Democracy Now! vs Thom Hartmann
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Democracy Now!
Access award-winning independent news with daily global headlines and in-depth interviews. This app offers content in video, audio, and transcript formats, including web exclusives and a live video stream.
- Daily news headlines
- In-depth interviews
- Web exclusives
- Audio and video on-demand
- Live video stream
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Democracy Now! produces a daily, global, independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. Our reporting includes breaking daily news headlines and in-depth interviews. All content available in video, audio and transcript format. *Daily News Headlines* 10-minute roundup of global news headlines. *In-Depth Interviews* Conversations with people on the front lines of the world’s most pressing issues. On Democracy Now!, you’ll hear a diversity of voices speaking for themselves, providing a unique and sometimes provocative perspective on global events. *Web Exclusives* Extended interviews and exclusive digital-only content. *Audio & Video On-Demand* All content is available in audio and video formats. *Live Video Stream* Tune in LIVE for the news hour weekdays at 8am ET.
Thom Hartmann
Access political news, opinion, and debate from a prominent talk radio host. Stream live broadcasts, listen to audio podcasts, and read daily political commentary via email newsletter.
- Live weekly broadcasts
- Audio podcast
- Daily political commentary
- Email newsletter
- Multiple streaming platforms
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The Thom Hartmann Program is live weekly and covers political news and talk. Thom Hartmann is the #9 most important radio talk host and broadcasts on YouTube, X, Facebook, Free Speech TV, and hundreds of FM and AM stations across the United States. The program has an audio podcast available. In addition, the Hartmann Report covers Thom's 'Daily Take' on political news and is provided as an email newsletter.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Democracy Now! at 4.4 against Thom Hartmann's 3.7. Democracy Now! also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (66% vs 40%). Thom Hartmann's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.4). On price, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Democracy Now! holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Democracy Now! has 413 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Democracy Now!'s written reviews are positive against 40% of Thom Hartmann's.
Democracy Now! ships an update every 6 weeks, Thom Hartmann every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Democracy Now! | Thom Hartmann |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (413 ratings) — better | 3.7 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 65.5% of reviews — better | 39.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 413 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Best chart rank | #179 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.4 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 125 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | DEMOCRACY NOW PRODUCTIONS INC | THP Media Productions, llc |
Customer experience
Democracy Now!
Thom Hartmann
User reviews
Democracy Now!
From 413 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Excellent news coverage
- 🚀 Easy to navigate app
- 💡 Appreciate audio-only option
- 🚀 Streamlined interface
- 👍 Trustworthy news source
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Streaming issues and buffering problems
- 🐛 Sync issues between audio and video
- 🐛 Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
- 🐛 Glitchy scrolling and article loading
Thom Hartmann
From 6 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Informative content
- 👍 Great delivery
- 👍 Smart callers
- 👍 Truthful information
- 👍 Easy to use interface
Room to improve
- 🐛 AI songs disrupt flow
- 🐛 Glitching app
- 🐛 Fast forwarding issues
- 🐛 App beeps non-stop
- 🐛 Play/pause from control center not functioning
Bugs and requests
Democracy Now!
Reported bugs
4 issues- Refresh issues on headlines tab
- App not optimized for larger screens
- Occasional audio/video desync
- Crashes when trying to share content
Requested features
5 requests- Push notification support
- Landscape mode support
- Chromecast/AirPlay integration
- Ability to download episodes for offline viewing
- Improved sharing capabilities
Thom Hartmann
Reported bugs
28 issues- AI songs disrupt flow
- App constantly glitching
- App immediately starts fast forwarding
- App beeps non-stop while listening
- Play/pause audio stream does not function from iOS control center
Show 23 moreShow fewer
- Live podcast still plays rather than pausing when AirPods are removed
- No back button to return to episode list
- Audio stops playback when the phone Lock Screen appears
- App won't play in background
- Audio only plays while app is on screen
- Unstable and audio fails unpredictably
- Missing 'News' button with links to articles
- App tells user to purchase another subscription
- Podcast subscription content not unlocked
- Unable to log in despite being an active member
- Missing progress bar
- App has lost audio
- Podcasts have disappeared
- Podcasts won't load
- App doesn't stream live on iPad
- Download error messages
- Cannot delete podcasts
- White on white podcast labeling
- No support for multitasking
- No improvement in podcast download functions
- App doesn't work in landscape mode
- Incompatible with iOS 11
- Parser error message
Requested features
7 requests- Stack AI songs at the end
- Restore back button
- Add bookmark feature
- Support for older iOS versions
- Improve podcast download functions
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Allow landscape mode
- Improve podcast labeling readability
In-app purchases
Democracy Now!
No in-app purchases
Thom Hartmann
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Democracy Now! free?
Is Thom Hartmann free?
Which has better reviews, Democracy Now! or Thom Hartmann?
Do Democracy Now! or Thom Hartmann have ads?
Which is updated more often, Democracy Now! or Thom Hartmann?
Other comparisons
