# Joplin Globe vs OzarksFirst

Joplin Globe and OzarksFirst both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 66% of Joplin Globe's written reviews are positive against 26% of OzarksFirst's. Joplin Globe also leads on iOS requirement (12.4 vs 15.1). OzarksFirst's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Joplin Globe sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. OzarksFirst asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Joplin Globe against 4.6 for OzarksFirst. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: OzarksFirst has 1.1K ratings behind it against 94, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of Joplin Globe's written reviews are positive against 26% of OzarksFirst's.

Joplin Globe ships an update every 4 months, OzarksFirst every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Joplin Globe | OzarksFirst |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (94 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/joplin-globe/id448999179/reviews)** | [4.6 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ozarksfirst/id641350036/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 94 | **1.1K** |
| Positive reviews | **65.9% of reviews** | 26.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 41 MB | 77 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.4** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | +12 | 12+ |
| Developer | [CNHI LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1422875061) | [Nexstar Broadcasting](https://appshunter.io/developer/457614880) |

## What reviewers say

### Joplin Globe

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/joplin-globe/id448999179)

Access local news, commentary, photos, and videos from your community. Download daily editions for offline reading and stay updated with breaking news, sports, and weather. Enjoy enhanced features for real estate and weather, plus local classifieds and shopping information.

**Highlights:** Offline reading of daily editions, Breaking news and developing stories, Photo and video galleries, Print edition layout view, Local weather and events, Social sharing of content

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Today's ePaper | $1.99 | one-time |


### OzarksFirst

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ozarksfirst/id641350036)

Get the latest local news, weather, and sports updates for the Ozarks region. Access top stories from daily broadcasts and real-time developing news. Stay informed with detailed forecasts, severe weather alerts, and interactive radar maps.

**Highlights:** Top local news stories, Real-time developing news, Detailed weather reports, Severe weather alerts, Interactive radar map, Breaking news alerts, Save stories for later

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good local news coverage
- 🌟 Informative and up-to-date
- ⭐ Excellent local weather app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find content
- 💤 Older full newscasts not available
- 🚨 Excessive and intrusive ads
- 🐌 Slow and unreliable performance
- 🔍 Small font size makes content hard to read

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on launch after recent update
- Weather radar and live stream features not working
- Notifications not working as expected

**Requested features**

- History archive with past newscasts
- Improved navigation and content organization
- Reduced ad frequency and less intrusive ad placement


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Joplin Globe free?

Joplin Globe is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is OzarksFirst free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Joplin Globe or OzarksFirst?

Joplin Globe is rated higher. Joplin Globe averages 4.6 out of 5 from 94 ratings, while OzarksFirst averages 4.6 from 1.1K ratings.

### Do Joplin Globe or OzarksFirst have ads?

Both Joplin Globe and OzarksFirst show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Joplin Globe or OzarksFirst?

Joplin Globe ships an update every 4 months, and OzarksFirst every 6 weeks. Most recently, Joplin Globe was updated on October 21, 2026 and OzarksFirst on October 24, 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.*