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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

CNN vs The Wall Street Journal. News

CNN 4.8★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner The Wall Street Journal. News
The Wall Street Journal. News 4.7★ · Free + IAP 70

For general news consumption, CNN offers a broader range of content, but The Wall Street Journal. News is superior for in-depth, reliable journalism, despite its own app issues.

Full reviews: CNN · The Wall Street Journal. News

CNN provides timely, general news coverage but struggles with app stability, paywall frustrations, and ad delivery, even for subscribers. The Wall Street Journal. News excels in detailed, quality journalism but is hampered by app bugs, missing features like comments, and battery drain.

Head to head

Content and Reporting edge: The Wall Street Journal. NewsR2R10R26R30
CNN CNN is praised for timely news coverage and keeping users informed about global events R2. Some users appreciate its stance on social issues R26. However, others criticize its content for being too video-heavy, lacking live TV feeds, and having notifications for non-breaking news R30R31R33R35.
The Wall Street Journal. News The Wall Street Journal. News is highly regarded for its strong, detailed, and comprehensive journalism, often seen as a rare find for its commitment to truth over partisanship . Users appreciate the clear distinction between newsroom reporting and opinion columns . However, some find the quality flagging due to perceived political bias and clickbait headlines .
App Stability and Performance tieR3R4R11R27
CNN CNN users frequently report issues with the app freezing, crashing, jumping backward while scrolling, and displaying black screens R3R27. Paid subscribers also experience being kicked off the app R4 and audio streaming pausing with notifications R11.
The Wall Street Journal. News The Wall Street Journal. News app is often described as buggy and inconsistent, with issues like hanging up, jittery scrolling, and slow updates . Some users report the app draining battery and overheating their phone .
Features and User Experience tieR8R9R12R16
CNN CNN's widgets are a major point of frustration, frequently reported as broken, blank, or not loading content R8R9R16R18. Users also complain about having to sign in daily R12R17 and the app hijacking phone audio . The lack of accessibility settings is also noted .
The Wall Street Journal. News The Wall Street Journal. News app has several missing or broken features. Users are frustrated by the inability to view or leave comments on articles . The crossword puzzle feature is widely criticized for being broken or poorly designed after updates . Offline reading is buggy, and downloaded articles often require internet access . Users also desire audio playback speed options .
Price and Value tieR4R6R7R13
CNN Many CNN users are frustrated by the paywall, which limits free articles R7R13. Paid subscribers are disappointed to still see ads R6R31R42R51 and find the subscription expensive, with fees increasing R4. Some feel the paid content doesn't offer the expected live TV programming R17R30R33R35.
The Wall Street Journal. News The Wall Street Journal. News also has a paywall, with some users encountering issues accessing content despite an active subscription R106. Paid subscribers are disappointed by the presence of ads, even when offline . Some find the subscription overpriced given the app's bugs and dwindling quality .
Customer Support edge: CNNR4R5R106
CNN CNN's customer support received positive feedback from one user who had a subscription issue, noting a quick response and resolution via their AI system R5. However, another user reported ongoing issues for two years despite paying R4.
The Wall Street Journal. News One user reported that WSJ customer service did not care and ignored an issue regarding a bait-and-switch subscription R106.
Pick CNN if

you prioritize timely, general news updates and are willing to navigate app bugs and paywalls, or if you appreciate CNN's specific editorial stance R2R26.

Pick The Wall Street Journal. News if

you seek in-depth, high-quality journalism, particularly in business and finance, and value a clear distinction between news and opinion, even if the app has some functional shortcomings .

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of negative reviews related to app performance and paywalls, indicating that recent user experiences are often frustrating despite high lifetime ratings. The free-vs-paid asymmetry is evident in both, as free users complain about paywalls R7R13R40R46 while paid users express frustration over ads and app bugs even after subscribing R3R4R6R11.

