The Ringer
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Nothing to buy . The Ringer is a Spotify-owned media brand, not software your team can deploy.
Comparison
The Ringer vs ESPN
The Ringer and ESPN both land on Depends.
ESPN
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy it only if you're a serious fan who will watch ESPN live events weekly . the catalog is unmatched.
| Compare | The Ringer | ESPN |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | NFL and NBA obsessives | Die-hard multi-sport fans |
| Who it's not for | Anyone procuring software . there is no product here | Casual fans who only need scores |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.⁹ | Active HackerOne bug bounty and vendor security ratings exist; app flagged by Zscaler research and multiple privacy lawsuits filed. |
| Support quality | No support model; consumer media | 1.7/5 consumer rating cites billing fights |
| Public sentiment | Reddit users actively debate The Ringer's direction and quality, but no aggregated star ratings exist for the site itself. | App-store users praise the fast scores, while Reddit and PissedConsumer reviewers slam the subscription's value and billing experience.11 |
| Biggest gotcha | Owned by Spotify since 2020; expect Spotify-centric podcast distribution³ | Subscribers report finger-pointing between ESPN and DIRECTV over paid access |
Pick The Ringer when
- NFL and NBA obsessives
- Movie and TV podcast listeners
- Commuters wanting longform takes
- Free-content readers
When The Ringer is not a fit
- Anyone procuring software . there is no product here
- Teams wanting admin controls, SLAs, or integrations
- Readers wanting a neutral news wire; it is analysis and opinion
- Ad-free listeners unwilling to use Spotify
Pick ESPN when
- Die-hard multi-sport fans
- Live ESPN event viewers
- Fans tracking many teams at once
- Disney+/Hulu bundle households
When ESPN is not a fit
- Casual fans who only need scores
- Budget streamers wary of price hikes
- Non-sports households buying bundles for one league
- Anyone expecting smooth billing and support
Sources
- The Ringertheringer.comofficial
- The Ringer (website) . Wikipediaen.wikipedia.orgnews
news
review
- The Ringer Joins FanDuel Sports Network's Live Lineupsportsvideo.orgnews
- The Ringer . Bias and Credibilitymediabiasfactcheck.comreview
- How does the Ringer make money?reddit.comreview
- The Ringer . Crunchbase Company Profilecrunchbase.comnews
- Security pagetheringer.comsecurity
- ESPN - Apps on Google Playplay.google.comreview
- ESPN: Live Sports & Scores - App Store Reviewsapps.apple.comreview
- ESPN Reviews - PissedConsumerespn.pissedconsumer.comreview
- Read Customer Service Reviews of espn.com - Trustpilottrustpilot.comreview
- Is ESPN plus worth it? - Redditreddit.comreview
- ESPN+ is Terrible - Redditreddit.comreview
- ESPN Select or Unlimited Plans and Pricessupport.espn.comofficial