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

13 ON YOUR SIDE News vs 13WMAZ

13 ON YOUR SIDE News 4.7★ · Free to download 65
Winner 13WMAZ
13WMAZ 4.8★ · Free to download 70

For a more reliable and generally higher-rated news experience, 13WMAZ has a slight edge over 13 ON YOUR SIDE News, despite both apps sharing similar user complaints about ads and recent updates.

Full reviews: 13 ON YOUR SIDE News · 13WMAZ

Both 13 ON YOUR SIDE News and 13WMAZ are free local news apps that struggle with frequent ads and recent updates causing functionality issues. While 13 ON YOUR SIDE News users report more severe crashing and old news, 13WMAZ has a higher lifetime rating and more users praising its weather coverage and timely notifications.

Head to head

Features and Content edge: 13WMAZR3R9R11R14
13 ON YOUR SIDE News Users appreciate 13 ON YOUR SIDE News for local and national news, alerts, and weather forecasts, with some specifically praising Brent Ashcroft's features and the positive approach of the news team R11R14. However, some users complain about a lack of daily updates, old news, and insufficient coverage of high school sports R9. There are also criticisms about sensationalized news and opinion pieces R3.
13WMAZ 13WMAZ is valued for its local news, breaking news alerts, and especially its weather coverage, with many users praising its accuracy and ability to keep them informed during severe weather . Some users appreciate the extended weather coverage and the option to watch live broadcasts . However, some users find the news not updated regularly enough, with old stories appearing on the front screen .
Ease of Use and UI tieR1R2R4R24
13 ON YOUR SIDE News Many users find the 13 ON YOUR SIDE News app to be not user-friendly, confusing, and hard to navigate, especially after recent updates R4R24R60. Specific complaints include issues with screen rotation, difficulty seeing full article lists due to ads, and choppy scrolling R1R2R27. Some users also report the app being slow to load R39.
13WMAZ Users describe the 13WMAZ app as having navigation issues and being unintuitive, especially after recent updates . Specific complaints include problems accessing the weather radar, maps being blocked by information, and the lack of a written forecast, forcing users to watch videos .
Reliability and Performance edge: 13 ON YOUR SIDE NewsR7R10R22R25
13 ON YOUR SIDE News 13 ON YOUR SIDE News users frequently report significant reliability issues, including the app not opening, freezing, crashing, and shutting down R7R10R22R25. Some users mention needing to delete and reinstall the app multiple times R51.
13WMAZ 13WMAZ users also experience reliability problems, particularly after updates, with the app having trouble loading, kicking users out, or not working at all . Some users report videos not opening or playing .
Ads and Monetization tieR1R3R6R12
13 ON YOUR SIDE News A major complaint for 13 ON YOUR SIDE News is the excessive number of ads, which pop up frequently, block content, make pages jump around, and are often louder than programming R1R3R6R12.
13WMAZ 13WMAZ users also frequently complain about too many commercials and ads, which pop up during stories, block content, and are sometimes too loud . One user specifically noted ads appearing during a tornado warning .
Support and Updates tieR4R24R27R39
13 ON YOUR SIDE News Users of 13 ON YOUR SIDE News express frustration with updates that introduce new issues, such as making the app less user-friendly or causing crashes R4R24R27. Some users report contacting the station about problems with no resolution R39.
13WMAZ 13WMAZ users frequently mention negative experiences with recent updates, stating that they made the app worse, less functional, or introduced new bugs .
Pick 13 ON YOUR SIDE News if

Pick 13 ON YOUR SIDE News if you are in the West Michigan area and appreciate a positive approach to news, specific features from Brent Ashcroft, and timely alerts R14.

Pick 13WMAZ if

Pick 13WMAZ if you are in Central Georgia and prioritize accurate, detailed weather coverage, especially during severe weather, and appreciate frequent breaking news notifications .

Evidence note: Both apps are free to download, and many negative reviews across both apps are related to the common free-tier friction points of excessive advertising and performance issues. The lifetime ratings are very close, but 13WMAZ has significantly more ratings, suggesting a larger user base and slightly more robust overall satisfaction.

Frequently asked

Do these apps have a lot of ads?
Yes, both 13 ON YOUR SIDE News and 13WMAZ are heavily criticized by users for having too many ads, which frequently pop up, block content, and can be disruptive to the user experience R1R3R15R19.
Are the apps reliable?
Users report significant reliability issues with both apps, including frequent crashing, freezing, and failure to open, particularly after recent updates R10R25R37R51.
How is the weather coverage?
13 ON YOUR SIDE News provides weather forecasts, but some users report issues with radar functionality and accuracy R4R31R50R60. 13WMAZ is highly praised for its accurate and informative weather coverage, especially during severe weather, though recent updates have caused issues with radar access for some .

