# MLive.com vs Town Crier Wire

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | MLive.com | Town Crier Wire |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mlivecom/id419886579/reviews)** | [3.8 (18 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/town-crier-wire/id1079956416/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **16K** | 18 |
| Positive reviews | 11.9% of reviews | **18.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | **#72** | — |
| Size | 33 MB | 24 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [MLive.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/419886587) | [WSJM Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/472321437) |

## What reviewers say

### MLive.com

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mlivecom/id419886579)

**Currently charting:** #72 Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** Local news reporting, Sports coverage, Weather updates, Politics and business news, Culture and community events, Unlimited premium content access

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wolverine Confidential. | $7.99 | per month |
| Digital Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Digital Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Digital Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly Access | $10.00 | per month |
| All Access to MLive.com | $11.99 | per month |
| All Access to MLive | $15.00 | per month |
| All Access to MLive.com | $75.00 | per year |
| Wolverine Confidential. | $79.99 | per year |
| All access to MLive.com | $99.99 | per year |
| Digital Access | $99.99 | per year |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $99.99 | per year |
| Subscriber Exclusive Content | $99.99 | per year |
| Annual Access | $100.00 | per year |
| All access to MLive.com | $119.99 | per year |
| All Access to MLive | $150.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Quick, accurate, and well-written news
- 👍 Good coverage of Michigan news
- 🌐 Broad spectrum news coverage

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Paywalled content, too many articles behind subscription
- 🐛 Buggy, crashes, freezes, and loading issues
- 💤 Outdated, repetitive, and lacking in real reporting
- 🔍 Poor search functionality and content organization
- 📢 Excessive ads and intrusive advertising

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and inconsistent subscription handling
- Notifications not working as expected
- Scrolling and navigation problems

**Requested features**

- Ability to filter and customize content
- Improved local news coverage and focus
- Removal of paywall for breaking news and essential content


### Town Crier Wire

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/town-crier-wire/id1079956416)

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.

**Highlights:** Local News, Business Updates, Sports Scores, Job Listings, Event Information, Weather Forecasts, Optional Notifications

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MLive.com free?

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

### Is Town Crier Wire free?

Town Crier Wire is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, MLive.com or Town Crier Wire?

MLive.com is rated higher. MLive.com averages 4.4 out of 5 from 16K ratings, while Town Crier Wire averages 3.8 from 18 ratings.

### Do MLive.com or Town Crier Wire have ads?

Both MLive.com and Town Crier Wire show ads.

### Which is updated more often, MLive.com or Town Crier Wire?

MLive.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and Town Crier Wire every 3 months. Most recently, MLive.com was updated on October 14, 2026 and Town Crier Wire on October 2, 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.*