# Alabama's 42 vs AL.com

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Alabama's 42 at none against AL.com's 10. Alabama's 42 also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (37% vs 23%). AL.com's advantage is ratings volume (16K vs 1.4K) and chart position (#114 vs unranked). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. AL.com sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Alabama's 42 asks for nothing beyond the download.

Alabama's 42 holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AL.com has 16K ratings behind it against 1.4K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 37% of Alabama's 42's written reviews are positive against 23% of AL.com's.

Alabama's 42 ships an update every 6 weeks, AL.com every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Alabama's 42 | AL.com |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alabamas-42/id411764669/reviews)** | [4.5 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alcom/id419876008/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1.4K | **16K** |
| Positive reviews | **36.6% of reviews** | 23.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#114** |
| Size | 76 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [LIN Television Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/488222083) | [al.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/419876011) |

## What reviewers say

### Alabama's 42

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alabamas-42/id411764669)

Stay informed with local news and weather updates directly from your trusted news team. Access top stories, real-time developing news, and in-depth community journalism. Get detailed weather forecasts, live alerts, and interactive radar maps to plan your day.

**Highlights:** Top local news stories, Real-time developing news, In-depth community journalism, Storm Team weather updates, Interactive radar map, Breaking news alerts, Save stories for later

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Keeps users informed
- 🚀 Provides up-to-date news
- 👍 Professional and on-point news coverage

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Accessibility issues with VoiceOver
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Unreliable live stream and notifications
- 🐛 Cluttered and confusing UI
- 🐛 Difficulty finding and accessing old articles

**Reported bugs**

- Text jumping around in articles
- Notification settings not working properly
- In-app settings not accessible
- Inability to save articles for later reading

**Requested features**

- Improve accessibility for VoiceOver users
- Provide more reliable live stream and notifications
- Redesign the UI for better navigation and readability
- Implement a robust search function to find old articles


### AL.com

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alcom/id419876008)

**Currently charting:** #114 Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

Get timely and reliable local news, sports, and weather updates directly impacting your community. Stay informed about unfolding events in your backyard, from politics and business to culture and more. Access essential information from a trusted source, anytime and anywhere.

**Highlights:** Local news reporting, Sports updates, Weather forecasts, Community-focused content, Timely and reliable information

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Digital Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Digital Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Basic Access to Al.com | $10.00 | per month |
| All Access to Al.com | $15.00 | per month |
| Premium Access to Al.com | $20.00 | per month |
| Digital Access | $99.99 | per year |
| Digital Access | $99.99 | per year |
| Basic Access to Al.com | $100.00 | per year |
| All Access to Al.com | $150.00 | per year |
| Premium Access to Al.com | $200.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Great overall news source
- 🚀 Timely and informative news coverage
- 👍 Diverse content and topics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 🔋 Performance issues, slow loading
- 💬 Biased and one-sided reporting
- 📢 Intrusive and disruptive ads

**Reported bugs**

- App title displaying incorrectly as 'OSU Basketball'
- Inability to access recent search history
- Difficulty closing ads or navigating back from articles

**Requested features**

- Improve app stability and performance
- Provide more balanced and objective news coverage
- Optimize ad placement to minimize disruption


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Alabama's 42 free?

Alabama's 42 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is AL.com free?

AL.com is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Alabama's 42 or AL.com?

Alabama's 42 is rated higher. Alabama's 42 averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.4K ratings, while AL.com averages 4.5 from 16K ratings.

### Do Alabama's 42 or AL.com have ads?

Both Alabama's 42 and AL.com show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Alabama's 42 or AL.com?

Alabama's 42 ships an update every 6 weeks, and AL.com every 3 weeks. Most recently, Alabama's 42 was updated on October 16, 2026 and AL.com on October 19, 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.*