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

Washington Post vs AP News

Washington Post 4.7★ · Free + IAP 75
Winner Washington Post
AP News 4.6★ · Free to download 60

The Washington Post app offers more in-depth journalism and features for subscribers, while AP News provides a free, reliable source for breaking news, though it struggles with app performance and intrusive ads.

Full reviews: Washington Post · AP News

The Washington Post app provides a robust platform for its acclaimed journalism, despite recent concerns about editorial shifts and app compatibility. AP News offers free, objective reporting but is plagued by technical issues, slow loading times, and aggressive advertising.

Head to head

Journalism Quality & Bias edge: Washington PostR2R3R8R10
Washington Post Washington Post users generally trust its journalism, citing dedication to truth and investigative stories, though many recent reviews express concern about a perceived shift towards a 'center-right' or 'pro-Trump' bias and a decline in quality since Bezos's ownership, with some lamenting reduced local and sports coverage R2R3R8R10.
AP News AP News is praised for its unbiased, objective, and reliable reporting, making it a go-to for many seeking factual news without spin R72. However, a significant number of recent reviews also criticize a perceived editorial bias, particularly an 'anti-American' or 'extreme progressive agenda' and negative coverage of Trump R61.
App Performance & Reliability edge: Washington PostR1R4R5R62
Washington Post The Washington Post app is generally seen as speedy and quick to load, with a small footprint R5. However, some users report issues with the app not working on older iPad OS versions, opening to a blank screen, or requiring excessive authentication for subscribers R1R4.
AP News AP News struggles significantly with app performance, with frequent complaints about slow loading times for the app and articles, crashing, and general unreliability . Users also report issues with the 'Today in History' feature being stuck on a specific date R62 and articles repeating for weeks on iPad .
User Interface & Features edge: Washington PostR14R17R21R45
Washington Post Washington Post users find the app easy to navigate R17 and appreciate features like audio articles, though some desire more control over AI voice readers R14. Complaints include too many unnecessary links embedded in articles R45 and inability to interact with comments . Some also miss specific comic strips R21.
AP News AP News has a clunky, ugly, and dated interface according to some users, with issues like scrolling dead zones created by photos . Users desire better organization of news subjects and the ability to zoom into photos . The recent addition of a comments section is widely disliked, leading some to delete the app due to perceived censorship and unprofessionalism R61R79R100R103.
Notifications & Customization edge: Washington PostR70R72R75R91
Washington Post The Washington Post reviews do not extensively discuss notification features or customization, focusing more on content and app functionality.
AP News AP News suffers from broken push notifications, with users receiving unwanted notifications despite setting filters, or not receiving them at all after updates R70R72R75R91. Some also report issues with preferences not saving .
Ads & Monetization edge: Washington PostR4R21R69R73
Washington Post The Washington Post is a subscription-based app with in-app purchases. While some reviews mention ads in the comic section R21, the primary friction point for subscribers is the difficulty in proving subscription status R4.
AP News AP News, being free, is heavily criticized for intrusive and overly sensitive ads, particularly from Expedia, which frequently redirect users out of the app when scrolling, making the app borderline unusable for some R69R73R81R82.
Pick Washington Post if

Pick The Washington Post if you value in-depth, professional journalism and are willing to pay for a subscription, especially if you appreciate audio articles and a generally smooth app experience R2R5R8.

Pick AP News if

Pick AP News if you are looking for a free news source focused on breaking news and objective reporting, and can tolerate frequent app performance issues, intrusive ads, and unreliable notifications R72.

Evidence note: Many Washington Post reviews focus on the perceived editorial shift and ownership rather than specific app features. AP News reviews are heavily skewed towards app performance issues and ad complaints, which is common for free apps relying on advertising.

Frequently asked

Is The Washington Post app free?
The Washington Post app is free to download, but full access to its content requires a subscription, with some users experiencing difficulty proving their subscriber status R4R57.
Does AP News have a comments section?
Yes, AP News recently integrated a comments section into its app, which has been met with significant negative feedback from users due to perceived censorship and a decline in professionalism R61R79R100R103.
Are there many ads in the AP News app?
Yes, AP News has a significant number of large, highly sensitive ads, particularly from Expedia, that frequently redirect users out of the app when scrolling, making the experience frustrating for many R69R73R81R82.
Is The Washington Post app compatible with older iPads?
Recent updates to The Washington Post app have caused it to stop working on older iPad OS versions, such as iPad OS 17.7.2, opening to a blank screen for some users R1.

