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

NEWS CENTER Maine vs Portland

NEWS CENTER Maine 4.7★ · Free to download 65
Winner NEWS CENTER Maine
Portland 4.7★ · Free to download 45

NEWS CENTER Maine is slightly better if you prioritize local news content and a stable user experience, while Portland struggles with frequent crashes and an ad-heavy interface.

Full reviews: NEWS CENTER Maine · Portland

Both NEWS CENTER Maine and Portland are free local news apps that have recently undergone updates, leading to user frustration. NEWS CENTER Maine's update caused issues with weather features and navigation, but many users still appreciate its local focus. Portland, however, is plagued by more severe technical issues like frequent crashes and an overwhelming number of ads.

Head to head

Local News Content edge: NEWS CENTER MaineR2R3R5R6
NEWS CENTER Maine NEWS CENTER Maine is praised for its strong local news coverage, with users appreciating the ability to stay informed about Maine events and the personable news team R2R5. However, some recent updates have made it difficult to find specific articles or local sports R3R6.
Portland Portland also provides local news, which is valued by former residents and those keeping up with Oregon and Washington . However, some users feel the app focuses too much on national news or specific topics like homelessness, and that actual news content gets lost amidst ads .
Weather Features tieR1R7R10R17
NEWS CENTER Maine NEWS CENTER Maine's weather radar and forecasts were highly valued by users, but a recent update has rendered the weather tab unusable for many, with missing information and a horrible new radar R1R7R10. Some users also report occasional issues with weather video R17 and difficulty searching for specific zip codes R20.
Portland Portland users appreciate the weather information and radar, often using it as their primary source . However, similar to App A, updates have made it harder to find daily high/low temperatures or the 10-day forecast R66. Some users also report the weather section causing crashes .
Ease of Use and Navigation tieR3R4R6R7
NEWS CENTER Maine NEWS CENTER Maine's recent update significantly impacted navigation, making it difficult to find articles, access specific programs, or even locate the weather section R3R4R6R7. Some users find the new layout confusing, though a few are adjusting to it .
Portland Portland's app also suffers from navigation issues, with users finding the layout confusing and content difficult to locate after updates . Notifications often don't lead directly to the relevant story , and the interface is described as busy and cluttered .
Reliability and Performance edge: NEWS CENTER MaineR13R25R33R43
NEWS CENTER Maine NEWS CENTER Maine users report frequent crashes, freezing upon opening, and general unresponsiveness, especially after recent updates R25R33R43. Some also experience issues with live stream banners obscuring content R13.
Portland Portland is heavily criticized for its poor reliability, with frequent crashes, freezing, and buffering issues on both iOS and Apple TV R79. Users often have to delete and reinstall the app to fix issues .
Ads and User Experience edge: NEWS CENTER MaineR3R19R20R35
NEWS CENTER Maine NEWS CENTER Maine users complain about loud commercials R35, suspicious ad links R20, and inappropriate ads . Some also dislike the new red logo and the removal of dark mode R3R19.
Portland Portland users are overwhelmingly negative about the excessive number of ads, which are described as constant, overwhelming, and disruptive to the news content . Ads are also noted for increasing in volume and appearing during emergencies . The lack of dark mode is also a common complaint .
Pick NEWS CENTER Maine if

you prioritize local news and weather (despite recent update issues) and want a more stable app experience with fewer overwhelming ads R2R5.

Pick Portland if

you are an Oregonian living out of state and want to keep up with news from home, and are willing to tolerate frequent app crashes and a high volume of ads .

Evidence note: Both apps have a similar lifetime rating, but recent reviews for both indicate significant dissatisfaction following updates. The evidence for Portland's reliability issues and ad saturation is particularly strong and consistent across many reviews.

Frequently asked

Are these apps free to use?
Yes, both NEWS CENTER Maine and Portland are free to download and use (App A description, App B description).
Do these apps support Apple TV?
NEWS CENTER Maine states it supports iOS platforms, but users report no dedicated Apple TV app, only iPhone compatibility R51R59. Portland users also experience significant streaming and buffering issues with their Apple TV app R79.
Can I adjust font size in these apps?
Portland users report that after updates, they can no longer adjust font size for articles within the app, and iOS font settings do not affect body text R66R73. Reviews for NEWS CENTER Maine do not specifically mention font size issues.

