Raw Story

Review by eFreeware

If you follow US politics and prefer your news from a progressive angle, Raw Story is built with you in mind. The developer describes itself as the largest independent progressive news publisher, and the app puts that output in one place: investigative reporting, breaking news and opinion writing, with a stated reach of more than six million readers a month. The pitch is simple enough. You get a steady feed of stories from a newsroom that says it focuses on issues it considers underreported, rather than a general-purpose digest of everything happening everywhere.

What makes the app more than a reading list is the games section. It is updated daily and sits alongside the news rather than replacing it, so a session can move between a headline and a short puzzle without leaving the app. That combination is unusual for a news product, and it is the part I would expect to decide whether Raw Story earns a permanent spot on your home screen.

The app is free to download and carries no ads, which keeps the reading experience uncluttered. A subscription is available inside the app for unlimited access to premium content, so the free download and the paid tier sit side by side rather than one replacing the other.

A newsroom with a stated point of view

Raw Story does not pretend to be neutral. The developer calls the publication progressive and fearless, and the mix of investigative work and opinion columns reflects that. If you already read outlets with a clear editorial stance, this fits the same habit: you know roughly where the coverage is coming from and you read it for that reason.

The investigative side is the more interesting half. The developer says the newsroom brings underreported stories to light, which suggests a focus on subjects that do not always make the front pages elsewhere. That is a specific editorial promise rather than a general claim of balance, and it is worth weighing against how you like your news delivered.

Opinion writing sits alongside the reporting, so the app blends the two rather than keeping them in separate corners. Readers who want a clear line between news and commentary may find the mix takes some adjusting to, while readers who come for a point of view will find it throughout.

Daily games as a second reason to open it

The games section is the feature that separates this app from a plain news reader. It is refreshed every day, so there is a reason to return beyond the headlines, and it is presented as a way to keep your mind sharp. The app treats it as an assortment rather than a single puzzle, which suggests some variety in what you get each day.

I would expect this to appeal to readers who like a short daily ritual attached to their news reading, the kind of thing you do over a morning coffee before getting to the articles. It is a light addition rather than the core of the product, and the news remains the main event.

Pairing games with news is an odd combination at first glance, but it works as a retention idea: the puzzles give a low-effort reason to open the app, and the reporting gives you something to stay for once you are there.

What the app costs and what the subscription covers

Raw Story is free to download and contains no ads. That is a cleaner arrangement than many news apps. Here the free download gives you the app without that friction.

The app does offer in-app purchases, including a subscription that provides unlimited access to premium content. That is the paid layer: a subscription you take out inside the app, separate from the free download. The sensible approach is to read for a while and see how often you run into the premium boundary before deciding.

There is no advertising to work around, so the decision is purely about whether the premium content is worth paying for. If you read a handful of stories a week, the free side may be enough; if Raw Story becomes a daily habit, the subscription is the natural next step.

How it compares with other ways to read the news

The obvious alternative is a general news aggregator, which pulls together sources from across the spectrum and lets you build your own mix. That approach suits readers who want to compare framing across outlets. Raw Story takes the opposite route: one newsroom, one editorial line, no aggregation.

A second option is going straight to the publication's website in a mobile browser. That gets you the same reporting without installing anything. If you already read the site regularly, the app is the more convenient container for it.

A paid subscription to a large national news organization is another option. Raw Story is the narrower, more opinionated choice.

None of these is strictly better. It comes down to whether you want a single voice you trust or a range of voices you sift through yourself.

A straightforward pick for progressive news readers

Raw Story is easy to recommend to a specific reader: someone who follows progressive politics, wants investigative reporting and commentary in one place, and would welcome a short daily game alongside the headlines. The app is free, has no ads, and has drawn a 4.7 average from 866 ratings since its release in March 2022, with more than 10,000 installs. Recent updates have brought bug fixes and performance improvements, which suggests the app is still being tended to.

The subscription is the main thing to think about before committing. Premium content sits behind an in-app purchase. Start with the free download, see how the mix of news and games fits your routine, and let that decide whether the paid tier is worth it.

If you want balanced coverage from many sources, this is not the app for that. If you want one progressive newsroom in your pocket, with a daily puzzle attached, it is a reasonable place to start.

What's new in version 2.7

Bug fixes and performance improvements