprogress.com/privacy-policy-1

Screenshots

The Weekly Packet4 screens
Columbian4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Columbian at none against The Weekly Packet's 10. The Weekly Packet's advantage is update cadence (every 4 months vs every 21 months) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On price, 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. The Weekly Packet sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Columbian asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Weekly Packet ships an update every 4 months, Columbian every 21 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
The Weekly Packet versus Columbian: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Weekly PacketColumbian
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 21 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB4 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperMagzter Inc.Emmerich Newspapers, Inc

In-app purchases

5 purchases

The Weekly Packet

One-time5
  • The Weekly Packet Blue Hill Fair Handbook$1.99
  • The Weekly Packet6 variants$1.99
  • The Weekly Packet Dec 3 2020$1.99
Show 2 more
  • The Weekly Packet Dec 10 2020$1.99
  • The Weekly Packet Dec 17 2020$1.99
None

Columbian

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Weekly Packet free?
The Weekly Packet is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Columbian free?
Columbian is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do The Weekly Packet or Columbian have ads?
Neither The Weekly Packet nor Columbian shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Weekly Packet or Columbian?
The Weekly Packet ships an update every 4 months, and Columbian every 21 months. Most recently, The Weekly Packet was updated on October 8, 2026 and Columbian on October 4, 2026.

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