Comparison

ABC7 Bay Area vs VTAlerts

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ABC7 Bay Area

Stream live local news, weather, and national top stories. Customize your news feed by interests and location, and receive alerts for breaking news and severe weather. Watch live newscasts and access on-demand video content.

Highlights
  • Stream live newscasts
  • Local and national news
  • Customizable news feed
  • Weather forecasts and alerts
  • Picture-in-picture video
  • On-demand video content
Read full description

Stream live newscasts with the ABC7 Bay Area app. Stay up-to-date on local news and weather, along with national top stories. Plus, customize the app based on your interests. WATCH - All of ABC7's live streams are available in one place - Looking for videos that aired in a newscast or entire newscasts you might have missed? Find those under the "videos" tab - Use the “picture in picture” feature to watch live video while you use other apps on your phone EXPLORE - Want good news? Or stories where you live? Search for your stories of interest using the explore section - Browse content in our featured sections like Building a Better Bay Area, I-Team Investigations, Allies in Action, and more! WEATHER - Easily choose your locations to get hourly conditions and 7-day forecasts where you live - See real-time LiveDoppler7 maps along with detailed weather information - Get weather and traffic alerts to prepare you for severe conditions MY NEWS - Stay informed on stories that matter to you by choosing topics you care about - The My News section builds a unique feed just for you based on interests and the locations you choose - Choose customized alerts for topics and locations you care about.... breaking news, weather and traffic alerts, sports, and all things Bay Area! Your California Privacy Rights - https://privacy.thewaltdisneycompany.com/en/current-privacy-policy/your-california-privacy-rights/ Do Not Sell My Information - https://privacy.thewaltdisneycompany.com/en/dnsmi Before you download this app, please consider that it includes advertising, some of which may be targeted to your interests. You may choose to control targeted advertising within mobile applications by using your mobile device settings (for example, by re-setting your device's advertising identifier and/or opting out of interest based ads).

About

VTAlerts

This safety app allows riders of the VTA bus and light rail system to discreetly report safety concerns and suspicious activities. Users can send text messages, photos, and locations directly to VTA Security or connect to police in emergencies. The app prioritizes quick report delivery and offers anonymous reporting options.

Highlights
  • Discreetly report safety concerns
  • Send text, photos, and locations
  • Anonymous reporting option
  • Direct connection to VTA Security
  • Emergency 911 call integration
  • BOLO alerts for persons of interest
Features
Read full description

About VTAlerts. 
 This safety application is designed for the VTA bus and light rail system in Santa Clara County in California. The VTAlerts App offers riders a quick and discreet method for reporting safety concerns and suspicious activities directly to VTA Security or, in the event of an emergency, directly to police. Riders can send VTA security pictures, text messages, and locations of suspicious persons and/or activities making riding safer and more comfortable for all.  

From the app home screen, riders have two easy options for contacting security:  

1. The “Report a Problem” button allows riders to send text or photos directly to VTA Security. To ensure discretion, the camera flash is automatically disabled when photos are taken through the app. Riders can select station locations and report categories to assist VTA Security. Riders can also send reports anonymously if they choose. If you send a report in an area without cellular connectivity, it will be stored and sent when connectivity returns. The system is also designed to send the message before pictures so that VTA Security can get App reports as quickly as possible.  
 2. The “Call 911” button will connect customers directly to the police. 

 Additional Features  

BOLO (Be On the Look Out) Alerts. BOLO Alerts on the See & Say App may display alerts from VTA Security about specific persons of interest. For example, VTAlerts may display information about a missing person or child, such as where they were last seen. If you see a person from a BOLO, immediately call 911 and send a App report to VTA Security discreetly.

Screenshots

ABC7 Bay Area4 screens
VTAlerts3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: VTAlerts at none against ABC7 Bay Area's shown. VTAlerts also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). ABC7 Bay Area's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (16K vs 106). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ABC7 Bay Area holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ABC7 Bay Area has 16K ratings behind it against 106, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 31% of ABC7 Bay Area's written reviews are positive against 36% of VTAlerts's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ABC7 Bay Area ships an update fortnightly, VTAlerts every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
ABC7 Bay Area versus VTAlerts: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterABC7 Bay AreaVTAlerts
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (16K ratings) — better4.3 (106 ratings)
Positive reviews30.8% of reviews36.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16K — better106
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size128 MB20 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperDisneyELERTS Corp

Customer experience

ABC7 Bay Area

All ratings16,027 ratings
Positive91.6%
Neutral3.3%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews120 reviews
Positive30.8%
Neutral10.8%
Negative58.3%

VTAlerts

All ratings106 ratings
Positive81.1%
Neutral4.7%
Negative14.2%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive36.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative63.6%

Bugs and requests

ABC7 Bay Area

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Videos fail to play or stop unexpectedly
  • App crashes when switching between stories
  • Notifications don't always link to the correct story
  • Scrolling issues and unresponsive UI

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add search functionality
  • Implement a night mode theme
  • Provide more control over video autoplay
  • Improve app stability and reliability

VTAlerts

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ABC7 Bay Area

No in-app purchases

None

VTAlerts

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ABC7 Bay Area free?
ABC7 Bay Area is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is VTAlerts free?
VTAlerts is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ABC7 Bay Area or VTAlerts?
ABC7 Bay Area is rated higher. ABC7 Bay Area averages 4.6 out of 5 from 16K ratings, while VTAlerts averages 4.3 from 106 ratings.
Do ABC7 Bay Area or VTAlerts have ads?
ABC7 Bay Area shows ads; VTAlerts does not.
Which is updated more often, ABC7 Bay Area or VTAlerts?
ABC7 Bay Area ships an update fortnightly, and VTAlerts every 3 months. Most recently, ABC7 Bay Area was updated on September 26, 2026 and VTAlerts on September 22, 2026.

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