First Alert 7 vs CBS 21 WX
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
First Alert 7
Get hyper-local weather updates with high-resolution radar and satellite imagery. Receive severe weather alerts and detailed forecasts for your favorite locations or current position.
- 250 meter radar
- Future radar
- High resolution satellite imagery
- Current weather updates
- Daily and hourly forecasts
- Favorite locations
- Severe weather alerts
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CBS 7 is proud to announce a full featured weather app for the iPhone and iPad platforms. Features • Access to station content specifically for our mobile users • 250 meter radar, the highest resolution available • Future radar to see where severe weather is headed • High resolution satellite cloud imagery • Current weather updated multiple times per hour • Daily and Hourly forecasts updated hourly from our computer models • Ability to add and save your favorite locations • A fully integrated GPS for current location awareness • Severe weather alerts from the National Weather Service • Opt-in push alerts to keep you safe in severe weather
CBS 21 WX
Get hyper-local weather updates with high-resolution radar and future tracking. Access daily and hourly forecasts, severe weather alerts, and save your favorite locations for personalized weather information.
- 250 meter radar resolution
- Future radar tracking
- High-resolution satellite imagery
- Current weather updates
- Daily and hourly forecasts
- Save favorite locations
- Severe weather alerts
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WHP is proud to announce a full featured weather app for iPhone and iPad. Features • Access to station content specifically for our mobile users • 250 meter radar, the highest resolution available • Future radar to see where severe weather is headed • High resolution satellite cloud imagery • Current weather updated multiple times per hour • Daily and Hourly forecasts updated hourly from our computer models • Ability to add and save your favorite locations • A fully integrated GPS for current location awareness • Severe weather alerts from the National Weather Service • Opt-in push alerts to keep you safe in severe weather
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: First Alert 7 at 4.7 against CBS 21 WX's 3.4. First Alert 7 also leads on ratings volume (2.2K vs 10) and review sentiment (50% vs 40%). CBS 21 WX's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
First Alert 7 holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: First Alert 7 has 2.2K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of First Alert 7's written reviews are positive against 40% of CBS 21 WX's.
First Alert 7 ships an update every 2 months, CBS 21 WX every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | First Alert 7 | CBS 21 WX |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (2.2K ratings) — better | 3.4 (10 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better | 40.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2.2K — better | 10 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 242 MB | 242 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Gray Television Group, Inc. | Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc |
Customer experience
First Alert 7
CBS 21 WX
Bugs and requests
First Alert 7
Reported bugs
2 issues- Can't get app to show direction of rain clouds
- Was great until two days ago when I updated- now can get nothing???
Requested features
2 requests- White background for radar map
- Weather almanac with historic highs and lows
CBS 21 WX
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
First Alert 7
No in-app purchases
CBS 21 WX
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is First Alert 7 free?
Is CBS 21 WX free?
Which has better reviews, First Alert 7 or CBS 21 WX?
Do First Alert 7 or CBS 21 WX have ads?
Which is updated more often, First Alert 7 or CBS 21 WX?
Other comparisons
