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

CNBC vs MarketWatch

CNBC 4.7★ · Free to download 65
Winner Tie
MarketWatch 4.7★ · Free + IAP 68

MarketWatch is a better choice for users primarily interested in financial news articles and basic market data, while CNBC is better for those who prioritize live video streaming and a more comprehensive suite of market data features, provided they can tolerate its numerous technical issues.

Full reviews: CNBC · MarketWatch

CNBC and MarketWatch both offer financial news and market data, but CNBC struggles with app stability and video streaming, while MarketWatch faces criticism for its paywall and a lack of advanced features. Both apps receive mixed reviews regarding content bias and subscription value.

Head to head

Features tieR3R5R11R26
CNBC CNBC users appreciate features like Picture-in-Picture for live streams and the availability of UK market times R26. However, many users report missing key data points like 52-week highs and lows, and metals prices R3R11. There are also requests for an iPhone stock market widget R5.
MarketWatch MarketWatch users value features like quick notifications, small summaries of market data, and watchlist functionality . However, users complain about the absence of a dark mode, limited charting capabilities, and the inability to save articles R69R96. Some find the interface clunky and features limited compared to competitors .
Ease of Use & Reliability tieR4R6R9R13
CNBC CNBC users frequently report issues with the app's reliability, including videos freezing, articles not loading, and live streams failing to work R4R6R9R13. Some users also experience login problems, especially with cable providers and Apple TV . The app is also criticized for not being accessible for blind users .
MarketWatch MarketWatch users report bugs such as articles not opening, watchlists not working, and login issues requiring frequent re-authentication . Some find the interface complicated or clunky, and navigation on newer iPhones can be poor .
Price/Value edge: CNBCR10R15R57R58
CNBC CNBC is free to download, but users complain about an overload of ads and constant prompts to 'Get Pro' or 'join Club' R10. Some paid subscribers feel the subscription is expensive for the content provided, especially with frequent technical issues and commercials R15R57R58.
MarketWatch MarketWatch is free to download but charges for most articles, leading to user frustration and claims of false advertising regarding subscription pricing R64R70R85R94. Users feel the news is slow and not worth the fee, especially when similar information is available for free elsewhere R97.
Content Quality & Bias tieR7R21R24R32
CNBC CNBC's content is generally praised for being informative and timely, with good coverage and well-informed analysis R32. However, many users criticize the app for political bias, particularly against certain political figures, and for airing irrelevant political content R7R21R24. Some also note that financial data display leaves much to be desired .
MarketWatch MarketWatch articles are often described as well-written and useful R69. However, a significant number of users accuse MarketWatch of political bias, particularly a negative lean against Republicans and Trump R70. Some users also express distrust in the news due to perceived author bias .
Support tieR20R25R43R64
CNBC CNBC users report issues with customer support, mentioning problems around renewal times and difficulty finding support for video issues R25R43. One user also cited a privacy violation by client support R20.
MarketWatch MarketWatch users report difficulties with customer service, including receiving error messages when trying to email support and a lack of information for subscription issues R64.
Pick CNBC if

you prioritize live financial news streaming and are willing to tolerate frequent app performance issues and ads for access to timely market information R26R32.

Pick MarketWatch if

you prefer reading financial news articles and don't mind paying for a subscription, or if you only need basic market data and notifications .

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of negative reviews, particularly concerning technical issues and content paywalls/ads. The lifetime ratings are high, but recent reviews skew more negative, suggesting a decline in user satisfaction for both apps.

Frequently asked

Does CNBC offer a stock market widget for iPhone?
No, CNBC does not currently offer a stock market widget for iPhone, but users have requested this feature R5.
Why am I being charged for MarketWatch articles?
MarketWatch operates on a freemium model where most articles require a subscription fee to read, which frustrates users who expect free access to financial news R70R85R94R97.
Is CNBC's live streaming reliable?
CNBC's live streaming is frequently reported as unreliable, with users experiencing issues like videos freezing, streams not loading, and audio problems across various devices R6R13R16R18.
Does MarketWatch have a dark mode?
No, MarketWatch does not currently offer a dark mode, which is a common complaint among users R69R96.

