Comparison

WTOC First Alert Radar vs Action News Jax Weather

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

Head to head
About

WTOC First Alert Radar

Get hyper-local weather information with high-resolution radar and future radar to track storms. Receive severe weather alerts and personalized forecasts for your saved locations. Stay informed about current conditions and potential threats with this comprehensive weather tool.

Highlights
  • 250 meter high-resolution radar
  • Future radar tracking
  • High-resolution satellite imagery
  • Current weather updates
  • Daily and hourly forecasts
  • Favorite location saving
  • Severe weather alerts
Features
Read full description

The WTOC Mobile Weather App includes: * Access to station content specifically for our mobile users * 250 meter radar, the highest resolution available * Future radar to see where severe weather is headed * High resolution satellite cloud imagery * Current weather updated multiple times per hour * Daily and Hourly forecasts updated hourly from our computer models * Ability to add and save your favorite locations * A fully integrated GPS for current location awareness * Severe weather alerts from the National Weather Service * Opt-in push alerts to keep you safe in severe weather

About

Action News Jax Weather

Receive hyper-local weather forecasts and real-time alerts for the Jacksonville area. Features include high-resolution radar with future tracking, customizable push notifications for severe weather, and precise location-based alerts.

Highlights
  • High-resolution live and future radar
  • Earthquake and storm tracking layers
  • Free push alerts for over 25 types
  • Location-based precision alerts
  • Current, hourly, and daily forecasts
  • Save and name custom locations
Features
Read full description

Get the most accurate Jacksonville-area forecast in town with the First Alert Weather App from Action News Jax - WJAX/WFOX. The app features the forecast from your neighborhood, live radar, breaking weather alerts, live streaming video from Chief Meteorologist Mike Buresh and the First Alert weather team. Summary of Features: - There is a new radar in the weather app that matches the radar found on other digital platforms and also includes future radar to provide you with a likely path and outlook of storms. The radar has 250 meter resolution, the highest available. - New tracks - We added earthquakes and storm tracks as layers in the radar. Now you can track the location and magnitude of earthquakes as well for storms the speed, direction and type. Tap the “storm symbols” icon in the radar to see the list. - Push alerts are FREE for more than 25 alert types including everything from tornado warnings to winter storm warnings and tropical storm alert types. - Now you can scroll through the home screen to access most of what you need or want on one tab. - Place a location pin precisely where you want it for a specific address or any position on a map. When saving a location you can name it exactly how you want it. - The app works with identical features on tablet and handset. - Additional items added seasonally The weather app also has these critical benefits and features: - The radar zooms down to your neighborhood or zooms out to check radar anywhere in the country. - The app provides Location-Based alerts. While many other apps offer alerts based on your county, This app supports a more precise type of alert issued for the most dangerous types of weather threats. More precision means you get alerts that matter to you, not false alarms. - Current conditions, hourly and daily forecasts for any location you enter. - High resolution satellite cloud imagery - Ability to add and save locations - A fully integrated GPS for current location awareness - Additional items added seasonally *Data and alerting available for the United States only

Screenshots

WTOC First Alert Radar3 screens
Action News Jax Weather4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: WTOC First Alert Radar at ad-supported against Action News Jax Weather's free with in-app purchases. WTOC First Alert Radar also leads on review sentiment (59% vs 50%). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for WTOC First Alert Radar against 4.7 for Action News Jax Weather. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13K and 6.3K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 59% of WTOC First Alert Radar's written reviews are positive against 50% of Action News Jax Weather's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WTOC First Alert Radar ships an update every 6 weeks, Action News Jax Weather every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
WTOC First Alert Radar versus Action News Jax Weather: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWTOC First Alert RadarAction News Jax Weather
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (13K ratings) — better4.7 (6.3K ratings)
Positive reviews59.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings13K — better6.3K
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size254 MB246 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGray Television Group, Inc.Cox Media Group

Customer experience

WTOC First Alert Radar

All ratings13,273 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral2.6%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews83 reviews
Positive59.0%
Neutral9.6%
Negative31.3%

Action News Jax Weather

All ratings6,308 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral2.9%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews70 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral8.6%
Negative41.4%

User reviews

WTOC First Alert Radar

From 13K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Straightforward and simple to use
  • 🚀 Accurate weather forecasts
  • 🚀 Reliable radar and weather updates
  • 👍 Helpful for severe weather alerts
  • 👍 Trusted weather source for the region

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Radar issues (stops at 12 hours, inaccurate readings)
  • 🐛 Inconsistent alert notifications (missing alerts for severe weather)
  • 🔍 Too many advertisements, difficult to navigate
  • 🐛 App slowness and glitches

Action News Jax Weather

From 6.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Accurate weather forecasts
  • 🚀 Detailed radar and storm tracking
  • 💡 Helpful weather notifications
  • 👍 Reliable and dependable app
  • 👍 Excellent local weather coverage

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inaccurate weather predictions
  • 🔇 Audio issues with video playback
  • 💸 Excessive and intrusive ads
  • 🔍 Radar not updating in real-time
  • 🔍 Lack of hyperlocal weather data

Bugs and requests

WTOC First Alert Radar

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Radar not working since last update
  • Hourly and daily forecasts not aligning
  • App crashing or freezing on some devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add ability to set user's location
  • Improve radar functionality and extend time range
  • Enhance alert accuracy and timeliness

Action News Jax Weather

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Mute function not working properly
  • Duplicate weather alerts received
  • App consuming excessive mobile data

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add chance of rain percentage to forecasts
  • Improve alert notifications and direct access to details
  • Introduce a widget for quick weather information
  • Restore regular weather video updates

In-app purchases

None

WTOC First Alert Radar

No in-app purchases

None

Action News Jax Weather

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is WTOC First Alert Radar free?
WTOC First Alert Radar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Action News Jax Weather free?
Action News Jax Weather is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, WTOC First Alert Radar or Action News Jax Weather?
WTOC First Alert Radar is rated higher. WTOC First Alert Radar averages 4.8 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while Action News Jax Weather averages 4.7 from 6.3K ratings.
Do WTOC First Alert Radar or Action News Jax Weather have ads?
Both WTOC First Alert Radar and Action News Jax Weather show ads.
Which is updated more often, WTOC First Alert Radar or Action News Jax Weather?
WTOC First Alert Radar ships an update every 6 weeks, and Action News Jax Weather every 2 months. Most recently, WTOC First Alert Radar was updated on September 24, 2026 and Action News Jax Weather on September 23, 2026.

Other comparisons