# First Alert 4 vs RiverBender

First Alert 4 and RiverBender both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 75% of RiverBender's written reviews are positive against 14% of First Alert 4's. RiverBender also leads on monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). First Alert 4's advantage is ratings volume (13K vs 9) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for First Alert 4 against 4.7 for RiverBender. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: First Alert 4 has 13K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 14% of First Alert 4's written reviews are positive against 75% of RiverBender's.

First Alert 4 ships an update monthly, RiverBender every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | First Alert 4 | RiverBender |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-alert-4/id401082205/reviews) | **[4.7 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/riverbender/id1142356550/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **13K** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | 13.8% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 82 MB | 35 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Gray Television Group, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/416888140) | [RiverBender.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/1132707068) |

## What reviewers say

### First Alert 4

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-alert-4/id401082205)

Stay informed with breaking news, sports headlines, and localized weather and traffic updates. Receive instant notifications for urgent alerts, even when you're on the go.

**Highlights:** Breaking news alerts, Sports headlines, Geo-targeted weather, Real-time traffic, Customizable notifications

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Loyal customer
- 🚀 Excellent weather coverage
- 👍 Best news in town
- 👍 Comprehensive and professional reporting

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Ads interrupt story
- 🔇 Autoplay of video ads with sound on should never be default
- 🔇 Ads ruin app
- 🔇 Too many ads
- 🔇 Forced to watch ads

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes and freezes
- Broken features and links
- Notifications not working as expected
- Weather information inaccurate

**Requested features**

- Option to increase font size
- Ability to control notifications
- Bring back the old weather app
- Ability to rotate the app to landscape mode


### RiverBender

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/riverbender/id1142356550)

Access local news, weather updates, and community information for the River Bend area. Stay informed about breaking stories, sports, events, and local businesses.

**Highlights:** Breaking local news and weather, High school and local sports coverage, Community videos, Business directory, Classified ads, Event calendar, Live radio streaming

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is First Alert 4 free?

First Alert 4 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is RiverBender free?

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

### Which has better reviews, First Alert 4 or RiverBender?

RiverBender is rated higher. First Alert 4 averages 4.6 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while RiverBender averages 4.7 from 9 ratings.

### Do First Alert 4 or RiverBender have ads?

Both First Alert 4 and RiverBender show ads.

### Which is updated more often, First Alert 4 or RiverBender?

First Alert 4 ships an update monthly, and RiverBender every 3 months. Most recently, First Alert 4 was updated on September 26, 2026 and RiverBender on June 1, 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.*