# AL.com vs WVTM 13

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: WVTM 13 at none against AL.com's 10. WVTM 13 also leads on review sentiment (51% vs 23%). AL.com's advantage is chart position (#146 vs unranked) and ratings volume (16K vs 2.5K). On price, rating, 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. WVTM 13 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 WVTM 13. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AL.com has 16K ratings behind it against 2.5K, 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 51% of WVTM 13's.

AL.com ships an update every 3 weeks, WVTM 13 monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | AL.com | WVTM 13 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alcom/id419876008/reviews) | **[4.6 (2.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wvtm-13-birmingham/id938432911/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **16K** | 2.5K |
| Positive reviews | 23.4% of reviews | **50.7% 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 | **#146** | — |
| Size | 32 MB | 128 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | +12 |
| Developer | [al.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/419876011) | [Hearst Television](https://appshunter.io/developer/428240239) |

## What reviewers say

### AL.com

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

**Currently charting:** #146 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


### WVTM 13

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wvtm-13-birmingham/id938432911)

Stay informed with breaking news and weather updates from Birmingham and surrounding areas. Receive alerts, watch live streams, and access local forecasts with an interactive radar. Submit your own news tips and photos to be featured.

**Highlights:** Breaking news alerts, Live streaming news updates, Local news submission, Current local weather, 7-day weather forecasts, Interactive radar

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helpful for weather and news updates
- 🚀 Provides fast information delivery
- ⭐ Trustworthy and professional news source

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔔 Too many notifications and alerts
- 📺 Excessive ads and commercials
- 🔍 Difficulty finding specific news articles
- 🔁 Disappearing news stories when opening one
- 🧭 Radar and weather features not user-friendly

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes or freezes
- Blank screens and loading issues
- Notification issues (disappearing, not working)

**Requested features**

- Allow customization of notification preferences
- Separate weather app or better weather integration
- Improve navigation and search functionality
- Reduce ads or provide ad-free option


## Frequently asked questions

### Is AL.com free?

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

### Is WVTM 13 free?

WVTM 13 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, AL.com or WVTM 13?

WVTM 13 is rated higher. AL.com averages 4.5 out of 5 from 16K ratings, while WVTM 13 averages 4.6 from 2.5K ratings.

### Do AL.com or WVTM 13 have ads?

Both AL.com and WVTM 13 show ads.

### Which is updated more often, AL.com or WVTM 13?

AL.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and WVTM 13 monthly. Most recently, AL.com was updated on October 25, 2026 and WVTM 13 on October 24, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*