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

The Boston Globe vs NYTimes

The Boston Globe 4.6★ · Free + IAP 40
Winner NYTimes
NYTimes 4.8★ · Free to download 75

NYTimes is the superior choice for a news app, offering more reliable functionality and a wider range of content, despite some recent UI complaints and occasional ad issues, while The Boston Globe app is plagued by persistent login and technical problems.

Full reviews: The Boston Globe · NYTimes

NYTimes generally delivers a robust news experience with high-quality journalism, though recent UI changes and ad placements have drawn criticism. The Boston Globe app, in contrast, struggles with fundamental technical issues like login failures and poor navigation, significantly hindering user experience.

Head to head

Features & Content edge: NYTimesR8R10R12R14
The Boston Globe The Boston Globe is praised for its local and national news coverage, with users appreciating its professional and unbiased reporting R8R14. However, some users find its coverage limited compared to national papers and note a strong liberal bias R10. The games section is frequently criticized as outdated and unusable R12R22R45. Sharing articles is also limited, with only one free article allowed within 90 days .
NYTimes NYTimes is widely regarded as a 'gold standard' for journalism, offering comprehensive national and world news, in-depth articles, and diverse content including games . Users appreciate the quality of reporting and writing . However, some reviewers express concerns about political bias, particularly a perceived liberal slant and excessive focus on certain topics . There are also complaints about limited world event coverage and the use of AI to abbreviate stories .
Ease of Use & UX edge: NYTimesR4R6R9R13
The Boston Globe The Boston Globe app is frequently criticized for its clunky and frustrating user experience. Users report issues with articles loading as web versions requiring repeated logins R9R13, difficulty navigating R4R13, and the app losing its place in articles R13. The search function is not prominent enough R6, and some users find the font size too small on iPads . Recent updates have been described as a step backward in interface design R4.
NYTimes NYTimes generally offers a good app experience, but recent updates have introduced significant UX issues. Many users dislike the relocation of navigation controls, such as the back button, from the bottom to the top of the screen, making them harder to reach with a thumb R66R76R78R79. Some also report the app being slower and buggier after updates . There are requests for features like pinch-to-zoom on photos and the ability to download articles for offline reading .
Reliability & Performance edge: NYTimesR1R3R7R13
The Boston Globe The Boston Globe app suffers from severe and persistent reliability issues, particularly with login and authentication. Users frequently report being unable to log in, being asked to log in repeatedly, or having their subscription status not recognized R1R3R7R18. The app is described as 'clunky' and 'buggy' . Games often don't work after updates R22. Some users experience the app refreshing and exiting articles unexpectedly R13.
NYTimes NYTimes generally performs well, but some users report occasional glitches and performance issues. These include the app being slower and buggier , freezing and crashing , and issues with email verification for login . Some users also experience articles reloading incorrectly when switching apps or sections . Video ads are criticized for being longer than the content, hindering the experience R87R105.
Price & Value edge: NYTimesR1R3R7R18
The Boston Globe The Boston Globe offers a 'Free + IAP' model, with some users mentioning promotional $1 subscriptions R1. However, even paid subscribers face significant issues accessing content due to login problems, making the value questionable R1R3R7R18. Some users feel the digital subscription is too expensive, especially for retirees, and are frustrated by misleading $1 subscription teases .
NYTimes NYTimes is 'Free to download' but requires subscriptions for full access, which many users find worthwhile for the quality journalism . However, there are frequent complaints from paying subscribers about constant upsell attempts to upgrade subscriptions R85R109 and an excessive number of ads, even for paid users . Some users also report issues accessing 'All Access' content despite having a subscription R82.
Customer Support tieR3R25R36R82
The Boston Globe Customer support for The Boston Globe is generally criticized. Users report rude and unhelpful service, with agents assuming user error rather than acknowledging bugs R25R36. One user mentioned that support temporarily resolved a chronic login problem, but it recurred R3.
NYTimes NYTimes users report difficulty reaching human support, often encountering AI bots instead R82. One user mentioned trying to contact the Times about gift article errors without success R82.
Pick The Boston Globe if

you are a dedicated reader of Boston-area news and are willing to tolerate significant app frustrations and login issues for local coverage .

Pick NYTimes if

you prioritize comprehensive, high-quality national and international journalism and a generally more functional app experience, even with recent UI changes and occasional ad annoyances .

Evidence note: The Boston Globe has a significantly smaller number of reviews compared to NYTimes, leading to less comprehensive evidence for some dimensions. Many negative reviews for The Boston Globe focus on fundamental app functionality, while NYTimes' negative reviews are often about recent UI changes or specific content biases.

Frequently asked

Does The Boston Globe app have persistent login issues?
Yes, many users report persistent login and authentication issues with The Boston Globe app, frequently being asked to sign in multiple times a day or having their subscription status unrecognized R1R3R7R18.
Are there ads in the NYTimes app for paying subscribers?
Yes, paying NYTimes subscribers frequently report seeing numerous ads, including video ads that are often longer than the content, and feel that the app constantly pushes them to upgrade their subscription R85R87R105R109.
How do users feel about the games section in The Boston Globe app?
Users generally find the games section of The Boston Globe app to be outdated, glitchy, and almost unusable, with many reporting that games no longer work after updates R12R22R45.
Has the NYTimes app UI changed recently?
Yes, recent updates to the NYTimes app have moved navigation controls, such as the back button, from the bottom to the top of the screen, which many users find less intuitive and harder to reach R66R76R78R79.

