# AL.com vs Central Alabama AFT

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Central Alabama AFT at none against AL.com's 10. Central Alabama AFT also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 weeks). AL.com's advantage is chart position (#115 vs unranked). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

AL.com ships an update every 3 weeks, Central Alabama AFT every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | AL.com | Central Alabama AFT |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alcom/id419876008/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **16K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 24.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#115** | — |
| Size | 34 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [al.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/419876011) | [Prometheus Labor Communications, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1102721713) |

## 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


### Central Alabama AFT

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/central-alabama-aft/id6778934339)

**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 Central Alabama AFT free?

Central Alabama AFT is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do AL.com or Central Alabama AFT have ads?

AL.com shows ads; Central Alabama AFT does not.

### Which is updated more often, AL.com or Central Alabama AFT?

AL.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and Central Alabama AFT every 8 days. Most recently, AL.com was updated on October 30, 2026 and Central Alabama AFT on October 25, 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.*