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

WAFB 9News vs KIRO 7 News

WAFB 9News 4.6★ · Free to download 60
Winner KIRO 7 News
KIRO 7 News 4.5★ · Free to download 65

KIRO 7 News has a slight edge over WAFB 9News due to fewer critical issues with app functionality and a slightly better user experience, despite both apps struggling with ads and notification links.

Full reviews: WAFB 9News · KIRO 7 News

Both WAFB 9News and KIRO 7 News are free news apps that receive mixed reviews, primarily due to intrusive ads, auto-playing videos, and issues with notifications and article links. KIRO 7 News appears to have fewer critical bugs and a slightly more stable experience, though neither app fully satisfies users on these common pain points.

Head to head

Features tieR4R7R10R15
WAFB 9News WAFB 9News users appreciate the app for keeping them informed on local news, weather, and sports . However, recent updates have removed some weather information, prompting users to download a separate weather app R10. Users also report difficulty finding specific stories and a lack of organization in the news feed R4R7R15.
KIRO 7 News KIRO 7 News users value the app for quick local and national news notifications . Some users appreciate specific weather reporters . However, the app lacks a search function, making it hard to find stories after a notification disappears . The app also has issues with landscape mode on iPads and iPhones .
Ease of Use tieR7R15R17R19
WAFB 9News Many WAFB 9News users find the app difficult to navigate, especially after recent updates R7R15. Issues include small, unchangeable font sizes R17, difficulty finding the latest news R7, and a confusing layout . The share button also frequently doesn't work R19.
KIRO 7 News KIRO 7 News users report issues with navigation, including the removal of a 'back' button and the inability to view the app in landscape mode on iPads . Some find the app's layout unhelpful and struggle to find stories after clicking notifications .
Reliability edge: KIRO 7 NewsR1R7R8R10
WAFB 9News WAFB 9News users frequently experience issues where links from headlines or notifications do not lead to the actual article R1R7R10R56. The app is described as glitchy R8, slow to load R19R22, and prone to crashing . A persistent problem is a notification badge that won't clear, even after checking all alerts or reinstalling the app R11R14R16R18.
KIRO 7 News KIRO 7 News users report that the app often fails to open and crashes frequently on both phones and iPads . Similar to WAFB, notifications often do not lead to the correct story . Users also mention glitches during live streams and slow loading times .
Price/Value tieR22R25R27R29
WAFB 9News WAFB 9News is free to download, but users are frustrated by the overwhelming number of ads, which often auto-play loudly R22R25R29R35. Some users feel forced to accept advertisements and tracking R27.
KIRO 7 News KIRO 7 News is also free to download, but users complain about excessive and repetitive ads . These ads often play before or during news content, sometimes even requiring users to watch an ad to watch another ad .
Support tieR11R14R16R18
WAFB 9News WAFB 9News users express frustration with persistent bugs, such as the un-clearable notification badge, which suggests a lack of effective support or timely bug fixes R11R14R16R18. There are no specific reviews mentioning direct support interactions.
KIRO 7 News KIRO 7 News users report difficulty contacting app help, with links redirecting to the news website instead of support . Persistent issues like app crashes and unaddressed landscape mode problems also suggest limited responsiveness to user feedback .
Pick WAFB 9News if

Pick WAFB 9News if you are a long-time viewer of the TV station and prioritize local news coverage, especially for weather and sports, and are willing to tolerate significant app usability issues and intrusive ads .

Pick KIRO 7 News if

Pick KIRO 7 News if you prefer quick local and national news notifications and appreciate a slightly more stable app experience, even with frequent ads and issues linking notifications to articles .

Evidence note: Both apps are free, so negative reviews often stem from common free-tier frustrations like ads and limited features. The lifetime ratings are similar, but recent reviews for WAFB 9News highlight a decline in quality after updates, leading to more critical feedback.

Frequently asked

Do these apps have a lot of ads?
Yes, both WAFB 9News and KIRO 7 News apps are heavily criticized for having too many ads, which often auto-play loudly and interrupt the user experience R22R25R29R35.
Are notifications reliable for these news apps?
Notifications for both WAFB 9News and KIRO 7 News are problematic; users frequently report that clicking on a notification does not take them to the correct story, often leading to a general homepage or an ad instead R1R7R10R56.
Can I read articles or only watch videos?
While both apps offer articles, many users complain about videos automatically playing with loud audio when they open a story, even when they prefer to read R6R8R9R29.