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. [R2] NEWS CENTER Maine 5/5 · US John: So nice to have an app with local news.
  2. [R3] NEWS CENTER Maine 3/5 · US Where are the articles?: Loaded the new version last night. First of all, why is the new logo red? This is an angry/non-calming color. Besides that, I was excited to try out the new app. However, it seems that there are mostly videos now. I liked being able to read pieces before or watch a video. 95% of the time I read the article. This is frustrating that I no longer have this option. ☹️
  3. [R5] NEWS CENTER Maine 5/5 · US We only watch you all!: We truly enjoy watching News Center Maine. This is by far the best news cast around! It’s thorough, explained well and we enjoy all of the newscasters. Keep up the great work.
  4. [R6] NEWS CENTER Maine 3/5 · US Difficult to find articles: When a topic is discussed, such as Gardening with Guttner, it is difficult to find. I’ve posted videos on Near Me, cannot find any evidence that it was a successful submission…
  5. [R1] NEWS CENTER Maine 1/5 · US New update is horrible: I use the weather radar on this app all the time and it was great. Well they decided to update and now it is a joke! The new radar is horrible! Why oh why would you change it. Guess I need to find a new app.
  6. [R7] NEWS CENTER Maine 1/5 · US Horrible update: Whoever designed this update should be fired. I used to use this app frequently now it’s almost unusable. I don’t even know where to go and see the weather.
  7. [R10] NEWS CENTER Maine 1/5 · US Weather Tab: When I open the weather tab it does display any information. I have reviewed all my settings and updated the app. The old app worked great.
  8. [R17] NEWS CENTER Maine 5/5 · US Weather: Occasionally the weather does not show video of the weather. Not sure why that is.
  9. [R4] NEWS CENTER Maine 1/5 · US Designer may need to be examined…: They should bring back the OLD version of the app. Whoever put the new one together should reconsider. I hate the new version and actually deleted it because it’s TERRIBLE! I did reinstall because the website can’t give me LOCAL weather, only Portland and Bangor. Previously, when I wanted any kind of news, News Center Maine was my immediate “go to”. However, wit
  10. [R13] NEWS CENTER Maine 1/5 · US Please Fix ASAP!: I hate the updates. When I watch live, the NCM live banner, volume, CC and full screen buttons never go away at the bottom of the screen. These cover the actual news ticker that is scrolling. Please fix!
  11. [R25] NEWS CENTER Maine 1/5 · US Crashes: The app constantly freezes the screen upon opening.
  12. [R33] NEWS CENTER Maine 1/5 · US Terrible App: This App has been downloaded so many times and its functionality is terrible gets stuck for days on a topic and there is no way to refresh. It really stinks.
  13. [R43] NEWS CENTER Maine 2/5 · US Buggy: I use the app on an iPad and it constantly lags, or crashes, or both. And the ads repeat ad nauseous. Would prefer local ads over “hooked on sports” garbage. Please get the bugs out of this thing…you are giving NewsCenter Maine a bad image.
  14. [R19] NEWS CENTER Maine 1/5 · US Ridiculous: Where did dark mode go? And the dark mode icon? Red is hideous and I do not want to have to see it constantly
  15. [R20] NEWS CENTER Maine 4/5 · US Mostly good: It’s a fairly standard news app, a mix of local and national headlines, weather, and a smattering of suspicious and questionable ad links at the end of the articles. One huge improvement to this app would be adding the ability to search for a zip code or city/state combo on the weather tab without needing to add it as one of the five save-able options. Sometime I just want to search
  16. [R35] NEWS CENTER Maine 2/5 · US Commercial Volume: The volume increase during commercials is unnecessary.
  17. [R51] NEWS CENTER Maine 2/5 · US Apple TV ?: The NCM web site describes access for platforms Roku, firetv,android, and IOS I purchased Apple Tv (IOS). There is no such App on IOS. SO it’s a lie. Yes my iPhone has the App but nothing for Apple Tv. So I get my news from NBC Boston, NBC Connecticut. NBC Is has no local news for northern New England as NCM states.
  18. [R59] NEWS CENTER Maine 2/5 · US No AppleTV???: Why not? if you change this so it will be a four. There is issues with the app.
  19. [R79] Portland 1/5 · US Your app sucks and it never functions correctly: There is something terribly wrong with your live stream. It is a coin flip whether or not your Apple TV app or your iOS app will actually stream the morning news or stop every two seconds and buffer for another 10. This has been going on for over a year.
  20. [R66] Portland 3/5 · US Miss the old features: I love the reporting. However, Since the update I can’t get the articles to increase in font size. Never had that issue before. Also since the update I can’t easily find the high & low temp for the day, forget trying to see the 10 day forecast. I used to always check KGW weather as it seemed most accurate but now I just check the google weather app.
  21. [R73] Portland 1/5 · US New version not as good: This new version lacks font size control. There is no way to enlarge the font of articles. Using the font size adjustment in iOS has no body text effect. And there is no app feedback option within the app.

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