MLive.com vs Town Crier Wire
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MLive.com
Stay informed with local news, sports, and weather that directly impacts your community. Access timely and reliable reporting from trusted journalists who live and work in your area. Coverage spans news, politics, business, culture, and more, ensuring you're always aware of what's happening in your backyard.
- Local news reporting
- Sports coverage
- Weather updates
- Politics and business news
- Culture and community events
- Unlimited premium content access
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Get trusted local news from across Michigan. 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/
Town Crier Wire
Access free local news, business updates, sports scores, job listings, and event information for Southwest Michigan. Receive optional notifications for breaking news and local deals.
- Local News
- Business Updates
- Sports Scores
- Job Listings
- Event Information
- Weather Forecasts
- Optional Notifications
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Town Crier Wire is your free local information app for Michigan's Great Southwest, including St. Joseph, Benton Harbor, Bridgman, Stevensville, Coloma, Watervliet, South Haven, and more. Get everything you need to know all in one place, all for free: Local News from News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM, Business from MoodyontheMarket.com, Sports from WSJMSports.com, Obituaries, Jobs, Events, Weather, Closings and more. Free, unlimited access to articles and video with no subscription required. Articles are posted many times a day and throughout the weekend. We'll also notify you with optional notifications about new articles, important local information, or great deals from local businesses!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: MLive.com at 4.4 against Town Crier Wire's 3.8. MLive.com also leads on ratings volume (16K vs 18) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). Town Crier Wire's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 18) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, review sentiment, ads 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. MLive.com sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Town Crier Wire asks for nothing beyond the download.
MLive.com holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MLive.com has 16K ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 12% of MLive.com's written reviews are positive against 18% of Town Crier Wire's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
MLive.com ships an update every 3 weeks, Town Crier Wire every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MLive.com | Town Crier Wire |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (16K ratings) — better | 3.8 (18 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 11.9% of reviews | 18.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 16K — better | 18 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Ad-supported — better |
| Best chart rank | #92 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | MLive.com | WSJM Inc. |
Customer experience
MLive.com
Town Crier Wire
Bugs and requests
MLive.com
Reported bugs
3 issues- Login issues and inconsistent subscription handling
- Notifications not working as expected
- Scrolling and navigation problems
Requested features
3 requests- Ability to filter and customize content
- Improved local news coverage and focus
- Removal of paywall for breaking news and essential content
Town Crier Wire
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
MLive.com
- Wolverine Confidential.$7.991 Month
- Digital Access$9.991 Month
- Digital Access1 Month trial$9.991 Month
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- Digital Access7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Subscriber Exclusive Content1 Month trial2 variants$9.991 Month
- Monthly Access1 Month trial$10.001 Month
- All Access to MLive.com$11.991 Month
- All Access to MLive$15.001 Month
- All Access to MLive.com6 Months trial$75.001 Year
- Wolverine Confidential.$79.991 Year
- All access to MLive.com1 Year trial$99.991 Year
- Digital Access$99.991 Year
- Subscriber Exclusive Content1 Year trial$99.991 Year
- Subscriber Exclusive Content$99.991 Year
- Annual Access1 Year trial$100.001 Year
- All access to MLive.com$119.991 Year
- All Access to MLive$150.001 Year
Town Crier Wire
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is MLive.com free?
Is Town Crier Wire free?
Which has better reviews, MLive.com or Town Crier Wire?
Do MLive.com or Town Crier Wire have ads?
Which is updated more often, MLive.com or Town Crier Wire?
Other comparisons
