Seattle Times Mobile vs Aidlink
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Seattle Times Mobile
Access local news and in-depth reporting with a focus on speed and convenience. Stay updated on breaking stories, community impact, and local sports with a streamlined interface. Enjoy award-winning content and a customizable news feed.
- Lightning-fast load times
- Breaking news push notifications
- Award-winning local content
- Customizable news feed
- Complete local sports coverage
- Print Replica digital copy
Read full descriptionHide full description
Get Northwest news that matters — faster than ever. The new and improved Seattle Times app is super fast to get you right to the news you want. We deliver the fastest news experience possible, with content you won’t find anywhere else. - Lightning-fast load times, quick-scan headlines and a clean, streamlined experience - Push notifications for the latest breaking news as it happens - The same award-winning content you expect from The Seattle Times, even faster - Breaking news and trending topics - Stories that dig deep, and have a direct impact on our local community - Customizable feed to quickly access your favorite topics - Easy ways to share your favorite content with your friends - Complete local sports coverage of Mariners, Seahawks and Sounders, so you never miss a play. - Print Replica exact digital copy of the print newspaper Users can read up to 3 articles free per month. Seattle Times subscribers can log in for unlimited access to all of our award-winning content. Users within the United States can subscribe to get unlimited access to all our digital products for $4.99/week after trial period. Users outside the United States can subscribe to get Unlimited App Access straight from the app for $19.99 per month. Your subscription will automatically renew each month, with the credit card associated with your iTunes account being charged. Cancel anytime by going to your Account Settings after purchase. App Store subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Full terms of service: http://company.seattletimes.com/notices/notice1.html
Aidlink
Access a live stream of emergency medical and fire dispatches in South King County, WA. Users with verified agency emails can view real-time ambulance locations and estimated arrival times. This app provides supplemental information and is not a substitute for official emergency services.
- Real-time EMS/Fire call feed
- Ambulance location tracking
- Estimated time of arrival (ETA)
- Agency email verification
- Supports Valley Com dispatches
Read full descriptionHide full description
Every fire and medical call in King and Snohomish counties, in real time. Aidlink shows live fire and EMS calls across the Seattle area — what's happening, where, and who's responding. THE FEED Calls update in real-time and tell you what, where, and who's responding. THE MAP Instead of looking at a list, you can view recent calls plotted on a map. FREE • Live feed and map view of fire/EMS calls in South King County (Valley Com) PRO • More coverage, including Seattle, the Eastside (NORCOM), and all of Snohomish County (SNO911) • Filters to cut the map down to specific cities, departments, units, or call types • Saved views let you easily save your filter configurations • Push notifications for calls near you or calls matching any of your saved views (you can toggle alerts on/off for each saved view) • Configurable quiet hours so you don't receive alerts on certain days/during certain hours Terms of Use (EULA): https://aidlink.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://aidlink.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Aidlink at none against Seattle Times Mobile's shown. Aidlink also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). Seattle Times Mobile's advantage is ratings volume (26K vs 20) and chart position (#66 vs unranked). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and device support 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. Seattle Times Mobile sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $19.99 per month and Aidlink sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Aidlink holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Seattle Times Mobile has 26K ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 26% of Seattle Times Mobile's written reviews are positive against 33% of Aidlink's.
Seattle Times Mobile ships an update every 2 weeks, Aidlink every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Seattle Times Mobile | Aidlink |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (26K ratings) | 4.8 (20 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 25.6% of reviews | 33.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 26K — better | 20 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #66 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 89 MB | 66 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | The Seattle Times | AidLink |
Customer experience
Seattle Times Mobile
Aidlink
Bugs and requests
Seattle Times Mobile
Reported bugs
4 issues- Articles cutting off prematurely
- Scrolling issues causing app exits
- Inconsistent content loading and display
- Compatibility problems on older devices
Requested features
4 requests- Add search functionality
- Improve in-app article navigation
- Integrate subscription management
- Optimize for mobile reading experience
Aidlink
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Seattle Times Mobile
- Unlimited App Access1 Month trial$19.991 Month
Aidlink
- Aidlink Pro7 Days trial$6.991 Month
- Aidlink Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$49.991 Year
Questions
Is Seattle Times Mobile free?
Is Aidlink free?
Which has better reviews, Seattle Times Mobile or Aidlink?
Do Seattle Times Mobile or Aidlink have ads?
Which is updated more often, Seattle Times Mobile or Aidlink?
Other comparisons