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. [R8] Washington Post 5/5 · US The Post is Truth: Reading the work of professional journalists at The Washington Post reveals a dedication to the truth, reveals moral courage, reveals the true legacy of our nation’s founding fathers. It’s the perfect antidote to so much republican dishonesty & so little moral courage from right-wing politicians pundits judges.
  4. [R10] Washington Post 1/5 · US Sharp decline: The journalist quality of this newspaper declined steadily at first after its acquisition by Bezos then sharply in the last two years after Bezos forced management changes. Now, I still subscribe because I live in the DC area, and some good reporting is done. But the paper often is a mindless cheerleader from Trump and his oligarch pals. The newspaper should be given to a responsibl
  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. [R62] AP News 4/5 · US Today in History stuck at February 25!: The app works well most of the time. Unfortunately the date on the “Today in History” image is stuck at February 25. Let’s see if the AP’s app developers read reviews as I can’t find any other way to feedback on a bug.
  9. [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
  10. [R17] Washington Post 5/5 · US Easy to navigate: Still getting used to it …but so far I like it…
  11. [R21] Washington Post 3/5 · US Why you got a Low Score: The Comic section. Bring back ‘Liberty Meadows’. It is the funniest and they have local reference . Good work Mr. Chao. Your ads in the comic….BoRING.
  12. [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.
  13. [R70] AP News 2/5 · US Meh: Push notifications on iOS are completely broken. I set them to Breaking only, and I get everything. I set them to nothing, and I get everything. Otherwise a good app.
  14. [R72] AP News 3/5 · US Great reporting, but push notifications are broken: I really value the Associated Press for the news it delivers. In an era of heavy bias, this app remains a go-to for extensive, objective reporting. I rely on it daily to stay informed on what’s actually happening without the spin. The only reason I’m not giving this 5 stars is a persistent technical issue with push notifications. Every time I ta
  15. [R75] AP News 3/5 · US Notifications: Notifications come and go with app updates. Please don’t break notifications when updating the app. iOS 26.0.1 Review update: still no notifications after the app update today, 11/1/25 Review update 11/25/25: I was hopeful that the latest app update would resolve this issue, but it has not. Would really appreciate you getting this fixed so I get your notifications. All app and ph
  16. [R91] AP News 1/5 · US App logs out every time it updates: Every time the app updates, my account is automatically signed out, which means I stop receiving breaking news notifications. I attempt to log back in, and instead of accepting my login credentials, the app prompts me that my account doesn’t exist and I have to create a new account. I have gone through this frustrating circular loop over three times. Please fix
  17. [R69] AP News 3/5 · US Expedia ads: Recently lots of large Expedia ads embedded into articles that that are so highly touch-sensitive, it is *impossible* to scroll without accidentally clicking on them. Really irritating! Please please stop.
  18. [R73] AP News 2/5 · US Click sensitivity on ads: Click sensitivity on ads, particularly for Expedia, is absolutely ridiculous. I’m constantly opening safari tabs while trying to scroll. App is borderline unusable because of this.
  19. [R57] Washington Post 3/5 · GB Important: Give online access to top stories free.
  20. [R61] AP News 2/5 · US Heavy censorship in comments section: The app itself is fine, and AP is one of the best sources for US breaking news and election results, however the recent integration of the comments section into the app has exposed serious censorship, which appears to be associated with certain viewpoints rather than moderating uncivil discussion. I have also noticed how AP’s reporting has more of an editori
  21. [R79] AP News 1/5 · US Not a free speech platform: No longer a free speech platform. They opened up chat but if you express views on Israel THEY DEACTIVATE your account. boycott AP BoycottAP now
  22. [R100] AP News 1/5 · US Adding comments was a horrible decision: A truly reputable news organization and was my daily my go to. Adding comments without the setting to turn them off was a nightmarish choice. AP news app has opened the gate to mud slinging and defensive grouping. These will never be avenues for respectful conversation and I hate to see it on this app. It’s unprofessional.
  23. [R103] AP News 2/5 · US Adding comments made me delete.: I relied on this app for great news coverage but when they added comments, I deleted.
  24. [R81] AP News 3/5 · US Ok coverage, bad ad interface: Can’t seem to scroll past an ad if you click/tap on it, it just continues to take you to the advertiser. Done.
  25. [R82] AP News 1/5 · US Trash ads force you out of the app: You can click anywhere but when you do, suddenly you’re being forced off the app and into your web browser to the ad that was shown 3/4 of the way down. I’m about to delete this trash. Used to read BBC before they did this. I’m on the cusp of deleting this app too. I’ll go straight to RT news online. At least then I’ll get a bias that’s not liberal leaning.

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