KTIV First Alert Weather vs NewsChannel 3
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
KTIV First Alert Weather
Get hyper-local weather updates with high-resolution radar and future tracking. Receive severe weather alerts and customizable forecasts for your saved locations. Stay informed about current conditions and potential storms.
- 250 meter radar
- Future radar tracking
- High resolution satellite imagery
- Current weather updates
- Daily and hourly forecasts
- Saved locations
- Severe weather alerts
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The KTIV Mobile Weather App includes: * 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
NewsChannel 3
Get comprehensive weather updates for Santa Barbara and surrounding areas. Access current conditions, forecasts, severe weather alerts, and video reports from a dedicated weather team. Stay informed with VIPIR Radar and breaking weather headlines.
- Local weather information
- Current conditions
- Forecasts
- Severe weather alerts
- VIPIR Radar
- Video weather reports
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KEYT First Alert Weather delivers complete weather information for Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and surrounding communitues. The weather team from KEYT NewsChannel 3 and KCOY Central Coast News keeps you informed on current conditions and provides constant updates with VIPIR Radar, forecasts, severe weather alerts, video and headlines.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: KTIV First Alert Weather at 4.7 against NewsChannel 3's 2.9. KTIV First Alert Weather also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 17%) and ratings volume (8.6K vs 13). NewsChannel 3's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
KTIV First Alert Weather holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: KTIV First Alert Weather has 8.6K ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of KTIV First Alert Weather's written reviews are positive against 17% of NewsChannel 3's.
KTIV First Alert Weather ships an update every 2 months, NewsChannel 3 every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and June 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | KTIV First Alert Weather | NewsChannel 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (8.6K ratings) — better | 2.9 (13 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better | 16.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8.6K — better | 13 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 245 MB | 95 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Gray Television Group, Inc. | News-Press & Gazette Company |
Customer experience
KTIV First Alert Weather
NewsChannel 3
Bugs and requests
KTIV First Alert Weather
Reported bugs
3 issues- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Login and loading screen problems
- Radar and map functionality not working properly
Requested features
4 requests- Closed captioning for videos
- More localized weather data
- Historical weather data and trends
- Customizable alerts and notifications
NewsChannel 3
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
KTIV First Alert Weather
No in-app purchases
NewsChannel 3
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is KTIV First Alert Weather free?
Is NewsChannel 3 free?
Which has better reviews, KTIV First Alert Weather or NewsChannel 3?
Do KTIV First Alert Weather or NewsChannel 3 have ads?
Which is updated more often, KTIV First Alert Weather or NewsChannel 3?
Other comparisons
