# News vs OzarksFirst

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 (#149 vs unranked). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | News | OzarksFirst |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (417 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/news-leader/id520202089/reviews) | **[4.6 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ozarksfirst/id641350036/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 417 | **1.1K** |
| Positive reviews | **50.9% of reviews** | 26.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | **#149** | — |
| Size | 190 MB | 77 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [USA TODAY Co., Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/404843797) | [Nexstar Broadcasting](https://appshunter.io/developer/457614880) |

## What reviewers say

### News

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/news-leader/id520202089)

**Currently charting:** #149 Top Grossing · Magazines & Newspapers (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Digital Subscription | $14.99 | per month |
| Monthly Digital Rate | $14.99 | per month |
| The News-Leader Digital Subscription | $19.99 | per month |
| The News-Leader Annual Digital Subscription | $69.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 📰 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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)

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### OzarksFirst

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

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:** 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 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*