Comparison

News vs OzarksFirst

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

News

Access local news, in-depth journalism, and engaging multimedia content. Get real-time notifications for breaking news, sports, and weather. Customize your reading experience and enjoy a digital replica of the print edition.

Highlights
  • In-depth local journalism
  • Breaking news notifications
  • Sports coverage
  • Customizable reading experience
  • Offline reading
  • eNewspaper replica
  • Access to USA TODAY
Features
Read full description

From critically acclaimed storytelling to powerful photography to engaging videos — the News-Leader app delivers the local news that matters most to your community. APP FEATURES: • Access all of our in-depth journalism, including things to do around town, sports coverage from high school to the pros, and much more. • Enjoy a streamlined, fast-loading experience that makes it easy to view the stories, photos, and videos that matter to you. • Get breaking news, sports scores, and weather alerts with real-time notifications tailored to your interests. • Customize your experience by saving your favorite stories, adjusting text size, using night mode, or reading offline. • eNewspaper: Just like our print edition but accessible on your mobile devices. And access to USA TODAY and 200+ local eNewspapers. MORE INFORMATION: • Privacy Policy: https://cm.news-leader.com/privacy/ • Terms of Service: https://cm.news-leader.com/terms/ • Help Center: https://help.news-leader.com • Subscriptions are charged to your account at confirmation of purchase and automatically renew each month or year, unless turned off in your account settings 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. You can manage your subscriptions and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to your Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription, where applicable. See "Subscription Support" in the app's Settings for more details and customer service contact information.

About

OzarksFirst

Stay informed with local news, weather, and sports from the Springfield-Branson area. Access top stories, real-time updates, video reports, and interactive weather maps. Receive breaking news alerts and save articles for later.

Highlights
  • Top local news stories
  • Real-time developing stories
  • Video reports from reporters
  • Detailed weather forecasts
  • Interactive radar map
  • Breaking news alerts
  • Save stories for later
Features
Read full description

News has never been more local than in the palm of your hand. The KOZL KOLR mobile app brings you all the top stories from our daily broadcasts, as well as stories developing in real time. News, weather, and sports from KOLR10 and Ozarksfirst.com. Your source for local news, weather forecast, sports, videos in the Springfield-Branson area and the entire Ozarks region. Covering southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas since 1953. Your source for news in the Ozarks. Please send us comments or questions. FEATURES: • Watch video of your trusted reporters on the scene, and read revealing articles on what's going on in your community. • Plan your day and week with detailed weather reports, live alerts of severe conditions, and an interactive radar map. • Optional alerts on breaking news keep you in the know. • On the go? Save stories for later to access at your convenience.

Screenshots

News4 screens
OzarksFirst4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OzarksFirst at none against News's 4. OzarksFirst also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.3) and device support (4 vs 2). News's advantage is review sentiment (51% vs 26%) and chart position (#151 vs unranked). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. News sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. OzarksFirst asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

OzarksFirst holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 417 and 1.1K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 51% of News's written reviews are positive against 26% of OzarksFirst's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

News ships an update monthly, OzarksFirst every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
News versus OzarksFirst: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNewsOzarksFirst
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (417 ratings)4.6 (1.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.9% of reviews — better26.1% of reviews
Number of ratings4171.1K — better
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
Best chart rank#151 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS18.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size190 MB77 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperUSA TODAY Co., Inc.Nexstar Broadcasting

Customer experience

News

All ratings417 ratings
Positive81.5%
Neutral9.1%
Negative9.4%
Written reviews57 reviews
Positive50.9%
Neutral8.8%
Negative40.4%

OzarksFirst

All ratings1,123 ratings
Positive90.7%
Neutral3.8%
Negative5.5%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive26.1%
Neutral2.2%
Negative71.7%

User reviews

News

From 417 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📰 Excellent local and state news coverage
  • 📱 Easy navigation and user-friendly interface
  • 🔔 Helpful breaking news notifications
  • ✍️ High-quality journalism and reporting
  • 🌍 Good accessibility for remote readers

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing issues
  • 🔐 Persistent login and authentication problems
  • 📄 E-newspaper difficult to navigate and access
  • 🔤 Small text size on tablets and devices
  • 📰 News content outdated or delayed (2-3 days behind)

OzarksFirst

From 1.1K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

  • 🔍 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

Bugs and requests

News

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • App crashes when changing page size
  • Text falls off pages during reading
  • Login requires repeated re-authentication after 5 stories
  • E-newspaper section inaccessible or only shows USA Today
  • App freezes during ad transitions
Show 3 more
  • Content not found errors despite working internet connection
  • App closes immediately upon opening
  • iOS 14 compatibility issues with text rendering

Requested features

8 requests
  • Restore newspaper-style full-page layout view
  • Implement search functionality
  • Add ability to read and post comments
  • Improve e-newspaper section navigation
  • Better subheading formatting within articles
Show 3 more
  • Easier subscription cancellation process
  • Customizable notification settings with granular controls
  • Offline reading capability for saved articles

OzarksFirst

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

In-app purchases

4 purchases

News

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Digital Subscription1 Month trial$14.991 Month
  • Monthly Digital Rate1 Month trial$14.991 Month
  • The News-Leader Digital Subscription1 Month trial$19.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • The News-Leader Annual Digital Subscription1 Year trial$69.991 Year
None

OzarksFirst

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is News free?
News 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, News or OzarksFirst?
OzarksFirst is rated higher. News averages 4.3 out of 5 from 417 ratings, while OzarksFirst averages 4.6 from 1.1K ratings.
Do News or OzarksFirst have ads?
Both News and OzarksFirst show ads.
Which is updated more often, News or OzarksFirst?
News ships an update monthly, and OzarksFirst every 6 weeks. Most recently, News was updated on November 6, 2026 and OzarksFirst on November 6, 2026.

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