WHNT vs AL.com
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
WHNT
Stay informed with local news and weather updates for the Tennessee Valley. Access top stories, breaking news, and detailed weather forecasts, including interactive radar and severe weather alerts. Watch video reports and save articles for later.
- Top local news stories
- Breaking news alerts
- Detailed weather forecasts
- Interactive radar map
- Severe weather alerts
- Video reports
- Save stories for later
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News has never been more local than in the palm of your hand. The WHNT mobile app brings you all the top stories from our daily broadcasts, as well as stories developing in real time. North Alabama's Local News Leader & Weather Authority, covering breaking news & supporting our community. Find the top stories impacting the Tennessee Valley on the News 19 app. FEATURES: • Watch video of your trusted reporters on the scene, and read revealing articles on what's going on in your community. • Plan your day and week with detailed weather conditions, live alerts of severe conditions, and an interactive radar map. • Optional alerts on breaking news keep you in the know. • On the go? Save stories for later to access at your convenience.
AL.com
Get timely and reliable local news, sports, and weather updates directly impacting your community. Stay informed about unfolding events in your backyard, from politics and business to culture and more. Access essential information from a trusted source, anytime and anywhere.
- Local news reporting
- Sports updates
- Weather forecasts
- Community-focused content
- Timely and reliable information
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Get trusted local news across Alabama. Breaking news, in-depth reporting, and all the stories people are talking about. Stay connected to what's happening around you with timely coverage of news, weather, sports, and more, optimized for your phone. Free to download. Get breaking news, alerts, and top stories. Subscribers receive unlimited access to in-depth reporting, exclusive content, and additional features. Subscriptions are available in-app. Our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use: http://www.advance.net/advancedigitalUserAgreementPP/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: WHNT at none against AL.com's 10. WHNT also leads on review sentiment (56% vs 23%) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). AL.com's advantage is ratings volume (16K vs 1.1K) and chart position (#130 vs unranked). On price, update cadence and ads 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. AL.com sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. WHNT asks for nothing beyond the download.
WHNT holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AL.com has 16K ratings behind it against 1.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of WHNT's written reviews are positive against 23% of AL.com's.
WHNT ships an update every 6 weeks, AL.com every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | WHNT | AL.com |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.1K ratings) — better | 4.5 (16K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 56.0% of reviews — better | 23.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.1K | 16K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #130 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 76 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Local TV LLC | al.com |
Customer experience
WHNT
AL.com
User reviews
WHNT
From 1.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🌟 Helpful for staying up-to-date on local news
- 📰 Provides a good source of local news and weather
- 🌐 Useful for accessing news when cable/satellite is down
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 🗺️ Detailed weather information and forecasts
Room to improve
- 💤 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 🛑 Too many ads and redirects to sponsor websites
- 🔍 Difficulty finding specific news stories
- 🔀 Confusing navigation after recent app update
- 🔌 High battery consumption
AL.com
From 16K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💡 Great overall news source
- 🚀 Timely and informative news coverage
- 👍 Diverse content and topics
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 🔋 Performance issues, slow loading
- 💬 Biased and one-sided reporting
- 📢 Intrusive and disruptive ads
Bugs and requests
WHNT
Reported bugs
4 issues- Saved articles section no longer visible
- Notifications often lead to irrelevant content
- Live stream frequently stops working
- App freezes when trying to update
Requested features
5 requests- Bring back the old, more user-friendly app design
- Reduce the number of ads and sponsored content
- Improve the video player functionality
- Add a search feature to easily find news stories
- Provide an option to disable push notifications for sponsored content
AL.com
Reported bugs
3 issues- App title displaying incorrectly as 'OSU Basketball'
- Inability to access recent search history
- Difficulty closing ads or navigating back from articles
Requested features
3 requests- Improve app stability and performance
- Provide more balanced and objective news coverage
- Optimize ad placement to minimize disruption
In-app purchases
WHNT
No in-app purchases
AL.com
- Digital Access1 Month trial$9.991 Month
- Digital Access$9.991 Month
- Basic Access to Al.com$10.001 Month
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- All Access to Al.com$15.001 Month
- Premium Access to Al.com$20.001 Month
- Digital Access1 Year trial$99.991 Year
- Digital Access$99.991 Year
- Basic Access to Al.com$100.001 Year
- All Access to Al.com$150.001 Year
- Premium Access to Al.com$200.001 Year
