# WHNT vs AL.com

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 (#133 vs unranked). On price, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | WHNT | AL.com |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whnt/id334634343/reviews)** | [4.5 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alcom/id419876008/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1.1K | **16K** |
| Positive reviews | **56.0% of reviews** | 23.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#133** |
| Size | 76 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Local TV LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/318424697) | [al.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/419876011) |

## What reviewers say

### WHNT

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whnt/id334634343)

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.

**Highlights:** Top local news stories, Breaking news alerts, Detailed weather forecasts, Interactive radar map, Severe weather alerts, Video reports, Save stories for later

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💤 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alcom/id419876008)

**Currently charting:** #133 Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** Local news reporting, Sports updates, Weather forecasts, Community-focused content, Timely and reliable information

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Digital Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Digital Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Basic Access to Al.com | $10.00 | per month |
| All Access to Al.com | $15.00 | per month |
| Premium Access to Al.com | $20.00 | per month |
| Digital Access | $99.99 | per year |
| Digital Access | $99.99 | per year |
| Basic Access to Al.com | $100.00 | per year |
| All Access to Al.com | $150.00 | per year |
| Premium Access to Al.com | $200.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Great overall news source
- 🚀 Timely and informative news coverage
- 👍 Diverse content and topics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 🔋 Performance issues, slow loading
- 💬 Biased and one-sided reporting
- 📢 Intrusive and disruptive ads

**Reported bugs**

- App title displaying incorrectly as 'OSU Basketball'
- Inability to access recent search history
- Difficulty closing ads or navigating back from articles

**Requested features**

- Improve app stability and performance
- Provide more balanced and objective news coverage
- Optimize ad placement to minimize disruption


## Frequently asked questions

### Is WHNT free?

WHNT is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is AL.com free?

AL.com is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, WHNT or AL.com?

WHNT is rated higher. WHNT averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while AL.com averages 4.5 from 16K ratings.

### Do WHNT or AL.com have ads?

Both WHNT and AL.com show ads.

### Which is updated more often, WHNT or AL.com?

WHNT ships an update every 6 weeks, and AL.com every 3 weeks. Most recently, WHNT was updated on October 5, 2026 and AL.com on October 14, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*