PennLive vs WJAC
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PennLive
Stay informed about local happenings with timely and reliable reporting on news, sports, and weather. Access in-depth coverage of community events, politics, business, and culture from a trusted source.
- Local news reporting
- Sports coverage
- Weather updates
- Politics and business news
- Culture and community events
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Get trusted local news from across Central Pennsylvania. 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. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Your subscriptions may be managed (and auto-renewal can be turned off) by going to your iTunes Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active subscription period. If we offer a free trial, any unused portion of the free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use: http://www.advance.net/advancedigitalUserAgreementPP/
WJAC
Stay informed with instant news, weather, and sports updates. Watch live newscasts, receive breaking news alerts, and get up-to-the-minute local and national information. The app offers detailed weather forecasts, radar, and traffic conditions, all within a redesigned, user-friendly interface.
- Breaking news alerts
- Live newscast streaming
- Hourly and daily weather forecasts
- Live weather radar
- Traffic information
- Customizable notifications
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The WJAC news app delivers news, weather and sports in an instant. With the new and fully redesigned app you can watch live newscasts, get up-to-the minute local and national news, weather and traffic conditions and stay informed via notifications alerting you to breaking news and local events. • Breaking news alerts and stories • Live streaming • New weather section with hourly and daily forecasts • Live weather radar and traffic information • Completely overhauled app that is faster and easier to use
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: WJAC at none against PennLive's 15. WJAC also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5). PennLive's advantage is ratings volume (3.2K vs 169) and chart position (#152 vs unranked). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. PennLive sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. WJAC asks for nothing beyond the download.
WJAC holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PennLive has 3.2K ratings behind it against 169, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 16% of PennLive's written reviews are positive against 19% of WJAC's.
PennLive ships an update every 3 weeks, WJAC every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PennLive | WJAC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (3.2K ratings) | 4.8 (169 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 16.4% of reviews | 19.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3.2K — better | 169 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Ad-supported — better |
| Best chart rank | #152 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.3 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 144 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | PennLive LLC | Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc |
Customer experience
PennLive
WJAC
Bugs and requests
PennLive
Reported bugs
3 issues- App freezes and crashes on launch
- Inability to access articles after updates
- Inconsistent behavior across devices
Requested features
4 requests- Improved app stability and performance
- Streamlined and intuitive navigation
- Ability to read articles without paywall
- Unbiased and fact-based reporting
WJAC
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
PennLive
- Basic Access to PennLive.com$5.991 Month
- PennLive Sports Insider$7.991 Month
- Basic Access to PennLive.com$9.991 Month
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- Basic Access to PennLive.com1 Month trial2 variants$9.991 Month
- Basic Access to PennLive.com7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Subscriber Exclusive Content1 Month trial$9.991 Month
- All Access to PennLive.com$11.991 Month
- All Access to PennLive.com$15.001 Month
- All Access to PennLive.com6 Months trial$75.001 Year
- PennLive Sports Insider$79.991 Year
- All Access to PennLive.com$99.991 Year
- Basic Access to PennLive.com1 Year trial$99.991 Year
- BasicAccess to PennLive.com1 Year trial$99.991 Year
- Basic Access to PennLive.com$119.991 Year
WJAC
No in-app purchases