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. [R3] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 3/5 · US Website/app: I don’t want a pile of ads popping up when I’m trying to read an article. I can’t stand that you guys don’t edit your headlines before you post them because there’s always misspellings in them And quit sensationalizing all the news you start to sound like entertainment tonight
  2. [R9] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 3/5 · US Updates?: Why are there not daily updates? Seem to be on about 2-3 day basis?
  3. [R11] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 5/5 · US Love it!: A great app for getting local and national news.
  4. [R14] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 5/5 · US Improvement needed!: The website too often boots me off, especially when trying to view the national news. The news content is good, but please edit your spelling and grammar, especially the titles. My wife and I appreciate the positive approach that the news team uses whenever possible, and Brent Ashcroft's features are great.
  5. [R1] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 1/5 · US Ui issues: Would be nice to see the entire list of articles without having to tap hold and slide screen up because advertising is keeping the full screen from being displayed
  6. [R2] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 4/5 · US Screen won’t rotate: Why won’t my screen rotate anymore? This is beyond frustrating! Please fix this.
  7. [R4] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 1/5 · US Downgrade: The “new and improved” app is not user friendly. It is hard to find things. The weather is a mess. The radar does the same loop over and over instead if a true 12 hour loop.
  8. [R24] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 3/5 · US Too confusing: I liked the old app better. This one is too confusing and hard to find what you are actually looking for. I tend to get frustrated and give up.
  9. [R7] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 1/5 · US App is glitchy then they recently brought back Jimmy Kimmel: Deleting this app due to glitches, it has unfollowing and will not support again due to bringing back Jimmy Kimmel!!
  10. [R10] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 1/5 · US Does not open: I had this app and all of a sudden it quit working. I deleted it and reloaded it. It will not open !!!
  11. [R22] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 1/5 · US Doesn’t Work: Ever sense the last update I couldn’t open the app.. I would use it two or three times a day. But I don’t even try anymore.
  12. [R25] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 1/5 · US Loading: Within a few seconds of trying to load the app shuts down. Always was a poor app
  13. [R6] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 3/5 · US Apple TV Volume: I enjoy the content offered in the app, but the volume between the programming and commercials is way off. Commercials are easily twice as loud and one would need to constantly adjust the volume to hear the content without being blasted by the loud commercials.
  14. [R12] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 3/5 · US Mobile app: Mobile app keeps bouncing back to advertisements. Very aggravating!
  15. [R27] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 3/5 · US Not improved: New update does not include water temperatures, and is choppy. Scrolling jumps around and is constantly loading ads, very disruptive. I’ll give it a couple days, but will remove if it doesn’t improve.
  16. [R39] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 3/5 · US Too Slow To Load: I've had this app for awhile and since it has been changed, it has become a lot slower to load. I think the format is pretty good otherwise. I'm a big fan of WZZM and I had contacted them about the problem but nothing was done.
  17. [R15] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 3/5 · US Great reporting, too many ads: 13 OYS is the best local news source for West Michigan, but the app has too many ads that make the app difficult to navigate.
  18. [R19] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 2/5 · US Ads are ridiculous: So many ads that make the page jump around. Also, this review pop up….I was just trying to scroll through the news and accidentally touched the pop-up while doing so. Very frustrating. I use wzzm13 app less because of these things.
  19. [R37] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 1/5 · US The worst app I have!: I have had this app for some time now, always updated and it is garbage! It never loads when I go directly to the app or when I click on a story from my notifications. NEGATIVE 6 Stars!
  20. [R51] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 1/5 · US Doesn’t work!!: This app does NOT work! It simply freezes. I delete the app and re-install it at least 2 or 3 times per week. I’v tried shutting down my iPhone 11 and restarting with the same freezing issue. I have removed and re-installed it TWICE today. I want to be hopeful it will work, but am giving up. BAH! Please fix this app!
  21. [R31] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 1/5 · US Worst weather app possible: I lost over $3000 today. Thanks WZZM for the worst possible weather news possible. People should believe just the opposite of what you forecast. Thanks for putting a lot of farmers further in debt.
  22. [R50] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 5/5 · US Our news: We love to hear our local news. Only two things that we believe that you can improve are: Ludington and Scottville are in your viewing area and don’t get mentioned in weather. We had about four inches of snow in the last storm and you said that we didn’t get any, just a dusting. Ha, ha. Also meteorologist, Michael Berrens says “heading” 10 to 15 times during his forecast.
  23. [R60] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 4/5 · US It’s nice having local news, but the design is unintuitive: I love having my local news in a separate app, as it’s guaranteed relevant to me, but navigating inside the app can be a tad frustrating unless you’re only interested in the “featured stories.” Also, the weather section is slow to load and I’d rather not have to download the separate weather app for basic radar functionality.

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