Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

AP News vs NYTimes

AP News 4.6★ · Free to download 65
Winner Tie
NYTimes 4.8★ · Free to download 70

For users prioritizing a free news experience with a focus on breaking news and a desire for less perceived bias, AP News is the better choice, despite its technical glitches and intrusive ads, while NYTimes offers a more polished experience with broader content but comes with subscription friction and its own set of usability issues.

Full reviews: AP News · NYTimes

AP News is praised for its free, often unbiased reporting but struggles with app functionality, intrusive ads, and notification issues. NYTimes offers high-quality, in-depth journalism and a wider range of content, but users frequently complain about subscription upsells, UI changes, and video ads.

Head to head

Content Quality & Bias edge: NYTimesR1R3R4R7
AP News AP News is valued by many users for its objective, unbiased reporting and extensive, reliable information, often seen as a go-to for factual news without spin R12. However, a significant number of recent reviews criticize AP News for perceived political bias, editorializing, and leaving out context, with some calling it an 'anti-American mouthpiece' or promoting a 'progressive agenda' R1R4R7. Some users also note a lack of local news coverage, particularly outside of sports R3.
NYTimes NYTimes is widely regarded as a gold standard for journalism, offering in-depth coverage, well-written articles, and a broad range of topics including book reviews, essays, and recipes . Users acknowledge that opinion pieces tend to be liberal, but they can be avoided . However, some users criticize the NYTimes for perceived political bias, 'opinion masquerading as reporting,' and not holding lawmakers accountable .
Ease of Use & UI tieR5R17R18R29
AP News AP News users report several UI and usability issues, including a 'scrolling dead zone' created by photos R5, articles stuck for weeks on iPads R17, accessibility problems with voiceover R18, and layout incompatibility with some iPhone sizes R29. Users also desire better organization of news subjects and an identifier for video articles . The app is described as 'ugly, clunky, hard to navigate' by some .
NYTimes NYTimes users have strong opinions on recent UI changes, particularly the relocation of navigation buttons (like back and save) from the bottom to the top of the screen, which many find less intuitive and difficult to reach on taller iPhones . Some users also wish for the ability to zoom into photos more consistently and for a return to pagination or an e-paper option .
Performance & Reliability tieR2R6R8R10
AP News AP News frequently suffers from performance and reliability issues. Users report the app being slow to load articles and the main feed , sometimes taking 30-60 seconds or timing out . The app is described as 'hit or miss' in opening R8, 'reliably unreliable' , and crashing frequently . Notifications are a persistent problem, often broken, not filtering correctly, or disappearing after updates R10R12R15R31.
NYTimes NYTimes also faces performance complaints, with users noting the app has become 'slower and buggier' and 'constantly freezing and crashing' . Some users experience issues with articles reloading to the top of the feed when returning from external apps like The Athletic . There are also reports of login and subscription verification issues, where users are repeatedly asked to verify their account or receive expired codes .
Ads & Monetization edge: AP NewsR8R9R13R19
AP News AP News is a free app, but users are increasingly frustrated by intrusive and overly sensitive ads, particularly from Expedia, which make scrolling difficult and often force users out of the app to a browser R9R13R21R22. Some users have deleted the app due to these ad practices . The recent addition of comments sections has also been criticized, with some users deleting the app because of it R1R19R40R43.
NYTimes NYTimes is a free-to-download app that relies on subscriptions, and many paying subscribers are highly annoyed by constant upsell prompts for family plans or additional subscriptions . Paying users also complain about numerous, large, disruptive, and unprofessional ads, especially video ads with unskippable pre-rolls that are longer than the content itself . Some content, particularly from The Athletic, is often paywalled even for subscribers , and users report being unable to access articles despite having an 'All Access' account .
Pick AP News if

You prioritize a free news experience and are willing to tolerate some technical glitches and intrusive ads for what many perceive as unbiased, breaking news R8R12. You are looking for a primary source of information without a paywall .

