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

Bleacher Report vs ESPN

Bleacher Report 4.6★ · Free to download 60
Winner ESPN
ESPN 4.6★ · Free + IAP 70

For comprehensive sports coverage and reliable information, ESPN holds an edge, despite its own set of technical and content filtering issues, while Bleacher Report struggles with a recent decline in user experience due to excessive ads and poor updates.

Full reviews: Bleacher Report · ESPN

ESPN offers extensive sports coverage, live scores, and reliable information, though users report app crashes, slow loading, and issues with notification control and paid subscriptions. Bleacher Report, while praised for its wide variety of sports news, has seen a significant decline in user satisfaction due to overwhelming ads, broken notifications, and disliked app updates.

Head to head

Features & Content edge: ESPNR3R5R11R16
Bleacher Report Bleacher Report is appreciated for its wide variety of sports coverage and up-to-date scores, with users valuing it for keeping up with favorite teams and breaking news R5R11. However, many users lament the shift from written articles to more videos and opinions, and the removal of features like player stats and widgets R3. Some also report missing specific league coverage like UFL or tennis scores R16.
ESPN ESPN is highly praised for its comprehensive sports coverage, live scores, highlights, and timely breaking news, with many considering it their go-to source for sports information and stats . Users appreciate the ability to follow favorite teams and players . However, some users report a lack of coverage for specific leagues like AUSL or outdated schedules for others . There are also complaints about an overabundance of content for sports users don't follow, and a perceived political bias in commentary R72.
Ease of Use & User Experience tieR9R15R18R22
Bleacher Report Many long-time Bleacher Report users express strong dissatisfaction with recent updates, stating the app is no longer like before, harder to navigate, and has a terrible interface R9R22. Specific complaints include excessive white space, distracting featured videos, and a ruined comment section R15R18. Some also report issues with profile editing .
ESPN ESPN is generally described as easy to use and navigate, with a clean and intuitive interface . However, users frequently report issues with slow loading times and buffering . The app is also prone to crashing, sending users to the home page, or displaying blank screens when trying to read articles . Some find the navigation for specific events, like Wimbledon, frustrating R76.
Reliability & Performance tieR10R13R19R25
Bleacher Report Bleacher Report users report significant reliability issues, including not receiving notifications despite settings being enabled R10R13. The app is also criticized for ridiculously long load times, sometimes over 60 seconds, and being glitchy R19R25. Some users mention the app acting like it has malware due to ads .
ESPN ESPN is generally considered reliable for information . However, many users experience frequent app crashes and slow loading times . There are also reports of streaming issues, with live content stopping frequently . Notifications are a common point of frustration, with users receiving too many unwanted alerts or having them turn back on after being disabled R72R88.
Ads & Monetization edge: Bleacher ReportR1R4R6R12
Bleacher Report Bleacher Report users are overwhelmingly negative about the increase in ads, describing them as excessive, intrusive, and making the app unusable R1R6R12. Pop-ups and redirects to third-party sites are common, giving the app an unsafe feel R1R12. Users feel the app prioritizes ad revenue over user experience R4.
ESPN ESPN offers a free app with in-app purchases (IAP), but even paid subscribers report issues with ads. Users who paid for subscriptions, such as for Wimbledon, still experienced numerous and repetitive ads, even during important moments in matches R76R79R93. There are also complaints about multiple paywalls and required subscriptions to access all content .
Support & Community tieR7R13R15R18
Bleacher Report Bleacher Report's customer service is criticized for being unhelpful, with one user reporting a dismissive response to a notification issue and then no further communication R13. The comment section and forums are frequently mentioned as being poorly managed, toxic, and full of racism, sexism, and political bullying, with inconsistent censorship R7R15R18.
ESPN Reviews for ESPN do not specifically mention customer support experiences. However, the app's community aspect is impacted by complaints about political commentary and perceived bias .
Pick Bleacher Report if

Pick Bleacher Report if you prioritize a wide variety of sports news and scores and are willing to tolerate significant ad interruptions and a potentially frustrating user experience R5R11.

Pick ESPN if

Pick ESPN if you need comprehensive, reliable sports information, live scores, and highlights, and are prepared to deal with occasional app crashes, slow loading, and potentially intrusive notifications, even with a paid subscription .

Evidence note: The evidence for Bleacher Report is heavily skewed towards recent negative experiences, particularly regarding ads and updates, which contrasts with its higher lifetime rating. ESPN's reviews also show a mix of strong positive feedback for content and significant negative feedback for technical issues and monetization.

Frequently asked

Why are Bleacher Report users so unhappy with recent updates?
Bleacher Report users are unhappy with recent updates because they introduced an overwhelming number of ads, made the app difficult to navigate, removed popular features like widgets and player stats, and changed the content focus from written articles to more videos and opinions R1R3R6R9.
Does ESPN's paid subscription remove ads?
No, ESPN's paid subscription does not reliably remove ads; users who purchased subscriptions, such as for Wimbledon for $29.99, still reported experiencing numerous and repetitive commercials, sometimes interrupting important moments in matches R76R79R93R112.
Which app is better for breaking news notifications?
While Bleacher Report is known for being fast with breaking news, many users report not receiving notifications at all, even with all settings enabled R10R13. ESPN users also experience notification issues, but more commonly complain about receiving too many unwanted notifications for sports they don't follow, rather than a complete lack of alerts R72R88.

