LA Times vs Frontline Wildfire Tracker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
LA Times
Access award-winning journalism, breaking news, and in-depth coverage of California and global events. Browse digital content or the eNewspaper, save articles, and watch exclusive videos. Stay informed with curated news feeds and push notifications.
- Award-winning journalism
- Breaking news alerts
- Digital content browsing
- eNewspaper access
- Save articles to 'My Library'
- Exclusive video content
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Get the trustworthy news you need everywhere you go with the Los Angeles Times app. Receive instant access to our award-winning journalism, breaking news, politics, the best in food, entertainment, events and more for Southern California and the world. Updated with a new design, the L.A. Times app gives you the option of browsing our digital content or paging through the eNewspaper. Our content includes in-depth coverage of Los Angeles, California and the West; exclusive narrative storytelling such as “Column One”; revitalized reporting on the latest in food and dining; a unique take on politics and the 2020 campaign; comprehensive coverage of the arts, pop culture and the entertainment industry; on and off-season reporting on L.A.’s home teams and major sports events. New tools include “My Library,” to save your own reading list, and a video section to access the latest short documentaries and other videos. Download the iOS app to experience our new digital publishing platform. APP FEATURES: • Top News: Scan a curated feed of the most important news as it happens • Push notifications: Get the latest news from our newsroom as soon as stories break • eNewspaper experience: Download today’s issue for offline reading and browse archives of past issues • Video section: Enjoy exclusive video • My Library: View saved stories and view your recent activity • Share content easily with Twitter, Facebook, or email SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS: • If you’re a current digital subscriber, sign in with your email address and password to get unlimited access to the app’s content. • Non-subscribers, download the app a select number of stories stories each month. For full access, try a free month of Unlimited Digital Access to the app, the L.A. Times website, and our eNewspaper; then it's only $15.99 a month. Make sure to create a registration while in the app so you'll be able to log in to the website and eNewspaper when you visit them in web browsers. • Your subscription automatically renews each month unless auto-renew is turned off within your Account Settings at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. • Your iTunes account will be charged $15.99 for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. • No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. • Subscriptions may be managed by the user by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable • You can read our Privacy Policy here: https://www.latimes.com/privacy-policy • You can read our Terms of Service here: https://www.latimes.com/terms-of-service • CA Notice of Collection - https://www.latimes.com/privacy-policy#california-notice-of-collection • Do Not Sell My Info - https://membership.latimes.com/privacy-settings • Questions about your subscription, including adding or removing access to the L.A. Times website from your app access, can be directed to Customer Service: 213-347-5300. TECHNICAL HELP AND ASSISTANCE: If you ever have questions about how the app works, want to provide helpful feedback, or experience crashes or freezes after installing an update, please contact us at mobile@latimes.com. A quick email to our support team helps our developers identify and resolve issues faster. We work hard to make sure you have the best experience using our app.
Frontline Wildfire Tracker
Stay informed about wildfires with real-time maps, alerts, and preparation tools. This app provides crucial information on fire danger, weather, and evacuation orders to help you protect your home and loved ones.
- Wildfire maps and tracking
- Fire danger indexes
- Real-time alerts and notifications
- Preparation checklists
- Emergency contact groups
- Fire weather information
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The Frontline Wildfire Defense app is a FREE comprehensive wildfire information resource that helps protect you, your family and your home from wild fire disasters. The frontline mobile app provides the situational awareness you need to navigate wildfires, both before and during the fire season. Wildfire maps, weather, fire danger indexes, fire notifications, emergency contact groups and preparation checklists are some of the key features in the Frontline app that allow you to better prepare for the wildfire season. Fire Situational Awareness Dashboard At a glance, the dashboard provides key information about your wildfire situation and easy access to helpful features. Key wildfire related alerts are displayed on the dashboard together with fire weather, air quality, fire danger indexes, access to your personal emergency contact groups, and preparation checklists. Wildfire Map and Information The fire map allows you to see and track wild fires that may threaten your home and your loved ones. You're able to gather more information about the fire such as location of fire perimeter, fire name, containment, acres burned, and latest updates. See California wildfire evacuation warnings and orders, red flag warnings, fire weather watches and more. This fire tracker gives you all the information you need to safely navigate wild fire in your area. Fire Preparation Checklists Prepare yourself, your family and your home for wildfire by using the Frontline Wildfire preparation checklists. The Frontline mobile app guides you step-by-step through specific tasks to better prepare you, your family and your home for fire events. Emergency Contact Groups By creating an Emergency Contact Group, you can invite your friends, family and loved ones to receive and share the notifications that are critical during the wildfire season. Emergency alerts are sent to all people in the group whenever a fire event is near. Fire Alert Notifications Get all of the latest emergency alert notifications in one place when it comes to wildfires in your area. You can expect notices about new fires, red flag warnings, fire weather watches, lightning, evacuations and more when you need them. Frontline Wildfire Home Defense System For those who choose to install a Frontline Home Defense System, the Frontline Wildfire Defense app will also provide monitoring and remote control features for that system. The Home Defense System uses water and a biodegradable Class A firefighting foam to hydrate the materials of your home and surrounding areas to prevent ember ignition and spot fires. With redundant communications (WiFi, cellular, satellite) and power (backup battery) systems built in, the Frontline Wildfire Home Defense System enables you to maintain control and protect your home throughout a wildfire event. To learn more, visit frontlinewildfire.com. The Frontline mobile app will give you all the wild fire information you need to keep you safe. Join the Frontline Wildfire Defense mission today to protect yourself, your family and your home from wildfire disaster! Terms of Use: https://www.frontlinewildfire.com/terms-of-use/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: LA Times at 4.6 against Frontline Wildfire Tracker's 2.3. LA Times also leads on ratings volume (20K vs 168) and chart position (#16 vs unranked). Frontline Wildfire Tracker's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and review sentiment (40% vs 29%). On price, update cadence, ads 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. LA Times sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Frontline Wildfire Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.
LA Times holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LA Times has 20K ratings behind it against 168, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 29% of LA Times's written reviews are positive against 40% of Frontline Wildfire Tracker's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
LA Times ships an update every 4 weeks, Frontline Wildfire Tracker every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LA Times | Frontline Wildfire Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (20K ratings) — better | 2.3 (168 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 29.1% of reviews | 40.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 20K — better | 168 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #16 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 37 MB | 120 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Los Angeles Times Communications LLC | Fire Friends, LLC |
Customer experience
LA Times
Frontline Wildfire Tracker
Bugs and requests
LA Times
Reported bugs
4 issues- Images not loading properly
- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Paywall issues preventing access to content
- Sync problems between app and website
Requested features
5 requests- Customizable news feed and section ordering
- Offline reading mode
- Better integration with subscription accounts
- Improved article navigation and scrolling
- Accessibility features for visually impaired users
Frontline Wildfire Tracker
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
LA Times
- Stage News App Only$4.991 Month
- News App Only$4.991 Month
- Unlimited Digital Access3 Months trial$5.991 Month
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- Unlimited Access - Stage App$7.991 Month
- Unlimited Digital Access1 Month trial$15.991 Month
- Jonathan Gold's 101 List$2.99
- Jonathan Gold's 101 List for 2016$2.99
Frontline Wildfire Tracker
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is LA Times free?
Is Frontline Wildfire Tracker free?
Which has better reviews, LA Times or Frontline Wildfire Tracker?
Do LA Times or Frontline Wildfire Tracker have ads?
Which is updated more often, LA Times or Frontline Wildfire Tracker?
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