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

Washington Post vs The Wall Street Journal. News

Washington Post 4.7★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner The Wall Street Journal. News
The Wall Street Journal. News 4.7★ · Free + IAP 70

The Wall Street Journal app offers a more reliable and less buggy user experience, despite some recent issues, making it a slightly better choice for consistent news consumption.

Full reviews: Washington Post · The Wall Street Journal. News

Both the Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal apps provide strong journalism, but recent updates have introduced significant technical issues for both. The Washington Post struggles with app functionality on older devices and subscriber login, while The Wall Street Journal faces issues with offline reading, crosswords, and notification spam.

Head to head

Journalism Quality & Bias edge: The Wall Street Journal. NewsR2R3R6R7
Washington Post Washington Post users express conflicting views on its journalistic quality and perceived political bias, with some praising its dedication to truth and investigative stories R2R11 while others criticize a perceived shift to center-right, an 'apologist for plutocrats,' or 'bending at the knee to Trump' R3R6R7. There are also complaints about less new news and recycled content .
The Wall Street Journal. News The Wall Street Journal is widely praised for its strong, detailed, clear, and comprehensive reporting, with users appreciating its commitment to truth over partisanship and its ability to call out extremism from both sides . Opinion pieces are noted to be clearly distinguished . However, some users feel the quality is dwindling under the weight of obvious political bias and clickbait headlines R90, and one user noted difficulty distinguishing newsroom reporting from opinion columns .
App Functionality & Reliability tieR1R4R5R14
Washington Post The Washington Post app has significant functionality issues, including not working on older iPad OS versions R1 and requiring excessive authentication for subscribers R4. Users report lags and a less hassle-free interface compared to competitors . There are also complaints about inability to interact with comments R46, and a desire for AI voice reader selection R14. However, some users find the app speedy and easy to navigate R5.
The Wall Street Journal. News The Wall Street Journal app frequently suffers from bugs and inconsistencies, with updates often breaking features . Common complaints include freezing while scrolling , battery drain and overheating , and issues with offline reading where content reverts or requires internet access R69R112. Login problems with 'Sign In With Apple' are reported , and crosswords have been broken by recent updates . Users also report issues with gift links and the AI Listen feature stopping when the screen locks R79.
User Experience & Features tieR12R14R27R45
Washington Post Washington Post users appreciate the ability to listen to articles R14 and the AI summary of reader comments R12. However, there are frustrations with too many unnecessary links in articles R45 and a desire for more control over AI voice readers R14. Some users miss robust local news, sports, and events coverage R27.
The Wall Street Journal. News The Wall Street Journal app has recently fixed issues with seeing comments R65, but many users still report being unable to view or leave comments on articles R66. Users desire playback speed options for audio articles R74R101 and complain about 'Breaking News' notification spam with fluff pieces . There are also requests for widgets , a low data option to avoid auto-playing videos and audio , and the return of the 'Print Edition' view . Some find the pages cluttered with banners and wish for the option to eliminate AI summaries .
Price & Value edge: Washington PostR11R27R88R90
Washington Post Washington Post users generally consider the subscription 'well worth the money' for professional journalism R11, especially given the prevalence of online 'garbage' R11. Some subscribe out of habit or hope for improvement R27.
The Wall Street Journal. News The Wall Street Journal app is criticized by some paying subscribers for showing ads, even offline . There are reports of bait-and-switch tactics where subscriptions purchased through the app do not grant access to expected content or charge for additional services R88. Some long-term subscribers feel the app is overpriced given dwindling quality R90.
Pick Washington Post if

you prioritize supporting what many consider to be independent journalism despite some perceived political shifts and app glitches R11.

Pick The Wall Street Journal. News if

you seek strong, detailed, and generally unbiased reporting, especially in business and finance, and can tolerate some app bugs and a lack of certain features like comment sections .

Evidence note: Many Washington Post reviews focus heavily on the perceived political leanings and ownership changes rather than app-specific features, making direct app comparisons sometimes challenging. Both apps have a significant number of recent negative reviews regarding technical issues, which aligns with the slight dip in their lifetime ratings.

Frequently asked

Do these apps allow reader comments?
The Washington Post app allows users to see AI summaries of reader comments R12, but some users report being unable to interact with comments R46. The Wall Street Journal app recently fixed issues with seeing comments R65, but many users still report being unable to view or leave comments R66.
Are there issues with offline reading?
The Wall Street Journal app has significant issues with offline reading, with downloaded content often requiring internet access or reverting to older dates R69R112. The Washington Post reviews do not specifically mention offline reading issues, but one user noted the app doesn't work on older iPad OS versions R1.
Do the apps have audio features?
Both apps offer audio features for articles. Washington Post users are thankful for the ability to listen to articles but desire the option to select an AI voice reader R14. Wall Street Journal users also appreciate listening to articles but frequently request the ability to adjust audio playback speed R74R101 and report a bug where audio stops when the screen locks R79.