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] Bleacher Report 3/5 · US Not like before: App needs the widget back!
  2. [R5] Bleacher Report 5/5 · US Goated: Been using this app for over 10 years, great way to keep up with all ur fav teams across all the diff leagues
  3. [R11] Bleacher Report 5/5 · US You’re the best: I love this app. I love it so much because my kid loves to see all his basketball trades and you could literally see any sport you want hockey soccer football take your pic baseball. It’s just the best thing and you should turn on notifications so you get whenever you pick your things
  4. [R16] Bleacher Report 1/5 · US MISSING UFL GAME DAY SCORES!: You guys have a category for UFL but absolutely nothing for game days or game scores!
  5. [R9] Bleacher Report 3/5 · US Old BR: Loved the old version. This one not so much
  6. [R15] Bleacher Report 3/5 · US Comment section: Why did you ruin this?
  7. [R18] Bleacher Report 3/5 · US UPGRADE: The app needs a major upgrade for the forum section of the app. Users need a more galvanizing experience when interacting with other users. A few years ago this app was easily a 5 star rating. I have faith that it will return to that status.
  8. [R22] Bleacher Report 2/5 · US Downhill: Used to be a great app but now it’s just a big mess.
  9. [R10] Bleacher Report 1/5 · US Not receiving notifications: I changed iphones to a most recent one (from iphone 12 to iphone 17) and I haven’t received a notification since. Every setting in the device and in the app regarding allowing notifications are enabled and Im still having this issue. I have tried every troubleshooting Ive found and it still not working. I recently deleted my account and I’ll be deleting this app. I co
  10. [R13] Bleacher Report 1/5 · US Awful: This app is awful simply because I never get notifications. The reason for this app is B/R is the fastest around when it comes to breaking news. I contacted customer service last week, told them the issue. They replied with a screenshot with how notifications should be set up. Like duh, acting I don’t know what I am doing. Sent a message back and it’s been crickets ever since. 🤦🏻‍♂️
  11. [R19] Bleacher Report 1/5 · US Load Times to Open App Ridiculous: Wtf happen to this it take 60+ second to open every time anytime anywhere.
  12. [R25] Bleacher Report 1/5 · US Latest update: Nothing is updating under any genre, again a bad update
  13. [R1] Bleacher Report 2/5 · US Ads: I’ve used this app for years but recently I can’t even use it anymore because I’m not getting so many ads on it that I can’t navigate the app. It’s filled with pop-ups and anytime I try to read anything or just navigate the app it’s redirecting me to a third party site. It’s giving off the feel of an unsafe website that will lead to viruses. It’s a shame that the app has gotten to this point.
  14. [R4] Bleacher Report 1/5 · US 11 FEB Update: Today’s update is straight trash. I don’t know what the developers were thinking. Then had the nerve to have the new BR icon in the sideline of the game. Focus less on the marketing and more on the actual app. Update 30 Jun they still need to update notifications and the comment section.
  15. [R6] Bleacher Report 3/5 · US Ads getting worse: I feel like the ads are starting to get worse. It’s starting to be a task just to look at one article, and have to scroll past 15 ads. Please figure something out.
  16. [R12] Bleacher Report 3/5 · US ?: While scrolling will occasionally send ads to browser. Stop!
  17. [R7] Bleacher Report 1/5 · US Racist, Sexist App: This app is an absolute disgrace to sports fans. Racist, sexist, Antisemitism, political bullying is the norm! Reporting to content creators does not matter! Bleacher Report has no credibility when it comes to authentic sports reporting! Time to DELETE for good!
  18. [R76] ESPN 1/5 · US The worst: Downloaded this to watch Wimbledon and have found it incredibly frustrating to find the matches I want to see or navigate all the noise. Plus the amount and repetition of ads is crazy making.
  19. [R79] ESPN 1/5 · US Do not waste your money on subscriptions: I subscribed to ESPN specifically to watch the Wimbledon 2026 men’s and women’s singles matches in the US. Because of the time difference, the matches are played while I’m at work, so I expected to watch the replays in the evening. Instead, I paid for a subscription that still includes a lot of advertising, and by the time I get home, many of the matches
  20. [R93] ESPN 3/5 · US 29.99 for adds: Purchased the app to watch Wimbledon matches. I think for 29.99$ I don’t have to watch 2 min ads every time I want to fast forward the video. Those ads are so annoying!
  21. [R112] ESPN 1/5 · US Commercials: I pay for espn unlimited I should get no commercials. They throw in commercials in the middle of matches when the announcers are explaining something important. Just let me watch without a damn commercial, I’m not gonna buy whatever is on there because I saw a commercial on here.
  22. [R72] ESPN 3/5 · US Just one little tweak: All espn has to do is stop notifying people about the sports they didn’t pick I’m a Christian American why do I care about soccer when the nba and nfl offseason are going on
  23. [R88] ESPN 1/5 · US Notifications: Every time I turn the notifications off somehow they come back on

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