News app screenshots that make a comparison
Better than, unlike, instead of. A comparison borrows what the reader already knows: the old way, the usual price, the other kind of app.
From the top 98 free News apps on the US App Store, read on October 9, 2026. Screenshots are the developers’ own, shown from Apple’s servers with a link to each app.
The numbers
Apps that do it
9% 9 of 98
Screenshots that do it
2% 9 of 517
The top ten
0 of 10 against 9 of the other 88
9 of the 517 News screenshots read (2%) do this, across 9 of the top 98 apps (9%). 0 of the top ten do it (0%), against 9 of the other 88 (10%): the top ten do it less than the rest. Of the 23 categories read so far, News is 5th for this. It is most common in Finance (17% of apps) and least common in Travel (2%).
All 9 examples from the chart.
Every one of the News app screenshots that make a comparison on the chart, the highest app first.
“Find calm in the chaos”
“The #1 most downloaded podcast app”
“Replace doom scrolling with meaningful reading.”
“America's #1 most trusted news source”
“A much better core viewing experience.”
“THE #1 FREE STREAMING NEWS CHANNEL”
“The #1 app for UFO sightings”
“NO SWIPES → GO INSTANT CHAT”
“DECIDE FOR YOURSELF”
Real headline examples, word for word.
The words on all 9 that carry any, as each app wrote them.
“Find calm in the chaos”
“The Pour Over is the only news source I need to stay smart, but focus on Christ” || “Relieved to read simple and clean news with a Christian perspective” || “Trims down the endless information of news into bite-sized stories without trying to sell me on a polical agenda”The Pour Over · #20 · screenshot 2“The #1 most downloaded podcast app”
Podcast App · #35 · screenshot 2“Replace doom scrolling with meaningful reading.”
Medium: Read & Write Stories · #50 · screenshot 1“America's #1 most trusted news source”
ABC News: Live & Breaking · #52 · screenshot 1“A much better core viewing experience.”
20,000+ 5 Star ReviewsNarwhal for Reddit · #63 · screenshot 1“THE #1 FREE STREAMING NEWS CHANNEL”
LIVE NEWS, 24/7CBS News: Live Breaking News · #65 · screenshot 1“The #1 app for UFO sightings”
Enigma: What’s that in the Sky · #69 · screenshot 1“NO SWIPES → GO INSTANT CHAT”
Kiki: Local Chat & People Near · #88 · screenshot 1“DECIDE FOR YOURSELF”
Search verified information, not opinionsSnopes · #89 · screenshot 6
Top ten News apps that do it.
None of the top ten do. The highest app on the chart that does is The Pour Over, at #20.
The same tactic in other categories.
| Category | Apps that do it | Screenshots | Top ten |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance | 17% 17 of 100 | 3% 18 of 581 | 1 of 10 |
| Education | 16% 16 of 100 | 3% 18 of 555 | 4 of 10 |
| Sports | 14% 14 of 100 | 3% 15 of 558 | 1 of 10 |
| Weather | 11% 11 of 100 | 2% 11 of 555 | 3 of 10 |
| News | 9% 9 of 98 | 2% 9 of 517 | 0 of 10 |
| Productivity | 9% 9 of 99 | 2% 11 of 551 | 2 of 10 |
| Food & Drink | 9% 9 of 100 | 2% 9 of 540 | 2 of 10 |
| Reference | 9% 9 of 100 | 2% 11 of 566 | 1 of 10 |
| Social Networking | 9% 9 of 100 | 2% 9 of 554 | 0 of 10 |
| Music | 8% 8 of 100 | 1% 8 of 550 | 1 of 10 |
| Health & Fitness | 7% 7 of 100 | 1% 7 of 574 | 1 of 10 |
| Lifestyle | 7% 7 of 100 | 1% 7 of 556 | 1 of 10 |
| Graphics & Design | 6% 6 of 99 | 1% 6 of 564 | 0 of 10 |
| Business | 6% 6 of 100 | 1% 6 of 554 | 1 of 10 |
| Navigation | 5% 5 of 99 | 1% 5 of 566 | 0 of 10 |
| Medical | 5% 5 of 100 | 1% 6 of 548 | 0 of 10 |
| Photo & Video | 5% 5 of 100 | 1% 5 of 566 | 1 of 10 |
| Utilities | 5% 5 of 100 | 1% 5 of 549 | 0 of 10 |
| Entertainment | 4% 4 of 100 | 1% 4 of 544 | 0 of 10 |
| Shopping | 4% 4 of 100 | 1% 4 of 562 | 0 of 10 |
| Developer Tools | 3% 3 of 100 | 1% 3 of 507 | 0 of 10 |
| Games | 3% 3 of 100 | 1% 3 of 567 | 0 of 10 |
| Travel | 2% 2 of 100 | under 1% 2 of 561 | 0 of 10 |
Related tactics.
Often on the same screenshot
- Uses a number56% of these screenshots, against 6% of all News screenshots
- Ranking claim56% of these screenshots, against 7% of all News screenshots
- Laurel or award33% of these screenshots, against 2% of all News screenshots
- A word in a different colour44% of these screenshots, against 19% of all News screenshots
- A person in the picture56% of these screenshots, against 30% of all News screenshots
- Orange33% of these screenshots, against 9% of all News screenshots
More in meaning
- Plain tone86%
- Leads with a feature81%
- States a benefit71%
- Urgent tone33%
- Subline explains the headline31%
- Asks for an action24%
- Subline adds a second benefit16%
- Premium tone15%
- Names its audience12%
- Leads with what is new8%
- Playful tone8%
- Leads with trust7%
- Leads with an outcome4%
- Leads with a problem3%
- Technical tone2%
- Leads with price1%
- Leads with who it is for1%
Questions, answered from the chart.
How many top News apps have App Store screenshots that make a comparison?
9 of the top 98 News apps (9%) have at least one, and 9 of their 517 screenshots (2%) do it. Counted from the US App Store’s top free chart on October 9, 2026.
Which News apps have App Store screenshots that make a comparison?
None of the top ten do. The highest on the chart: The Pour Over (#20), Podcast App (#35), Medium: Read & Write Stories (#50), ABC News: Live & Breaking (#52) and Narwhal for Reddit (#63), and 4 more.
Should my News app have App Store screenshots that make a comparison?
The chart shows who does it, not whether it would work for your app. 0 of the top ten News apps do it (0%), against 9 of the other 88 (10%), so the top ten do it less than the rest. Ten apps is a small group, so read that as a description of this chart and not as a rule.
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