# AL.com vs WTVM News Leader 9

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: WTVM News Leader 9 at none against AL.com's 10. WTVM News Leader 9 also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and device support (4 vs 2). AL.com's advantage is chart position (#123 vs unranked) and ratings volume (16K vs 2.8K). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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. WTVM News Leader 9 asks for nothing beyond the download.

WTVM News Leader 9 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 2.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of AL.com's written reviews are positive against 26% of WTVM News Leader 9's.

AL.com ships an update every 3 weeks, WTVM News Leader 9 monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | AL.com | WTVM News Leader 9 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alcom/id419876008/reviews) | **[4.7 (2.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wtvm-news-leader-9/id449733976/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **16K** | 2.8K |
| Positive reviews | 24.0% of reviews | **26.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | **#123** | — |
| Size | 34 MB | 85 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [al.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/419876011) | [Gray Television Group, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/416888140) |

## What reviewers say

### AL.com

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

**Currently charting:** #123 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


### WTVM News Leader 9

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wtvm-news-leader-9/id449733976)

Stay informed with local news for the Columbus, Auburn, and Opelika region. Receive breaking news alerts, access live headlines and stories, and enjoy video content. This app customizes content and ads based on your location.

**Highlights:** Breaking news alerts, Live local news headlines, Local news stories, Sports coverage, Video content

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great local news source
- 🚀 Provides up-to-date alerts and breaking news
- 💡 Useful for keeping informed when unable to watch TV news

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Difficulty finding specific news stories
- 🔍 Outdated or incomplete news coverage
- 🔍 Too many irrelevant or intrusive ads
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and performance issues
- 🔍 Notifications not leading to relevant news stories

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes or freezes frequently
- Notifications not working as expected
- Compatibility issues with certain devices or OS versions

**Requested features**

- Improve search and navigation within the app
- Provide more comprehensive and timely news coverage
- Optimize ad placement to improve user experience
- Fix app stability and performance issues
- Ensure notifications lead directly to related news stories


## Frequently asked questions

### Is AL.com free?

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

### Is WTVM News Leader 9 free?

WTVM News Leader 9 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, AL.com or WTVM News Leader 9?

WTVM News Leader 9 is rated higher. AL.com averages 4.5 out of 5 from 16K ratings, while WTVM News Leader 9 averages 4.7 from 2.8K ratings.

### Do AL.com or WTVM News Leader 9 have ads?

Both AL.com and WTVM News Leader 9 show ads.

### Which is updated more often, AL.com or WTVM News Leader 9?

AL.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and WTVM News Leader 9 monthly. Most recently, AL.com was updated on October 30, 2026 and WTVM News Leader 9 on October 29, 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.*