AL.com vs Birmingham Lights
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 Lights
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BHM Lights is a local portal for the city of Birmingham in Alabama. It features aggregated news from local providers, posts and offers from local businesses and social networking. Registration is free via Google, Facebook or AppleIDs. Members can share interesting articles or engage with other members.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Birmingham Lights at none against AL.com's 10. Birmingham Lights also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). AL.com's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 7 months) and chart position (#113 vs unranked). On price 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 Lights asks for nothing beyond the download.
AL.com ships an update every 3 weeks, Birmingham Lights every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AL.com | Birmingham Lights |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (16K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 23.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 16K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | #113 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 106 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | al.com | CyberCrow Inc |
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 Lights
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 Lights
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is AL.com free?
Is Birmingham Lights free?
Do AL.com or Birmingham Lights have ads?
Which is updated more often, AL.com or Birmingham Lights?
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