# AL.com vs Talk 99.5

The clearest difference is rating: AL.com at 4.5 against Talk 99.5's 2.9. AL.com also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (16K vs 9). Talk 99.5's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, review sentiment, 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. Talk 99.5 asks for nothing beyond the download.

AL.com holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AL.com has 16K ratings behind it against 9, 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 20% of Talk 99.5's.

AL.com ships an update every 3 weeks, Talk 99.5 every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | AL.com | Talk 99.5 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alcom/id419876008/reviews)** | [2.9 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/talk-995/id500865146/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **16K** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | **23.4% of reviews** | 20.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | **#122** | — |
| Size | 32 MB | 59 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [al.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/419876011) | [Cumulus Media](https://appshunter.io/developer/513445338) |

## What reviewers say

### AL.com

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

**Currently charting:** #122 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


### Talk 99.5

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/talk-995/id500865146)

Stay informed with real-time news, engaging conversations, and breaking stories. This application delivers the latest updates and discussions from Birmingham.

**Highlights:** Real-time news updates, Best conversation, Breaking stories, Live audio streaming, Local Birmingham content

**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 Talk 99.5 free?

Talk 99.5 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, AL.com or Talk 99.5?

AL.com is rated higher. AL.com averages 4.5 out of 5 from 16K ratings, while Talk 99.5 averages 2.9 from 9 ratings.

### Do AL.com or Talk 99.5 have ads?

Both AL.com and Talk 99.5 show ads.

### Which is updated more often, AL.com or Talk 99.5?

AL.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and Talk 99.5 every 5 months. Most recently, AL.com was updated on October 18, 2026 and Talk 99.5 on October 5, 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.*