Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

AL.com vs NewsBreak

AL.com 4.5★ · Free to download 40
Winner NewsBreak
NewsBreak 4.8★ · Free to download 70

NewsBreak is generally preferred for its broader news coverage and higher user satisfaction, despite its issues with ads and AI content, while AL.com struggles with app stability and extensive paywalls.

Full reviews: AL.com · NewsBreak

NewsBreak, with a significantly higher lifetime rating and more reviews, offers a wide range of news but is criticized for excessive ads, AI-generated content, and occasional bias. AL.com, while praised for local Alabama news, faces severe issues with app stability, frequent crashes, and a pervasive paywall that locks most articles.

Head to head

Features and Content edge: NewsBreakR1R4R7R8
AL.com AL.com is valued for its Alabama-specific news, including local sports and state-wide coverage R8. However, users report that much of the content is behind a paywall, making it inaccessible R1R4R7R16. Some users also note that news can be old or not updated frequently . There are also complaints about political bias .
NewsBreak NewsBreak offers a broad range of news, including local updates and global stories . However, many users criticize the app for misleading headlines, old or irrelevant notifications R61R69, and a significant amount of AI-generated content and fake ads R64R66. The crime map feature, heavily promoted, is also reported to be inaccurate or non-existent in some areas . Users also report political bias .
Ease of Use and Reliability tieR1R2R3R6
AL.com AL.com users frequently report significant issues with app stability, including constant freezing, crashing, and slow loading times R1R3R10R13. Ads are also a major problem, often covering content and making articles difficult to read R2R6. Some users also mention difficulty with sharing articles and finding specific content like live updates .
NewsBreak NewsBreak is criticized for an overwhelming number of ads and pop-ups that interrupt reading R63R73R91. Users also report excessive notifications . Some basic features like GIFs are no longer working . The app is also described as being too invasive with permissions .
Price/Value tieR1R4R7R16
AL.com AL.com is free to download, but users are highly frustrated by extensive paywalls that block most articles, forcing them to subscribe for what they consider overpriced content R1R4R7R16. The cost is cited as $5 a month or $99.99 a year R16R40.
NewsBreak NewsBreak is free to download, but users complain about being forced to endure numerous ads unless they pay for a 'Premium' plan R101. Some users also mention a $59/year payment for local news that they feel is not delivered .
Pick AL.com if

You are specifically looking for Alabama-centric news and are willing to pay for a subscription or tolerate limited free content, and you value local sports coverage .

Pick NewsBreak if

You want a broader range of news, including local and national stories, and are willing to navigate through ads and potentially AI-generated content for a free news source .

Evidence note: NewsBreak has a significantly larger number of reviews and a higher lifetime rating, suggesting broader user satisfaction despite its noted issues. AL.com's reviews are more consistently negative regarding app performance and paywalls, which likely contributes to its lower rating and fewer reviews.

Frequently asked

Is AL.com free to use?
AL.com is free to download, but most articles are behind a paywall, requiring a subscription that costs around $5 per month or $99.99 per year to read full stories R1R16R40R45.
Does NewsBreak have a lot of ads?
Yes, NewsBreak users frequently report an overwhelming number of ads and pop-ups that interrupt reading and viewing content, with some suggesting a premium plan is needed to block them R63R73R91R101.
Are there technical issues with AL.com?
Yes, AL.com users commonly report that the app is buggy, freezes constantly, crashes frequently, and has painfully slow loading and navigation R1R3R10R13.
Is NewsBreak reliable for news content?
While NewsBreak provides a lot of news, many users criticize it for misleading headlines, old or irrelevant stories, and a significant amount of AI-generated content and fake ads, raising concerns about its reliability R61R64R66R69.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R1] AL.com 1/5 · US Buggy and paywalled: This app has been buggy for a very long time. It crashes a lot. Most of the articles are behind an outrageously overpriced paywall.
  2. [R4] AL.com 1/5 · US Not worth it!: AL.com tries to bait you into subscribing by giving just a little bit of an article without giving up your personal information and agreeing to pay. This is not an honest way of doing business.
  3. [R7] AL.com 1/5 · US Every other story locked: I deleted the app because every other story you click it’s locked and says sign up to Al.com to read story. I have enough of my information sold to spammers without you having my email address to send more. I have 3 other news apps where you can read every story they show.
  4. [R8] AL.com 5/5 · US A Fresh Breeze Across Alabama: It is exciting if not exhilarating to run across anything “Alabama” that is intelligent as well as non-extremist and of which I’m not embarrassed to refer to with friends and acquaintances outside our state and region. Great insightful site!
  5. [R2] AL.com 5/5 · US Great overall, but ...: Old issue resurfaced. Today is June 5, 2022. With the most recent update, about two weeks ago, ads are again intruding into articles, making reading them difficult. Rarely, one can get through an article uninterrupted , which is wonderful. With the latest update, there is a Close button, which, at least now, usually works, next to the popup ad, but that button evades VoiceOver
  6. [R3] AL.com 3/5 · US App Issues: App freezes up constantly. Scrolling stories is difficult due to freezing up issues.
  7. [R6] AL.com 3/5 · US Ads cover content: The issue for me is that the ads often cover the content of the articles I’m trying to read.... extremely bothersome.
  8. [R16] AL.com 1/5 · US Used to be a good app: They want $5 bucks a month now for old news. No thank you
  9. [R40] AL.com 1/5 · US Don’t bother!: Unless you want to pay $99.99/year which is more than I pay for “The Athletic” then don’t bother. Every single story seems like you’re required to pay for it now, guess the ads and popups don’t generate enough. Just deleted the app after about 15 years!!!
  10. [R45] AL.com 1/5 · US Have to pay: Have to pay view articles
  11. [R63] NewsBreak 3/5 · US Frustrated: Too many advertisements. I keep seeing sources i don’t want to see
  12. [R73] NewsBreak 1/5 · US Ads: Cannot watch or read anything without spectrum ad popping up several times. I’m already spectrum customer so I don’t need to be sold over & over again.
  13. [R91] NewsBreak 1/5 · US the ads are out of hand: there’s no reason for there to be a bunch of unstoppable ads and pop-ups getting in the way of critical information
  14. [R101] NewsBreak 1/5 · US The Best, but NOT in a Good way: If you enjoy Spam and Scam Ads that try to sell you wonder goods and treatment, then NewsBreak is the best app for you. But if you don’t like Spam and Scam, you are forced to pay a monthly fee for the ‘Premium’ Plan, which is the only way to block its relentless Spam & Scam Ads. NewsBreak does do a good job consolidating newsworthy articles of interest. Too bad the
  15. [R10] AL.com 1/5 · US Al.com app terrible: Used to work ok on my iPad, now unusable.
  16. [R13] AL.com 1/5 · US This app will crash your phone: If you want an app that will lock up your phone this is the ideal one. Loading and navigation is painfully slow. A horrible effort.
  17. [R61] NewsBreak 1/5 · US Terrible source for news.: The headlines are always over the top and misleading. Usually notifications are for stories that are either old or irrelevant.
  18. [R64] NewsBreak 1/5 · US Chock full of AI, Trumpsters & Basic Features No Longer Work: Title says it all. 99.99% of all videos on this app are made with AI and intended to deceive. Since their main audience is senile Trumpster seniors, near everyone on the app is inherently incapable of differentiating between whats genuine/real and whats not. Moreover, these ppl will bet their first born child in order to defend these v
  19. [R66] NewsBreak 3/5 · US Ehhh: It’s too much ai
  20. [R69] NewsBreak 3/5 · US Informative BUT Slow reporting: Very informative however the news always appears to be days and/or hours behind.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store