ABC30 Central CA vs Merced Sun
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ABC30 Central CA
Access live news broadcasts and breaking news alerts. Stay informed with local and national stories, weather forecasts, and traffic updates. Personalize your news feed with topics and locations that matter most to you.
- Watch live news broadcasts
- Breaking news alerts
- Local and national news updates
- Hourly conditions and 7-day forecast
- Real-time Doppler maps
- Customizable news feed
- Picture-in-picture video
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Get breaking news alerts and watch live newscasts with the ABC30 app. Stay updated on local news and weather, as well as national top stories. Customize the app based on your interests. WATCH - Watch live news broadcasts on the 24/7 streaming channel - Find exclusive video clips and watch newscasts on demand - Use the “picture in picture” feature to watch live video while you use other apps on your phone EXPLORE - Search for stories using the explore section WEATHER - Easily choose your locations to get hourly conditions and 7-day forecast - Get real-time Doppler maps along with detailed weather information - Get weather and traffic alerts for severe conditions so you’re always up-to-date before you go 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 locations you choose - Choose customized alerts for topics and locations you care about, from entertainment news to sports updates and everything in between 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).
Merced Sun
Access daily local news, investigative reporting, and national headlines. Watch live video coverage of local events and sports. Personalize your news feed and enjoy puzzles and games.
- Daily local news and stories
- AI-generated article summaries
- Live local news and national video
- Full sports coverage
- Personalized news feeds
- Dark and light mode reading
- Puzzles and games
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The Merced Sun-Star local newspaper app connects you to trusted local journalism serving Merced and communities across Merced County and California’s Central Valley. Stay informed with daily local news coverage focused on the issues affecting residents in the Merced area, including reporting on local government, public institutions, public safety, crime, education, business, sports, and community developments, alongside investigative reporting and national headline news. The Merced Sun-Star local newspaper is your source for local, daily news from Merced and the Central Valley. Our newsroom delivers coverage of events and decisions shaping daily life across Merced County, with additional statewide California news and national reporting. LOCAL NEWS • Daily local news and stories from Merced, Merced County, and the Central Valley • AI generated summaries on all articles reviewed by our newsroom • The Merced Sun-Star local newspaper opinions, editorials and columns • Edition, a digital destination delivering a complete daily report of local, statewide, national, and world news curated overnight by our editors LIVE VIDEO • Watch live video of local news stories and national news coverage • View photos and videos from local reporting and community events across the Central Valley SPORTS • Full coverage reporting on local, pro and college sports teams • Stay connected to your favorite teams and favorite sports writers PERSONALIZATION • Stay informed on the topics and articles that matter to you • Favorite topics to get personalized feeds • Search for news articles, videos, games and more • Bookmark news articles to read later • Read articles your way with full support for dark mode and light mode Other Features • Browse articles by category • Share articles on Facebook, X Twitter or by email • Comment on news articles • Access and download previous issues of our newspaper • Recharge and unwind with puzzles and games GET DAILY NEWS AND MORE WITH THE MERCED Sun-Star LOCAL NEWSPAPER APP Download our local newspaper app to stay informed on local daily news from Merced and the Central Valley, crime, sports, national headlines, and more. Read our Privacy policy here: https://mcclatchy.com/privacy-policy Read our Terms of Service here: https://www.mercedsunstar.com/site-services/privacy-policy/text-only/ For California Residents: To learn more about managing your sharing preferences and Do Not Sell My Info rights visit https://www.mcclatchy.com/ccpa-pp
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ABC30 Central CA at none against Merced Sun's 3. ABC30 Central CA also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (15K vs 281). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Merced Sun sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. ABC30 Central CA asks for nothing beyond the download.
ABC30 Central CA holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ABC30 Central CA has 15K ratings behind it against 281, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 42% of ABC30 Central CA's written reviews are positive against 30% of Merced Sun's.
ABC30 Central CA ships an update fortnightly, Merced Sun every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ABC30 Central CA | Merced Sun |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (15K ratings) — better | 4.4 (281 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 42.2% of reviews — better | 30.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 15K — better | 281 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 123 MB | 145 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Disney | The McClatchy Company |
Customer experience
ABC30 Central CA
Merced Sun
Bugs and requests
ABC30 Central CA
Reported bugs
4 issues- Links not working as expected
- Notifications not displaying correct stories
- App freezing or crashing during use
- Weather information not syncing with TV broadcasts
Requested features
5 requests- Search function to find news stories
- Customizable notification settings
- Offline content availability
- Integration with other news sources
- Improved video player functionality
Merced Sun
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ABC30 Central CA
No in-app purchases
Merced Sun
- Monthly Subscription3 Months trial$9.991 Month
- Montly Subscription1 Month trial$15.991 Month
- Annual Subscription$159.991 Year
Questions
Is ABC30 Central CA free?
Is Merced Sun free?
Which has better reviews, ABC30 Central CA or Merced Sun?
Do ABC30 Central CA or Merced Sun have ads?
Which is updated more often, ABC30 Central CA or Merced Sun?
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