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

AP News vs CNN

AP News 4.6★ · Free to download 70
Winner AP News
CNN 4.8★ · Free + IAP 55

AP News is the better choice for users seeking a free news app with a focus on objective reporting, despite its technical glitches and intrusive ads, while CNN's app is hampered by paywalls and persistent bugs even for subscribers.

Full reviews: AP News · CNN

AP News offers a free, generally reliable source for news, though users report issues with ads and notifications. CNN's app, while highly rated overall, faces significant criticism for its aggressive paywall, broken features, and poor user experience for both free and paid users.

Head to head

Content & Bias edge: AP NewsR1R3R4R7
AP News AP News is praised by many users for its objective and unbiased reporting, making it a trusted source for news without spin R12R20. However, a significant number of users also report a perceived shift towards bias, with some calling it 'anti-American' or promoting an 'extreme progressive agenda' R1R4R7. Some users also find the local news coverage lacking, especially for specific states R3.
CNN CNN is generally seen as providing timely and informative news coverage . Some users appreciate its in-depth reporting and balanced approach . However, similar to AP News, some users express strong opinions about perceived bias, with one calling a reporter 'anti-American' and another noting a 'highly biased' reporting style . There's also criticism about the over-reliance on video content instead of text articles .
Ease of Use & Reliability tieR5R10R12R13
AP News AP News users report frequent issues with app functionality, including slow loading times , articles getting stuck for weeks , and the app crashing . Scrolling is often difficult due to 'dead zones' created by photos R5 and overly sensitive ads R13R21R24. Notifications are a major pain point, with users receiving too many irrelevant alerts or none at all, and filters not working R10R12R15. Accessibility for voiceover users is also problematic .
CNN CNN's app is plagued by freezing issues while reading articles , and widgets frequently stop working or display blank content R68R69R76R78. Many users, including subscribers, report being repeatedly logged out or unable to access their accounts across devices R64. The app also has issues with audio control, stopping background music , and videos starting halfway through or crashing .
Features & Design tieR1R19R20R29
AP News Users appreciate the high-quality articles and photographs R20. However, the app lacks basic features like organizing news by subject and the ability to zoom into photos . The recent addition of a comments section is widely criticized for censorship and creating an unprofessional environment R1R19. Some users dislike the new design, finding it clunky or incompatible with their screen size R29, and the font size can be problematic .
CNN CNN's app is criticized for not offering actual live TV feeds as expected by subscribers . The widget functionality is a major point of frustration R68R69R76R78. Users also report a poor user experience for paid features, such as videos not resuming where they left off and difficulty finding saved stories . There's a desire for features like dark mode and better accessibility settings .
Price & Value edge: AP NewsR8R9R13R21
AP News AP News is free to download and use, which many users appreciate R8R26. However, the app has recently become heavily monetized with intrusive ads, particularly from Expedia, which are highly sensitive and redirect users out of the app, making it 'borderline unusable' for some R9R13R21.
CNN CNN's app is free to download but heavily relies on in-app purchases and subscriptions. Many users are frustrated by frequent paywalls that limit them to reading only a few articles before requiring a subscription R67R73R94. Even paid subscribers report issues, such as still seeing ads and not getting the expected live TV content . The subscription fee has also increased for some users R64.
Customer Support tieR2R15R64R65
AP News AP News users report difficulty finding ways to provide feedback on bugs R2. There's a general sentiment that developers don't read reviews or address persistent issues like broken notifications R2R15.
CNN CNN has received praise for quick responses from their AI system and email support to resolve subscription issues R65. However, many users report persistent, unaddressed bugs, especially with widgets and login problems, even after updates R64R78.
Pick AP News if

You prioritize free access to news and value a source generally perceived as objective, even if it means dealing with some technical glitches and intrusive ads R8R12R26.

Pick CNN if

You are a dedicated CNN viewer who wants to access their content on the go and are willing to pay for a subscription, understanding that you might still encounter ads and app bugs .

Evidence note: The lifetime ratings for CNN are significantly higher, but recent reviews heavily skew negative, particularly concerning its paywall and app functionality issues for both free and paid users. AP News, while having a slightly lower lifetime rating, has a more consistent mix of positive and negative recent feedback, with its main downsides being ads and technical bugs rather than core content access.

Frequently asked

Does AP News have a free version?
Yes, AP News is free to download and use, with many users appreciating that it provides news without a paywall R8R26.
Why am I seeing so many ads on AP News?
AP News has recently increased the frequency and size of ads, with many users reporting highly sensitive ads (especially from Expedia) that redirect them out of the app when trying to scroll, making the app difficult to use R9R13R21R24.
Does CNN require a subscription to read articles?
Yes, CNN's app limits free users to a certain number of articles (often reported as 5) before requiring a paid subscription to continue reading R67R73R94R106.
Are CNN's widgets working on iOS?
No, many CNN users report that their widgets are not working on iOS, displaying blank content or failing to load headlines, even after app updates and troubleshooting R68R69R76R78.

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. [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.
  7. [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
  8. [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.
  9. [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
  10. [R20] AP News 5/5 · US Avid reader: The AP news consistent and reliable source of information updates, the absolute best for articles and photographs!
  11. [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
  12. [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).
  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. [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.
  15. [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.
  16. [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
  17. [R64] 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!
  18. [R65] 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.
  19. [R26] AP News 5/5 · US The Best of MSM: This is the best I’ve found of clear and unbiased reporting and it’s not password-protected or locked, which is amazing. We should support this source of news. It’s a dying breed which we need to keep alive in the spirit of real journalism.
  20. [R24] AP News 3/5 · US Annoying ads: Recently this app increased the vertical size of many ads, making it very difficult to scroll through articles without touching and triggering them to open in a new page. SO ANNOYING!!! Getting my news elsewhere until this stops.
  21. [R67] CNN 2/5 · US Deleting app: Every time I try to read an article newsworthy it says I reached my free limit. DELETED!!!
  22. [R73] 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.
  23. [R94] CNN 1/5 · US Reading limit.. horrible: I think it’s horrible that CNN limits the amount of stories you can view. Capitalism at it’s worse. You have sponsors and now subscribers but you still have to limit how many stories we can view. Stupid
  24. [R106] CNN 1/5 · US Greedy: You can only read 5 articles until you have to become a paid subscriber to keep reading
  25. [R68] 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
  26. [R69] 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.
  27. [R76] CNN 1/5 · US Widget totally broken: The widget doesn’t work at all on iOS 26.
  28. [R78] 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?

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