MMAjunkie icon
USA TODAY PLAY Crossword+ icon
USA TODAY: US & Breaking News icon
+1

USA TODAY

For general news consumers and sports fans seeking real-time updates, plus casual puzzle enthusiasts looking for daily mental stimulation.

4apps4.2(311.2K) Multi-theme

Snapshot

Who is USA TODAY?

Delivering national news, real-time sports updates, and daily cognitive puzzles to help users stay informed and mentally sharp.

Target audience

General news consumersSports fans seeking real-time updatesPlus casual puzzle enthusiasts looking for daily mental stimulation

Active nemesis

Financial Times

Other rivals

Portfolio

Free 4
4
apps
Games1
News1
News & Magazines1
Sports1

Last updated

USA TODAY: US & Breaking News

v8.10.0

6mo ago

Intense

Publisher DNA

What defines USA TODAY?

Publisher DNA

Primary focus

News, sports, and puzzle games

Scale

indie

Target audience

General news consumers and sports fans seeking real-time updates, plus casual puzzle enthusiasts looking for daily mental stimulation.

Signature Patterns

  • •Focus on daily habit-forming content loops including puzzles and news feeds
  • •Monetization through freemium models and ad-supported free access
  • •High-frequency update cadence to support real-time news and sports reporting
  • •Integration of multimedia elements including podcasts and video within app interfaces
Intense

Portfolio momentum

Maintains an intense development pace with 16 updates across all 3 apps in the last 6 months, ensuring content remains current.

Last release 8d agoActive apps 3

Portfolio

What does USA TODAY ship?

Apps

4 apps analysed

MMAjunkie icon
MMAjunkie

MMAjunkie has breaking news and analysis from our award-winning team of writers.

3.5(2.9K)
USA TODAY PLAY Crossword+ icon
USA TODAY PLAY Crossword+

Crossword puzzle, Sudoku & More

4.5(9.1K)
USA TODAY: US & Breaking News icon
USA TODAY: US & Breaking News

See the latest headlines, breaking, world and local news from USA TODAY.

4.2(58K)

Analysis in progress

USA TODAY: US & Breaking News icon
USA TODAY: US & Breaking News

See the latest headlines, breaking, world and local news from USA TODAY.

4.5(241.2K)

200+ local publication access provides hyper-local relevance

  • Interactive puzzle integration drives daily engagement loops

Single-market publisher, every app ships only to United States.

Based on 1 of 4 apps with localized market data, more coverage rolling in as scans complete · last scanned .

Americas (1)

  • United States1 / 1

Core markets (1/1 apps)

United States

Rivals

Who does USA TODAY compete with?

The rivals identified

Nemeses(1)

Financial Times

known forFinancial Times: Business News

1 app4.5News

Both apps compete for the attention of news-hungry users via a freemium model, forcing a choice between USA TODAY's broad, local-focused coverage and the Financial Times' specialized, professional-grade financial analysis.

Contenders(10)

Advance Magazine Publishers

known forThe New Yorker

1 app3.9News

Both apps compete for the daily attention of news readers, with USA TODAY providing broad national and local coverage while The New Yorker targets the same audience with deep cultural analysis and long-form journalism.

Bloomberg Finance LP

known forBloomberg: Business News Daily

1 app4.6News

Both apps compete for the attention of news consumers, though Bloomberg targets a niche financial audience while USA TODAY serves a broader demographic through general news and local reporting.

CNN Interactive Group

known forCNN: Live & Breaking News

1 app4.8News

Both apps compete for the same general news audience by offering a mix of national headlines and interactive content, forcing a choice between USA TODAY's local-focused utility and CNN's live-video immediacy.

Both apps compete for the time and attention of news consumers, though they diverge between general interest and business-specific reporting. They overlap in the premium subscription market where both attempt to convert readers into recurring revenue.

Guardian News and Media

known forThe Guardian - US & World News

1 app4.6News

Both applications compete for the same general news audience by offering a combination of daily journalism and interactive puzzle engagement.

Societe Editrice du Monde

known forLe Monde, Live News

1 app3.9News

Both apps compete for the attention of English-speaking news consumers, with USA TODAY targeting broad national and local coverage while Le Monde focuses on international and European perspectives.

The Atlantic Monthly Group

known forThe Atlantic Magazine

1 app4.9News

Both apps compete for the attention of general news consumers, with The Atlantic targeting the long-form segment while USA TODAY captures the broader daily news and local reporting market.

The Economist Newspaper

known forThe Economist - World News

1 app4.9News

Both apps compete for the attention of news consumers, with USA TODAY targeting a broad audience through local reporting and puzzles, while The Economist captures high-intent readers through investigative analysis.

The New York Times Company

known forNYTimes: US and Global News

1 app4.8News

Both apps compete for the same general news audience by bundling journalism with daily interactive games to drive retention.

Thomson Reuters Enterprise Centre

known forReuters - Breaking World News

1 app4.6News

Both apps compete for the same general news consumer, with Reuters targeting those prioritizing global financial data and USA TODAY focusing on local reporting and interactive puzzles.

Same space(3)

Snapwise Inc.(dba Ground News)

known forGround News

1 app4.7News

Ground News serves as a critical-thinking tool for the same news-conscious audience, focusing on bias detection rather than broad-spectrum reporting.

Versant Media

known forCNBC: Stock Market & Business

1 app4.7News

CNBC targets the financial segment of the USA TODAY audience, replacing general news with specialized market data and live broadcast streaming.

X Corp.

known forX

1 app3.6News

X competes for the same daily news attention as USA TODAY, but functions as a real-time social town square rather than a curated editorial feed.

The Analyst's Read

The bottom line on USA TODAY

Bottom line

USA TODAY is a dominant legacy player that has successfully pivoted to a mobile-first strategy by blending high-utility news with interactive entertainment. Their high weighted rating across a significant review volume signals strong product-market fit and effective user retention.

Frequently asked questions

How many apps does USA TODAY publish?
USA TODAY has 4 apps tracked by Marlvel, primarily in the Games category.
What kind of apps does USA TODAY make?
USA TODAY's portfolio is concentrated in Games and News, with an average rating of 4.2/5 across rated apps.
What is USA TODAY's top app?
By review volume across the portfolio, USA TODAY: US & Breaking News is USA TODAY's best-known app tracked by Marlvel.
In how many countries are USA TODAY's apps available?
Marlvel has tracked USA TODAY's apps across 1 country.

What fed this analysis

Apps analyzed:
3
With full intel:
0
With overview:
3
Website scraped:
yes
Social presence:
yes

Disclosure: Independent intel to help mobile builders succeed.

AI-powered analysis with automated quality gates, built from publicly available sources. Marlvel.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by USA TODAY, its developer, the app publisher, Apple, or Google Play. All trademarks, logos, and screenshots referenced remain the property of their respective owners.

Cite this report

Marlvel.ai. “USA TODAY intelligence.” Updated 2026-04-24. https://marlvel.ai/publishers/usa-today

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Data licensed under CC-BY-NC 4.0