# Pal Item vs Kicks 96

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Kicks 96 at none against Pal Item's 4. Kicks 96 also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). Pal Item's advantage is ratings volume (270 vs 1) and update cadence (monthly vs every 5 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pal Item sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Kicks 96 asks for nothing beyond the download.

Pal Item holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pal Item has 270 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Pal Item ships an update monthly, Kicks 96 every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pal Item | Kicks 96 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (270 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pal-item/id553320600/reviews)** | [4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kicks-96/id794531142/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **270** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 35.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 184 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [USA TODAY Co., Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/404843797) | [Boswell Media, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/794063092) |

## What reviewers say

### Pal Item

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pal-item/id553320600)

Stay informed with local news, in-depth journalism, and engaging multimedia content. Receive real-time alerts for breaking news, sports, and weather. Customize your reading experience and access digital editions of newspapers.

**Highlights:** In-depth local journalism, Breaking news alerts, Sports coverage, Streamlined reading experience, Customizable settings, Offline reading, eNewspaper access

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Digital Rate | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly Digital Rate | $14.99 | per month |
| Palladium-Item Digital Subscription | $16.99 | per month |
| Palladium-Item Annual Digital Subscription | $69.99 | per year |


### Kicks 96

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kicks-96/id794531142)

This app delivers a blend of current mainstream country music and popular hits from the 1980s and 1990s. It caters to active country music fans aged 25-54 with a true country format.

**Highlights:** Mainstream country music, 80s and 90s country hits, True country format, Active country consumer appeal

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pal Item free?

Pal Item is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Kicks 96 free?

Kicks 96 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Pal Item or Kicks 96?

Pal Item is rated higher. Pal Item averages 4.2 out of 5 from 270 ratings, while Kicks 96 averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Pal Item or Kicks 96 have ads?

Both Pal Item and Kicks 96 show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pal Item or Kicks 96?

Pal Item ships an update monthly, and Kicks 96 every 5 months. Most recently, Pal Item was updated on October 22, 2026 and Kicks 96 on October 13, 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.*