# AL.com vs Birmingham Times

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.

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 24, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | AL.com | Birmingham Times |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alcom/id419876008/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birmingham-times/id1454542678/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **16K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 23.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | **#127** | — |
| Size | 32 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **12.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [al.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/419876011) | [Times of Birmingham Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1454542677) |

## What reviewers say

### AL.com

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

**Currently charting:** #127 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


### Birmingham Times

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birmingham-times/id1454542678)

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.

**Highlights:** Local news coverage, African-American history documentation, Community-focused content, Long-standing publication, Relevant local information

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is AL.com free?

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

### Is Birmingham Times free?

Birmingham Times is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, AL.com or Birmingham Times?

Birmingham Times is rated higher. AL.com averages 4.5 out of 5 from 16K ratings, while Birmingham Times averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do AL.com or Birmingham Times have ads?

Both AL.com and Birmingham Times show ads.

### Which is updated more often, AL.com or Birmingham Times?

AL.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and Birmingham Times every 6 months. Most recently, AL.com was updated on October 24, 2026 and Birmingham Times on October 11, 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.*