# CGTN vs Al

The clearest difference is rating: CGTN at 4.4 against Al's 3.0. CGTN also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 13 months) and ratings volume (394 vs 2). Al's advantage is monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

CGTN holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CGTN has 394 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

CGTN ships an update every 5 weeks, Al every 13 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CGTN | Al |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (394 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cgtn/id922456579/reviews)** | [3.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/al-ahram/id994122100/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **394** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 54.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 13 months |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 137 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **8.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [China Global Television Network Corp.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1568444017) | [AlAhram Newspaper](https://appshunter.io/developer/500599735) |

## What reviewers say

### CGTN

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cgtn/id922456579)

Access global news from a unique perspective with diverse, balanced, and objective content. This app offers breaking news, in-depth stories, and livestreams in five languages, along with a rich archive of articles, audio, and video.

**Highlights:** Global news coverage, Content in 5 languages, Breaking news notifications, Rich audiovisual content, In-depth stories and features, AI and AR products

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Balanced and unbiased news coverage
- 🌐 Comprehensive global news perspective
- 🎥 High-quality video and documentary content
- 💯 Reliable and trustworthy news source
- 🌍 Diverse range of international topics covered

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional app crashes and stability issues
- 🔍 Limited search and navigation functionality
- 📱 Suboptimal user experience on tablets
- 🔊 Audio and video playback problems
- 🌐 Lack of offline content access

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when opening certain articles
- Live TV channel playback not working
- Russian text not displaying correctly
- Landscape mode not supported on iPad
- Notifications not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode option
- Improve search and filtering capabilities
- Optimize app for tablet devices
- Implement offline content download feature
- Allow customization of notification settings


### Al

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/al-ahram/id994122100)

Access breaking news from Egypt as it happens, along with front-page stories, daily columns, and obituaries from Al-Ahram Egyptian Foundation. Stay updated on accidents, economy, stock market, and sports news, including Egyptian league, Arab, and international headlines.

**Highlights:** Breaking news from Egypt, Front-page newspaper content, Daily columns and obituaries, Economy and stock market news, Sports, Arab, and world news

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CGTN free?

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

### Is Al free?

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

### Which has better reviews, CGTN or Al?

CGTN is rated higher. CGTN averages 4.4 out of 5 from 394 ratings, while Al averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do CGTN or Al have ads?

Neither CGTN nor Al shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, CGTN or Al?

CGTN ships an update every 5 weeks, and Al every 13 months. Most recently, CGTN was updated on November 1, 2026 and Al on October 25, 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.*