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. [R3] CNBC 3/5 · US Metals prices missing: Under Commodities, the entire Metals prices are missing. Does anyone else have this problem?
  2. [R5] CNBC 5/5 · US Please Add A stock market Widget For IPhone: This App Is wonderful the Benifits of knowledge is awesome I just wish it had some Widgets for I can see the updates faster thank you
  3. [R11] CNBC 4/5 · US Missing High Lows: The new version is missing 52 week highs and lows!!
  4. [R26] CNBC 5/5 · GB Excellent all across: Excellent that the Picture in Picture feature was reinstated, this is absolutely essential. Thank you for listening to the feedback. Otherwise; 5-star coverage and newsflow.
  5. [R4] CNBC 1/5 · US App won’t load lately: For the last few months I’m having issues where stories just won’t load. I have to reconnect to my wifi to make it work. Sort of annoying I’m assuming it’s tied to their spammy ads and my Unifi system blocking them. App used to work great, but since the spinoff has been bad.
  6. [R6] CNBC 3/5 · US Live stream on iPad stopped working: I’m so frustrated I cannot stream cnbc on my iPad. I constantly remove and reinstall but doesn’t help. Worked fine before the split.
  7. [R9] CNBC 3/5 · US Live streaming not working.: The app used to be great but when they changed the logo it went downhill. Will try deleting and reinstalling.
  8. [R13] CNBC 1/5 · US Videos Freeze: I don’t understand for the life of me how this is a five star rated app. This app is absolutely horrible and has gotten worse since Versant bought out the company. The videos freeze about 20% into it. The charts are incredibly amateur and lag the videos take so long to come out after they’ve been played. Do better this is garbage.
  9. [R10] CNBC 2/5 · US CNBC gets worse with each upgrade :( Get Pro, join Club, Ad overload!: CNBC gets worse with each upgrade :( Get Pro, join Club, Ad overload!
  10. [R15] CNBC 3/5 · US Good Investment Information: I enjoy listening to the information shared but i gave it a 3 because there are to many commercials for the high price subscription.
  11. [R57] CNBC 3/5 · GB Good but thanks: This app is a perfect app for business news. However when it comes to subscription, it’s not cheap. It when you pay for subscription, you have certain expectations. Things like Picture in Picture, doesn’t work well on IOS, PAID SUBSCRIPTION os only consist of live CNBC channel and doesn’t give access to entertainment section of the app. come on, $29.99 a month only give you ac
  12. [R58] CNBC 1/5 · US Video freezes A LOT: I pay $150 for this subscription but video constantly freezes. I am on a newer and fully updated iPhone, and never experience this issue with any other apps on my device. Also, there is no way to associate you account on a smart tv, so you can only cast from a mobile device. I expected more for $150. Free video apps perform better. That said, the content itself is great for
  13. [R7] CNBC 2/5 · US Articles are biased at best, propaganda at worst.: I look at the quotes, whoever writes the articles are left wing activists that are too biased. I don’t watch CNBC anymore because of the bias and lies.
  14. [R21] CNBC 3/5 · US News ? Halfway news? Part schmoooze?: CNBC has today’s trumpp live BS trumpcast on live for extended viewing. Waste of time without subtitles or a counter blast of this idiots mindless 4th grade emotional outburst ( a 4th grader from a horriblly dysfunctional family) CNBC does not accurately broadcast the news about the horror show of the GOP, the WH occupant, the cabinet members of presidenti
  15. [R24] CNBC 3/5 · US Political bias: Steve Less-man’s Political bias is Disgusting! And a real dis-service to your viewers. Still wrong on tariffs, still wrong on inflation,still wrong on everything due to TDS. Andrew is a child with child views of the world. Sara and Joe are both thoughtful and reasonable and clearly the adults in the room.
  16. [R32] CNBC 5/5 · GB Frank Moseley: Excellent coverage. Well informed Half Time report very good.
  17. [R20] CNBC 4/5 · GB client support: private affiliate seeking security clearances on communities and families violates email privacy
  18. [R25] CNBC 1/5 · US Not working!!! Lousy support!!!: Have had a problem every month around renew time. It won’t work for a week before and after!🙃
  19. [R43] CNBC 1/5 · US Video hangs frequently: Several times a minute the video will either hang and I have to restore the page or the sound turns off and I have to hit the speaker icon to turn it back on. That means I miss a lot of the information. This happens on the web app and on the iOS app. This morning I couldn’t get the Investing Club Morning Meeting to work at all. That’s usually where I get the most informat
  20. [R64] MarketWatch 1/5 · US False Advertising: I subscribed to MarketWatch under the pretense that I would be charged $3.99/month for the first 12 months of my subscription and then subsequently charged $19.99/month following the 12 month period. I resubscribed and was charged $19.99 and there is no customer service or information provided. This behavior is predatory and false advertising.
  21. [R70] MarketWatch 1/5 · US I Hate the Wall Street Journal: Totally communist editorial and non-business news. Also, they tease you with part of an article then ask you to pay an exorbitant fee for a subscription. Are you kidding me?
  22. [R85] MarketWatch 1/5 · US Why charge for reading??: Plenty of sources to go to for the same information for free
  23. [R94] MarketWatch 1/5 · US Cost: They now want to charge you to read just about any articles
  24. [R97] MarketWatch 1/5 · US Every news item cost money: There is nothing to read here except the front page. Marketwatch does not understand that stock market news and opinion are free of charge elsewhere, like MS Edge news collections.
  25. [R16] CNBC 1/5 · US Livestream never loads: I hardly ever leave reviews and almost never leave negative reviews but this app has been so frustrating. I have to refresh it 30+ times to get the livestream to even load and sometimes it just never does and I can't watch that morning. Then sometimes I have to go through the same process after stops working after a commercial break. No one has time for that. I know it's sp
  26. [R18] CNBC 3/5 · US Audio Issues: When watching livestream, I can hardly hear it. Since last update, even after raising volume on phone to max or via bluetooth speaker, the audio is very low. Hopefully it gets fixed.
  27. [R69] MarketWatch 3/5 · US Decent: I generally like the app. Most articles are written well. Some are useful. I find them much better than others. My main complaint is that the app doesn’t allow for a Dark Mode. In this day and age, not having a Dark Mode is surprising.
  28. [R96] MarketWatch 3/5 · US Desperately need dark mode: My eyes are getting blind

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