Observer & Eccentric vs The Packer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Observer & Eccentric
Stay informed with local news, in-depth journalism, and engaging multimedia content. Get real-time alerts for breaking news, sports scores, and weather. Customize your reading experience and access content offline.
- In-depth journalism
- Local news coverage
- Photography and videos
- Real-time notifications
- Customizable reading experience
- Offline reading
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From critically acclaimed storytelling to powerful photography to engaging videos — the Observer & Eccentric app delivers the local news that matters most to your community. APP FEATURES: • Access all of our in-depth journalism, including things to do around town, sports coverage from high school to the pros, and much more. • Enjoy a streamlined, fast-loading experience that makes it easy to view the stories, photos, and videos that matter to you. • Get breaking news, sports scores, and weather alerts with real-time notifications tailored to your interests. • Customize your experience by saving your favorite stories, adjusting text size, using night mode, or reading offline. MORE INFORMATION: • Privacy Policy: https://cm.hometownlife.com/privacy/ • Terms of Service: https://cm.hometownlife.com/terms/ • Help Center: https://help.hometownlife.com • Subscriptions are charged to your account at confirmation of purchase and automatically renew each month or year, unless turned off in your account settings at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage your subscriptions and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to your Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription, where applicable. See "Subscription Support" in the app's Settings for more details and customer service contact information.
The Packer
This app is the premier source for news, information, and analysis in the fresh fruit and vegetable industry. It has been providing weekly reports on the produce industry since 1893.
- Industry news
- In-depth analysis
- Produce market information
- Historical industry reporting
- Weekly updates
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There's no argument that The Packer is the fresh fruit and vegetable industry's leading source for news, information and analysis. The Packer has been reporting every week on the produce industry since 1893.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: The Packer at 100% against Observer & Eccentric's 38%. The Packer also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). Observer & Eccentric's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Observer & Eccentric sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. The Packer asks for nothing beyond the download.
The Packer holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 99 and 89 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Observer & Eccentric's written reviews are positive against 100% of The Packer's.
Observer & Eccentric ships an update monthly, The Packer every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Observer & Eccentric | The Packer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (99 ratings) | 4.8 (89 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 38.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 99 — better | 89 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 185 MB | 75 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | USA TODAY Co., Inc. | Farm Journal, Inc. |
Customer experience
Observer & Eccentric
The Packer
In-app purchases
Observer & Eccentric
- Monthly Digital Rate1 Month trial$9.991 Month
- O&E Digital Subscription1 Month trial$16.991 Month
- Annual Digital Subscription1 Year trial$69.991 Year
The Packer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Observer & Eccentric free?
Is The Packer free?
Which has better reviews, Observer & Eccentric or The Packer?
Do Observer & Eccentric or The Packer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Observer & Eccentric or The Packer?
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