NewsChannel 3 vs KAKE First Alert Weather
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NewsChannel 3
Get comprehensive weather updates for Santa Barbara and surrounding areas. Access current conditions, forecasts, severe weather alerts, and video reports from a dedicated weather team. Stay informed with VIPIR Radar and breaking weather headlines.
- Local weather information
- Current conditions
- Forecasts
- Severe weather alerts
- VIPIR Radar
- Video weather reports
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KEYT First Alert Weather delivers complete weather information for Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and surrounding communitues. The weather team from KEYT NewsChannel 3 and KCOY Central Coast News keeps you informed on current conditions and provides constant updates with VIPIR Radar, forecasts, severe weather alerts, video and headlines.
KAKE First Alert Weather
Get hyper-local weather updates with high-resolution radar and satellite imagery. Receive future radar predictions, hourly and daily forecasts, and severe weather alerts directly from the National Weather Service. Customize by saving favorite locations and enabling push notifications for your safety.
- 250 meter radar
- Future radar tracking
- High-resolution satellite imagery
- Real-time weather updates
- Hourly and daily forecasts
- Customizable favorite locations
- Severe weather alerts
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The KAKE First Alert Weather App includes: • Access to station content specifically for our mobile users • 250 meter radar, the highest resolution available • Future radar to see where severe weather is headed • High resolution satellite cloud imagery • Current weather updated multiple times per hour • Daily and Hourly forecasts updated hourly from our computer models • Ability to add and save your favorite locations • A fully integrated GPS for current location awareness • Severe weather alerts from the National Weather Service • Opt-in push alerts to keep you safe in severe weather
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: KAKE First Alert Weather at monthly against NewsChannel 3's every 5 months. KAKE First Alert Weather also leads on chart position (#202 vs unranked) and ratings volume (115 vs 13). NewsChannel 3's advantage is rating (2.9 vs 2.7) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
NewsChannel 3 holds the better App Store score, 2.9 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: KAKE First Alert Weather has 115 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 17% and 16% positive.
NewsChannel 3 ships an update every 5 months, KAKE First Alert Weather monthly. The most recent releases landed on June 22, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NewsChannel 3 | KAKE First Alert Weather |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.9 (13 ratings) — better | 2.7 (115 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 16.7% of reviews — better | 15.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 13 | 115 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Best chart rank | — | #202 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 95 MB | 241 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | News-Press & Gazette Company | KAKEland Media |
Customer experience
NewsChannel 3
KAKE First Alert Weather
In-app purchases
NewsChannel 3
No in-app purchases
KAKE First Alert Weather
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is NewsChannel 3 free?
Is KAKE First Alert Weather free?
Which has better reviews, NewsChannel 3 or KAKE First Alert Weather?
Do NewsChannel 3 or KAKE First Alert Weather have ads?
Which is updated more often, NewsChannel 3 or KAKE First Alert Weather?
Other comparisons
