# AL.com vs DecaturDaily

AL.com and DecaturDaily both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 85% of DecaturDaily's written reviews are positive against 23% of AL.com's. DecaturDaily also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). AL.com's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (16K vs 67). On price, rating, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for AL.com against 4.6 for DecaturDaily. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AL.com has 16K ratings behind it against 67, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 23% of AL.com's written reviews are positive against 85% of DecaturDaily's.

AL.com ships an update every 3 weeks, DecaturDaily every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | AL.com | DecaturDaily |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alcom/id419876008/reviews) | **[4.6 (67 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/decaturdaily/id1664546831/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **16K** | 67 |
| Positive reviews | 23.4% of reviews | **84.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#115** | — |
| Size | 32 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [al.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/419876011) | [TN Valley Media](https://appshunter.io/developer/1060100976) |

## What reviewers say

### AL.com

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

**Currently charting:** #115 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


### DecaturDaily

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/decaturdaily/id1664546831)

Access an exact digital replica of the printed newspaper on your mobile device. Enjoy interactive features like sharing articles, clickable web links, and a read-aloud option. Optimized for both tablets and phones with multiple viewing modes.

**Highlights:** Digital replica of printed newspaper, Interactive article sharing, Clickable web links, Read aloud functionality, Offline reading, Optimized for phones and tablets

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is AL.com free?

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

### Is DecaturDaily free?

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

### Which has better reviews, AL.com or DecaturDaily?

DecaturDaily is rated higher. AL.com averages 4.5 out of 5 from 16K ratings, while DecaturDaily averages 4.6 from 67 ratings.

### Do AL.com or DecaturDaily have ads?

Both AL.com and DecaturDaily show ads.

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

AL.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and DecaturDaily every 6 months. Most recently, AL.com was updated on October 24, 2026 and DecaturDaily on October 20, 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.*