Frequently asked

Do CNN and WSJ apps have free content?
Both CNN and The Wall Street Journal. News apps offer some free content, but users frequently report hitting paywalls quickly, limiting the number of articles they can read before requiring a subscription R7R13R40R46.
Are there ads in the paid versions of these apps?
Yes, paid subscribers for both CNN and The Wall Street Journal. News apps report still encountering ads, which is a significant point of frustration for users who expect an ad-free experience with their subscription R6R31R42R51.
Do the apps support widgets for headlines?
CNN users report that their widgets are frequently broken, showing blank displays or not loading content after updates R8R9R16R18. The Wall Street Journal. News users express a desire for widgets to return, implying they are either missing or not functioning as desired .
Can I watch live TV on the CNN app?
Many CNN subscribers are disappointed that the app does not offer the same live TV programming as the network channel, instead providing recaps and headlines R17R30R33R35.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R2] CNN 5/5 · US CNN: CNN provides timely news coverage and keeps me informed about important events happening around the world.
  2. [R10] CNN 1/5 · US Stop trying to chase ratings!: I am subscribed to receive only breaking news events, yet I received multiple push notifications regarding Taylor Swift getting married…
  3. [R26] CNN 5/5 · GB Thank you: Thank you for standing up for transgender rights and continuing to expose the transphobia that exists around the world. Please pass this message of gratitude onto your journalists: You’re saving lives by advocating for transgender community. Thank you.
  4. [R30] CNN 3/5 · US Not live streaming: I subscribed expecting to see the same coverage as network TV but this is just a bunch of recaps and headlines that I can watch on YouTube. What a waste of money!!
  5. [R3] CNN 3/5 · US Disappointed: Since purchasing a subscription, the app now freezes while reading articles requiring me to restart the app in order to read articles; jumps backward while scrolling through articles; and goes to a black screen partway through an article which sometimes can be cleared by going backwards, but not always, and then trying to scroll forward again. I expected to have at least as good of
  6. [R4] CNN 1/5 · US Pay for CNN is malfunctioning: I paid the annual fee of $29.99 but I keep getting kicked off the app. Please fix it! UPDATE: 2 years later, I continue to be kicked off the app. Fix it, please. Also, fee rose to $69.99 this year!
  7. [R11] CNN 5/5 · US Horrible user experience for a paid app: I travel a lot and like to listen to CNN via the paid streaming service on their app. Unfortunately it is bug filled and very difficult to use. I have a new iPhone, and I’m using the current app so I know it’s not that. It starts off streaming the audio correctly, and then any sort of notification from my phone like a text or anything like that at all pau
  8. [R27] CNN 3/5 · US 1 Problem: When scrolling down to read an article in the app. The CNN app will suddenly freeze up and not allow you to read the remainder of the article or let you use the app. Please fix.
  9. [R8] CNN 5/5 · US Widget stopped working: I used the widget to check the breaking news and daily headlines and now I have to open the app. The widget is just a blank display now
  10. [R9] CNN 3/5 · US Good App - Widgets Don’t Work: With the latest app update, I’ve noticed that any widgets I add from this app just show up as blank boxes. They never load any content. Hoping that CNN will fix this bug soon.
  11. [R12] CNN 3/5 · US Daily Validation??: Used to, I could sign in with my TV provider and it would keep working. Now, it makes me verify my TV subscriber every day and it will not let me do that until the 60 second free preview timer runs out. This needs to be fixed.
  12. [R16] CNN 1/5 · US Widget totally broken: The widget doesn’t work at all on iOS 26.
  13. [R6] CNN 3/5 · US Paid subscription still has ads????: Thought I was subscribing to not have to deal with ads, the way subscribing at the most expensive level gets you with most other streaming services. What’s the benefit??
  14. [R7] CNN 2/5 · US Deleting app: Every time I try to read an article newsworthy it says I reached my free limit. DELETED!!!
  15. [R13] CNN 1/5 · US Pay to read: I have to pay monthly to read news that I can get from other sites and apps for free? Easy pass and delete for me.
  16. [R5] CNN 5/5 · US Great response: I had given the 3 stars this morning when all of the sudden I was getting a message telling me to Subscribe when my subscription was good until next May. I could not get it to work on either iPad or iPhone. The AI system provided a way to email for help. They responded quickly and were able to unlock my account. Thank you for all your help.
  17. [R106] The Wall Street Journal. News 1/5 · US Bait and switch: Beware. If you click on article and can’t access and subscribe, it may charge you for a service that does not include the article or only gives a Barron’s online subscription. Do not buy anything through this app. Customer service does not care and will ignore the issue.
  18. [R40] CNN 1/5 · US Why download CNN: It has turned into one of the most useless news apps that I have ever downloaded. Virtually every news article is behind a paywall. It’s basically just click bait at this point.
  19. [R46] CNN 1/5 · US Greedy: You can only read 5 articles until you have to become a paid subscriber to keep reading
  20. [R31] CNN 1/5 · US Utterly Horrible: Doesn’t offer the actual news shows one finds on the CNN channel itself. Plays the same commercials 2, 3 or four times in a row, DURING THE VERY SAME COMMERCIAL BREAK!!! Then, continues to rotate commercials for HBO or CNN original programs six or seven times an hour. It’s as if they’re trying to sabotage HBO, because nothing makes me want to watch a show LESS than being force
  21. [R42] CNN 3/5 · GB Delivery of advertisements ruins this app: The forced delivery of advertisements, often the same ad over and over again, with a long delay involving a black screen during download, ruins this app. The news service is good, but the adverts make the app pretty much unusable.
  22. [R51] CNN 3/5 · GB Great channel, horrible adverts/App: In 15 minutes I have seen 7 times the same exact 14 second advert for IHG Hotels, so I had to switch channel… Otherwise like watching CNN!
  23. [R18] CNN 3/5 · US Widget Stopped Working: Since the recent update, the cnn widget stopped working. It shows blank headlines, but if I click the widget it takes me to the main page of the CNN app. I have tried deleting and reinstalling the app, same with the widget, checked all settings, logged in to CNN from the app, but still nothing works widget wise. What’s up CNN?
  24. [R17] CNN 5/5 · US Still could use improvement: I’m now a subscriber and I’m satisfied with the service on my TV and devices. A few things really irk me though. The app: Having to sign in every darned day is really irritating. Streaming: I expected the same programming as you get on regular TV but apparently that’s not the case. Some of the programming is different. Why? I hate having CNN headline news shoved in th
  25. [R33] CNN 3/5 · US Subscription video: They don’t offer the actual CNN feeds. Seems like a complete ripoff
  26. [R35] CNN 4/5 · GB Confused: I subscribe to CNN. I thought that I’d be able to watch live TV via the app. I can on the website. Am I doing something wrong?!

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store