AL.com vs Birmingham Times
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AL.com
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.
- Local news reporting
- Sports updates
- Weather forecasts
- Community-focused content
- Timely and reliable information
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Get trusted local news across Alabama. Breaking news, in-depth reporting, and all the stories people are talking about. Stay connected to what's happening around you with timely coverage of news, weather, sports, and more, optimized for your phone. Free to download. Get breaking news, alerts, and top stories. Subscribers receive unlimited access to in-depth reporting, exclusive content, and additional features. Subscriptions are available in-app. Our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use: http://www.advance.net/advancedigitalUserAgreementPP/
Birmingham Times
This app delivers local news and historical documentation focused on the African-American community in Birmingham, Alabama. It has been a continuous source of information for over 50 years, serving the community's informational needs.
- Local news coverage
- African-American history documentation
- Community-focused content
- Long-standing publication
- Relevant local information
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The Birmingham Times newspaper was founded in 1964. Since our first issue. The Times has been in continuous circulation for more than 50 years. Our mission is to bring interesting and relevant information to the community, as well as serve the needs of our clients. At The Times we look at ourselves as the documenters of African-American news/history in Birmingham, Alabama. Although some of our readers are outside of Birmingham’s city limits our news spotlights local activities and issues. If you have questions about using the app please contact us at 205 251 5158.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Birmingham Times at 100% against AL.com's 23%. Birmingham Times also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). AL.com's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (16K vs 3). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. AL.com sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Birmingham Times asks for nothing beyond the download.
Birmingham Times holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AL.com has 16K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of AL.com's written reviews are positive against 100% of Birmingham Times's.
AL.com ships an update every 3 weeks, Birmingham Times every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AL.com | Birmingham Times |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (16K ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 23.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 16K — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Best chart rank | #109 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 12.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | al.com | Times of Birmingham Inc. |
Customer experience
AL.com
Birmingham Times
Bugs and requests
AL.com
Reported bugs
3 issues- App title displaying incorrectly as 'OSU Basketball'
- Inability to access recent search history
- Difficulty closing ads or navigating back from articles
Requested features
3 requests- Improve app stability and performance
- Provide more balanced and objective news coverage
- Optimize ad placement to minimize disruption
Birmingham Times
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
AL.com
- Digital Access1 Month trial$9.991 Month
- Digital Access$9.991 Month
- Basic Access to Al.com$10.001 Month
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- All Access to Al.com$15.001 Month
- Premium Access to Al.com$20.001 Month
- Digital Access1 Year trial$99.991 Year
- Digital Access$99.991 Year
- Basic Access to Al.com$100.001 Year
- All Access to Al.com$150.001 Year
- Premium Access to Al.com$200.001 Year
Birmingham Times
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is AL.com free?
Is Birmingham Times free?
Which has better reviews, AL.com or Birmingham Times?
Do AL.com or Birmingham Times have ads?
Which is updated more often, AL.com or Birmingham Times?
Other comparisons
