The Huffington Post has launched its own iPad app, the US online newspaper announced this week.

The free app allows users to flip through articles for a quick look at the latest news, swipe through slideshows optimised for the iPad's touchscreen, watch videos, find stories on a drop-down table of contents and share them across social networking sites.

A company spokesman said the free app will depend on advertising revenue and it currently has no launch sponsors.

The website's app has reportedly earned a better rating than those of print magazine publishers -- such as Wired and Time magazine -- which have earned two stars or less from users of the App Store.

The Huffington Post recently hired nine staffers from companies such as AOL, Yahoo, Forbes and USA Today, adding to its ad sales force, which is also likely to extend to the iPad version, Mediapost reported.