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. [R4] WAFB 9News 2/5 · US Not as good: App used to be much better. Now it’s hard to find things, and there is no rhyme or reason as to the order of stories.
  2. [R7] WAFB 9News 1/5 · US Terrible update: The new format is horrible. It’s not user friendly and hard to find the latest news. Even when you get an alert, if you click on it, go through 3 ads, you still don’t get the article you were trying to get. Terrible. After years of using WAFB exclusively, I’m deleting and moving over to WBRZ 😡
  3. [R10] WAFB 9News 2/5 · US Changes made me delete the app: I am and forever will be a WAFB news girlie. But the recent changes to the app has left me frustrated. It seems that some of the weather information is no longer available and a new app is required for specific details on weather. Clicking on the push notifications doesn’t take you to the new story. I’ll have to tune in now because I’m taking a break from this app.
  4. [R15] WAFB 9News 1/5 · US Ugghh!: I would give it a negative 50 (-50) but that wasn’t an option. I unequivocally dislike the entire set up of the app. It is sooooooooo hard to navigate. It wouldn’t be polite to say I hate it, so I’ll stop right there.
  5. [R17] WAFB 9News 1/5 · US Inconvenient: The Font size is too small and you cannot enlarge it
  6. [R19] WAFB 9News 2/5 · US Share button doesn’t work: This app takes a long time to load and the share button doesn’t work.
  7. [R1] WAFB 9News 2/5 · US Unreliable: Too many times a day/week/month the link from headline to article itself does not work. No problem getting the advertisement but not the actual story.
  8. [R8] WAFB 9News 5/5 · US Terrible update: While I LOVE WAFB, and they are my go to news channel, the new application, is awful! It is terribly glitchy, and when I go to read an article, the media player automatically plays, and the majority of the time, it’s not playing on the actual story I’m trying to read. For example, I was trying to read about the shooting at the mall, and there wasn’t a video on the article, but aud
  9. [R22] WAFB 9News 5/5 · US Slow to Load: The updated app is slow to load, this is not due to my streaming. Also, when I turn off all alerts I still get “Ads” with loud volume, don’t see mute. Bummer.
  10. [R25] WAFB 9News 1/5 · US Terrible: Nothing but pop-up ads from businesses and an untalented plaintiff attorney (yes, you Gordon). Delete it as I have.
  11. [R27] WAFB 9News 1/5 · US App deleted for tracking and ads: I don’t normally look at the WAFB app, so when I opened the app today, it forced me to go through several pages with their privacy policy. The App did not allow me to limit cookies or opt out of their privacy policy, which included access to my name, account and tracking personal information. I stayed on the app long enough to write this review, and when I’m don
  12. [R29] WAFB 9News 1/5 · US Annoying app: This app has obnoxious ads and videos just start playing as soon as you open a story. Sometimes you can’t even see where the video is on the page. This is one of the worst news apps I have. It’s about time to delete it.
  13. [R11] WAFB 9News 4/5 · US Notification: Love the app… but I can’t stand that it constantly shows that I have a notification…. I can’t stand any unread notification on my apps
  14. [R14] WAFB 9News 4/5 · US Notification: Ever since the update, I can’t get rid of the notification alert. I have no notifications at all. It’s annoying seeing the red dot all day.
  15. [R16] WAFB 9News 5/5 · US Notification: Why does new app always show there is one notification. The previous app would erase notification after app was opened. Driving me crazy
  16. [R18] WAFB 9News 5/5 · US Notifications: I love WAFB, I watched all the time, but why I cannot clear the notifications on the app?? Keeps showing an unread message, I’ve gone through out everything and still shows an unread notification. Any ideas??
  17. [R35] WAFB 9News 1/5 · US Hate the inability to mute: It’s irritating to have automatic audio when opening a news story. Not every user of the app is a visual junkie. I prefer reading news not watching or hearing it.
  18. [R56] WAFB 9News 1/5 · US Terrible app: Constantly pops up alerts on phone, but the link to the article never goes to the information. Just a homepage in the app full of ads.
  19. [R6] WAFB 9News 3/5 · US Disable auto play for videos or give an option in setting to turn off: Disable auto play for videos or give an option in setting to turn off
  20. [R9] WAFB 9News 3/5 · US Pauses audio when launched: When launching WAFB9 while playing audio from another app, the audio is paused. This is really annoying, and I avoid using the app when using Bluetooth audio. No everyone launching this app intends to play a video. Please consider updating the app to only interrupt audio when a video is selected to play. This only happens when playing audio through phone speakers or

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