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. [R8] The Boston Globe 5/5 · US Boston Globe: Very well done publication
  2. [R10] The Boston Globe 1/5 · US No longer journalism: Sadly this has become too biased to regularly read.
  3. [R12] The Boston Globe 3/5 · US Globe app review: The functionality of the news section of the app is pretty good and intuitive. If you are interested in playing the crossword or other typical newspaper games do not bother, that section of the app is wildly out of date and almost unusable.
  4. [R14] The Boston Globe 5/5 · US Professional Journalism: Concise, unbiased reporting of national & world events. A pleasurable reading experience.
  5. [R4] The Boston Globe 1/5 · US Format: I liked the old format much better. It was easier to get around the paper!
  6. [R6] The Boston Globe 3/5 · US Search function needs more prominence: I read the hard copy BG and only use the app to share articles with others. I want the search function obvious on the Home Screen. I’m tech literate so this is not a Luddite complaint.
  7. [R9] The Boston Globe 3/5 · US Why not make it work?: The app has a weird limitation. When I click a link using Gmail and it launches a web page that makes me login and then launches the app... Why not have the authentication built into the app like others?
  8. [R13] The Boston Globe 1/5 · US No Thought to UX: It refreshes and exits articles if you put the phone down for a second. Tons of articles just load the web version that then pops up a subscription pop up that you need to manually log in every time.
  9. [R1] The Boston Globe 1/5 · US doesn’t work: Your $1 for six months subscription doesn’t work. Signed up on May 10, now can’t get in.
  10. [R3] The Boston Globe 3/5 · US Can only log on or see on phone not on PC: Even though I am a paid subscriber I cannot read articles on a PC as I get challenged to log in. However clicking the log in icon produces no response. This is a chronic problem that was temporarily resolved by Support I can access the paper on the phone however.
  11. [R7] The Boston Globe 1/5 · US App doesn’t authenticate: Title says it all
  12. [R18] The Boston Globe 3/5 · US Forced to use the paper instead of app: One of my two iPads apparently can’t access the app version of The Globe which I much prefer to the e-paper. When I try to open the app globe it asks me to subscribe even though I have a current subscription.
  13. [R25] The Boston Globe 1/5 · US Terrible app experience: I’m consistently unable to get into article articles and the customer service associated with this is awful. I’ve called and they were so rude and unwilling to refund the charges. I didn’t even know we’re being charged to me. Don’t download this app.
  14. [R36] The Boston Globe 3/5 · US Great content, poor app and support: I’ve found at least 2 bugs in the app, and I reported each one. When I report a bug, the customer service agent seems to assume it’s a user error rather than a bug. For one bug, she told to restart the app and/or restart my phone. If you’re giving me a work around, acknowledge thaf it’s a bug.
  15. [R82] NYTimes 2/5 · US All Access?!?: I have an All Access digital account, yet when I login via a web browser, I receive a message stating I only have access to certain free articles. Via the iOS NYT app, I have been trying to send a gift article to my sister for a few days and keep receiving an error message. I tried logging into the web version and can’t even access the article! I tried contacting the NY Times, but c
  16. [R85] NYTimes 1/5 · US Constant Up-Sell: Can’t believe I’m in-subscribing but the constant nagging to upgrade my subscription, then GIFT subscriptions once you’re maxed out, has gotten too completely insane. The paper of record just feels like it can’t stop shaking its readers upside down for more pocket change. Very user-hostile.
  17. [R87] NYTimes 3/5 · US video advertising ruins experience.: I would otherwise give this app a pretty high rating, but the videos are utterly destroyed by their insistence of running a 30 second ad often in front of 10-15 second content. Want to watch that actual explosion? or the bear leaping at the guy.. spend the next half minute watching a car ad. I don’t know why they treat their video footage so poorly if they di
  18. [R105] NYTimes 3/5 · US Short videos w/ ads longer than vid: Overall very happy with the app. My only gripe, is still after 10 years of use, I’ve never watched a single video in the app. Frequently the videos are 30-90 seconds long, and have a 15-30 second unskippable ad. Why would I watch an ad for 20-60% of the video length?
  19. [R109] NYTimes 1/5 · US Poor UX: Please stop asking me to upgrade my subscription on every single page
  20. [R22] The Boston Globe 1/5 · US Games no longer work: The games no longer work after the latest update. I’ve given it months to see if they would resolve this and sadly they have not. Doing the crossword was my peace each evening. Very unfortunate.
  21. [R45] The Boston Globe 3/5 · US News great games bad: Love the journalism. Games are too glitchy to play. I’d love to delete my NYT games…
  22. [R66] NYTimes 3/5 · US A move backwards!: Still like the NYT overall, but to move the < (back icon) to the top is the most inelegant, unergonomic change imaginable. Do the right thing and return it to the proper place where a human thumb can reach (or at least give us the option)!
  23. [R76] NYTimes 2/5 · US Why move controls to the top: I like the app but now find myself struggling to use it when the control bar on each page has been moved to the top. Most people’s thumbs done reach there. It’s not a ui improvement by any means.
  24. [R78] NYTimes 3/5 · US Bring back the comments button to the bottom + Bring back pagination: Please move the comments and other toggle buttons back down to the bottom, kind of annoying for these tall iPhones to place them at the top. Also, I would LOVE the option to read in pages, just like when the first iPad version came out. Please bring it back!
  25. [R79] NYTimes 2/5 · US Unannounced chnanges: Years ago, after NYT moved the back button to the bottom, many readers complained but NYT left it as is. That navigation was logical because we read top to bottom in which the bottom back button is right there. Now, years later, with warning NYT moves the back button back to the top left of the screen, which makes no logical sense unless they read bottom right to left up to t

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