# The Southern vs WBEC AM

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: WBEC AM at none against The Southern's 1. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. The Southern sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $25.99 per month. WBEC AM asks for nothing beyond the download.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Southern | WBEC AM |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[2.5 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-southern/id375277474/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **13** | — |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 101 MB | 77 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Paxton Media Group LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/431477409) | [Townsquare Media, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/433762450) |

## What reviewers say

### The Southern

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-southern/id375277474)

Access local news, sports, and community stories from Southern Illinois. Personalize your feed, receive breaking news alerts, and enjoy exclusive commentary, photography, and podcasts. Read articles in a news feed or e-edition format.

**Highlights:** Personalized news topics, Breaking news notifications, Easy swipe navigation, News Feed and E-edition reading, Video and podcast content, Reading history

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscriptions | $25.99 | per month |


### WBEC AM

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wbec-am/id1290989102)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Southern free?

The Southern is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is WBEC AM free?

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

### Do The Southern or WBEC AM have ads?

Both The Southern and WBEC AM show ads.

### Which is updated more often, The Southern or WBEC AM?

The Southern ships an update every 3 months, and WBEC AM every 3 months. Most recently, The Southern was updated on November 6, 2026 and WBEC AM on October 29, 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.*