Pick NYTimes if

You value in-depth, high-quality journalism, a wide variety of content beyond just news, and are willing to pay for a subscription despite recurring upsell prompts and some app performance issues . You appreciate features like articles read aloud .

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of negative reviews regarding perceived political bias, making it a contentious point for users of both platforms. The free vs. paid asymmetry is notable; AP News's negative feedback often stems from ad intrusion, a common complaint for free apps, while NYTimes's complaints are frequently from paying subscribers about additional monetization efforts and UI changes.

Frequently asked

Do AP News and NYTimes apps have comment sections?
AP News recently integrated a comment section into its app, which has led to user complaints about censorship and a decline in the app's professionalism, causing some users to delete the app R1R19R40R43. The NYTimes app has a comments feature, but users report that it is not available on more controversial political articles and that the button to access comments was moved, making it less accessible .
Are there issues with notifications in these apps?
AP News users frequently report broken or unreliable push notifications, with settings for filtering notifications often not working, leading to an overload of irrelevant alerts or no notifications at all after updates R10R12R15R31. NYTimes users appreciate the breaking news alerts for staying informed , but there are no specific widespread complaints about notification functionality.
How do ads impact the user experience in these apps?
In AP News, ads, particularly from Expedia, are highly criticized for being overly sensitive, large, and frequent, often forcing users out of the app to a web browser while scrolling, making the app 'borderline unusable' for some R9R13R21R22. For NYTimes, even paying subscribers complain about constant upsell prompts for family plans and numerous, disruptive ads, especially video ads with unskippable pre-rolls that are longer than the actual content .

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. [R1] 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
  2. [R3] AP News 3/5 · US Not good on local news at all: The only “local news” this app ever provides for Delaware is other states sports news. Lame AP. Can get that info in any sports section of any paper. Hate sports in general. How about you have actual local news - or stop saying you do.
  3. [R4] AP News 1/5 · US AP is Now Proudly Biased: They leave out context and give ridiculous one-sided opinions.
  4. [R7] AP News 1/5 · US Absolutely biased as: It’s become an anti American mouthpiece.
  5. [R5] AP News 4/5 · US Scrolling dead zone created by story photos: When you tap on a link and a story loads, there is almost always a line of photographs that you can side-swipe through. These photos are placed in the center of the screen, and it creates a dead zone for vertical scrolling. To scroll down and read the story, you have to swipe near the top or bottom of the screen instead of in the middle where the thumb
  6. [R17] AP News 4/5 · US Some articles in app for weeks: I read AP news on an iPad each morning. I’ve noticed that some of the same articles have been there each day for weeks. My iPhone doesn’t seem to have the same problem. It is easier to read articles on the iPad but I am skipping over swaths of articles because they have been there for extended periods of time. Is this an AP updating issue? Or an iOs updating issue?
  7. [R18] AP News 3/5 · US Accessibility issues when using voiceover: When scrolling through articles with the voice screen, reader turned on, the app intermittently loses its place. It will drop down to the tabs, then you have to find your way back to the articles.
  8. [R29] AP News 4/5 · US Like news not layout: The home page isn’t compatible with the size of my iPhone 16 for some reason. The news flows off the page and I can only see one article at a time. Not going to use it even though I donated to AP
  9. [R2] 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.
  10. [R6] AP News 3/5 · US Not so Live: "Live" updates that are 24 hours old.
  11. [R8] AP News 4/5 · US It’s the news: The content of the app is good and well done and the articles are informative. The functionality of the app is hit or miss, though. Sometimes it opens, sometimes it doesn’t. I’d have knocked off an additional star for that issue, but the app is free unlike its main competitor (BBC).
  12. [R10] 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.
  13. [R9] 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.
  14. [R13] 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.
  15. [R19] 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
  16. [R40] 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.
  17. [R43] 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.
  18. [R12] 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
  19. [R15] 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
  20. [R31] 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
  21. [R21] 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.
  22. [R22] 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