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

AP News vs SmartNews

AP News 4.6★ · Free to download 70
Winner AP News
SmartNews 4.6★ · Free to download 55

AP News is generally preferred for its content quality and less aggressive advertising, despite some technical glitches, while SmartNews struggles with excessive ads, sensationalism, and perceived bias.

Full reviews: AP News · SmartNews

AP News is praised for its unbiased and reliable reporting, though users report issues with ads and app functionality. SmartNews offers a wide range of articles but is criticized for its high volume of ads, sensational headlines, and perceived political bias.

Head to head

Content Quality & Bias edge: AP NewsR1R4R7R11
AP News AP News is often lauded for its objective, unbiased, and high-quality journalism, with many users considering it a reliable source for news R11R12R14R20. However, some recent reviews indicate a perceived shift towards editorial bias, with accusations of one-sided opinions, censorship in comments, and a progressive agenda R1R4R7.
SmartNews SmartNews offers a variety of articles and is appreciated for keeping users informed . However, a significant number of users criticize it for being biased, particularly against certain political figures or parties . There are also complaints about sensationalized headlines that don't match article content, clickbait, and frivolous or untrue stories .
User Experience & Ads edge: AP NewsR5R8R9R10
AP News AP News users report issues with ads that are highly sensitive, causing accidental clicks and redirects to external sites, making scrolling difficult R9R13R21R22. Other usability complaints include slow loading times , broken push notifications R10R12R15R31, a scrolling 'dead zone' due to photos R5, and general app unreliability or crashing R8. Some users also dislike the recent addition of a comments section R1.
SmartNews SmartNews is heavily criticized for an overwhelming number of ads, including pop-ups, embedded ads, and video ads, which interrupt reading and lead to accidental clicks . Users also experience frustrating navigation issues, such as articles not opening, switching to headlines while scrolling, or being redirected to the homepage instead of the specific article . Some find the app's 'gamification' with rewards annoying .
Features & Customization tieR3R10R18R23
AP News AP News users desire better organization of news subjects , improved local news coverage R3R23, and the ability to zoom into photos . Issues with notification filtering R10 and font size are also noted. Some users experience problems with account login after updates R31 and accessibility for screen readers R18.
SmartNews SmartNews users appreciate the ability to block specific publishers but complain about the ineffectiveness of content curation, particularly for blocking biased or unwanted sources . There's a desire for better control over video feeds and the ability to disable rewards notifications . Some users also report issues with broken links, especially to TikTok .
Reliability & Performance edge: AP NewsR8R10R12R15
AP News AP News is described as reliably unreliable, with frequent app crashes, slow loading times, and articles that remain in the feed for weeks R8. Notifications are a consistent problem, often not working or delivering irrelevant alerts R10R12R15R31.
SmartNews SmartNews users report that the app can cause their phone to overheat and that articles often fail to open or close unexpectedly . The app's constant refreshing of articles while reading is also a source of annoyance .
Pick AP News if

You prioritize high-quality, generally unbiased reporting and are willing to tolerate some app functionality issues and intrusive ads.

Pick SmartNews if

You want a wide variety of news sources and don't mind a high volume of ads, sensational headlines, or perceived political bias.

Evidence note: Both apps are free, so negative reviews often stem from ad friction or general app issues. SmartNews has a much larger user base, which could contribute to a higher volume of varied complaints.

Frequently asked

Which app has better news coverage?
AP News is generally praised for its high-quality, extensive, and objective reporting, making it a reliable source for factual news R11R12R14R20. SmartNews offers a wide variety of articles but is frequently criticized for sensationalized headlines and perceived political bias .
Which app has fewer ads?
AP News users report issues with intrusive and highly sensitive ads that cause accidental clicks and redirects R9R13R21R22. SmartNews is heavily criticized for an overwhelming number of ads, including pop-ups, embedded ads, and video ads, which significantly disrupt the reading experience .
Are there any issues with notifications?
AP News users frequently report that push notifications are broken, either not working at all, delivering irrelevant alerts, or having issues with filtering settings R10R12R15R31. SmartNews users do not report widespread issues with notifications, though some mention being annoyed by 'rewards' notifications .

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. [R4] AP News 1/5 · US AP is Now Proudly Biased: They leave out context and give ridiculous one-sided opinions.
  3. [R7] AP News 1/5 · US Absolutely biased as: It’s become an anti American mouthpiece.
  4. [R11] AP News 5/5 · US My favorite news app: Unbiased news is hard to find these days. Thank you, AP!
  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. [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).
  7. [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.
  8. [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.
  9. [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.
  10. [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.
  11. [R23] AP News 4/5 · US SC “Local” News all Sports: I love to support AP news but there is very little news being reported out of South Carolina. Do better.
  12. [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
  13. [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
  14. [R14] AP News 5/5 · US Great Way to Get High Quality News: When I transitioned from getting my news on social media (I know, horrible) to credible news sources I did some research and decided to downloaded the AP News app. I’ve been using it over a year now and really enjoy it!
  15. [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!
  16. [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.
  17. [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.
  18. [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.
  19. [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

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