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] Washington Post 5/5 · US The Washington Post: I really trust the news in the Post. I don’t think they lie about it!
  2. [R3] Washington Post 3/5 · US WaPo is center right now and an apologist for plutocrats and economic inequality: WaPo is center right now and an apologist for plutocrats and economic inequality. They got rid of most of their liberal writers and dropped their sports coverage. They still do some decent investigative stories.
  3. [R6] Washington Post 3/5 · US Not the same under Bezos: WaPo no longer has its reporting edge. Sad.
  4. [R7] Washington Post 1/5 · US Darkness: The Washington post is bending at the knee to trump. It is awful
  5. [R1] Washington Post 1/5 · US New version downloads, but doesn't work on older iPad OSs!!: Doesn't work on an iPad 9 with iPad OS 17.7.2. Tap the icon and it opens to a blank screen. Thought the Apple Store blocked downloading incompatible apps! Please fix this, Post! Upgrading the OS is not an option as it slows down the tablet, uses more battery life, and breaks older apps. If you can't fix it, at least let us download
  6. [R4] Washington Post 1/5 · US Good when it works: I subscribe to both the NYT and The Washington Post. When the NYT sends me an article by email, I can click on it and enter the article, including the audio. But with the Washington Post, you click on it and then they want you to prove that you’re really a subscriber. What’s your password? What’s your pets first name? It’s too much work. The Post needs to make it easier to be a
  7. [R5] Washington Post 5/5 · US WAPO speedy app loads: The app loads quickly. It does not lave a large foot print of space on the HD. Two great features.
  8. [R14] Washington Post 5/5 · US I would like to select an AI voice reader not have WaPo randomly assign one.: I’m thankful for WaPo allowing me to listen to articles. However, we all have differing hearing levels. Certain voices can distract from the message. That’s the case in your approach to assigning AI generated voices to read articles. For me a higher pitched voice that sounds like a teenager reading a serious article di
  9. [R12] Washington Post 3/5 · US A mediocre paper: I resubscribed after a couple of years. Big difference and not a good one. Cowtows to Trump, seems visibly afraid to offend him. Except for recent story on Tulsi G, paper is now like USA Today. I like the ai summary of the reader conments though. The advice column is really lame. Give it a rest already.
  10. [R27] Washington Post 3/5 · US Shadow paper: The newspaper is a shadow of its former self. The worst part is that the owner got rid of the parts that made it the hometown newspaper for those of us who live in the DMV - robust local news, sports, events. Many of the best journalists are gone. The Editorial Board is sub-par. I’m still a subscriber but mostly out of habit and the hope that things might change, but perhaps I’m not
  11. [R45] Washington Post 3/5 · US Too many unnecessary links in articles: I’m sick and tired of accidentally touching the numerous links embedded in the Post’s articles while I am scrolling down. There should be a way to turn off these links to prevent this.
  12. [R11] Washington Post 5/5 · US Great Journalism: While I’m not a fan of Bezos, the journalists at the WaPo are independent and do the hard work of reporting facts. Well worth the money considering how easy it is to come across garbage being published online these days. By far my favorite paper!
  13. [R88] The Wall Street Journal. News 1/5 · US WSJ App now just a con game: News content is no longer accessible via the iPhone app. Regardless of an active subscription, every attempt to read beyond the headlines will be met with a screen demanding the purchase of an additional $39 monthly subscription. There are ample legitimate news options available via iTunes apps. If you truly need to read WSJ, try a print subscription.
  14. [R90] The Wall Street Journal. News 3/5 · US Over Priced/Dwindling Quality: As a long term subscriber, I grow increasingly disappointed. The overall quality of journalism is flagging under the weight of obvious political bias. The headlines read just like the click bait on most social media platforms. Jason Gay (sports writer) has my subscription hanging on by a thin thread!
  15. [R46] Washington Post 2/5 · US An *APP* review: If I could teach the world to sing… When writing a review on the AppStore you are answering one question: Does the *app* work? THIS app is okay, although I am completely unable to interact with comments. I’m signed in, but I can’t even give a thumbs up to someone else’s post. Frustrating. On a personal note, there’s no such thing as unbiased news in 2026. Read widely and you’
  16. [R65] The Wall Street Journal. News 5/5 · US They solved the comments issue: They finally solved seeing comments in the app. Thank goodness.
  17. [R66] The Wall Street Journal. News 3/5 · US no comments: I don’t get why this app doesn’t let you leave comments, only on the website. It’s 2024, how hard can it be to add such a basic feature to the app?
  18. [R69] The Wall Street Journal. News 3/5 · US So-called issue download doesn’t work: I tried to download the most recent issue before getting on a plane (which had no WiFi), but the so-called download let me read only about half the articles. Half the articles only showed an error message that I needed to have internet access. A far superior download capability was eliminated when the WSJ app was overhauled a couple of years ago. Pleas
  19. [R112] The Wall Street Journal. News 1/5 · US APP needs serious work: Content top notch, but the app is serious bad. 1. When I open an article, even if the content has been downloaded before, without internet connection it still refuses to load. This is terrible - internet connectivity should not affect article viewing for the articles that were already downloaded. 2. Offline mode is buggy. Today is May 10, 2026. When I am on a subway, th
  20. [R74] The Wall Street Journal. News 4/5 · US Please Add Playback Speed Option To Audio: Love the app, love your reporting. Love listening to articles. Please add an option to adjust audio playback speed and make it so my selection is saved so I don’t have to set it for each article. Keep up the great work
  21. [R79] The Wall Street Journal. News 1/5 · US AI Listen not working: If you click to read an article and within the article page, hit play to listen to article, it will play. However, as soon as phone locks or you turn off the screen, the article stops playing. However, if you hit play in the screen where you can scroll through all the articles, black earphone icon appears on bottom right, and the article does not stop playing even if you tu
  22. [R101] The Wall Street Journal. News 5/5 · US Like the app, want speed control on audio: The app is great minus one feature I really really want. Include faster audio speaking. Up to 3x minimum

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