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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

WBTV First Alert Weather vs WSB-TV Weather

WBTV First Alert Weather 4.7★ · Free to download 60
Winner WSB-TV Weather
WSB-TV Weather 4.8★ · Free to download 65

WSB-TV Weather has a slight edge over WBTV First Alert Weather due to slightly better reliability and alert accuracy, despite both apps suffering from significant ad intrusion and recent negative updates.

Full reviews: WBTV First Alert Weather · WSB-TV Weather

Both WBTV First Alert Weather and WSB-TV Weather are free, local weather apps that provide radar and alerts, but both are heavily criticized for excessive ads and recent updates that negatively impacted functionality and user experience. WSB-TV Weather appears to maintain a slight lead in overall reliability and alert timeliness, though it also faces significant user frustration.

Head to head

Features and Content tieR1R3R7R11
WBTV First Alert Weather WBTV First Alert Weather offers current radar information, daily and hourly forecasts, and severe weather alerts R1R11. However, recent updates have removed features like the ability to see alerts overlapping radar, broader traffic maps, and past/future radar options R3R7. Users also desire widgets and more frequent updates .
WSB-TV Weather WSB-TV Weather provides radar, weather alerts, and forecasts . Users appreciate the detailed radar and the ability to plan with alerts . However, recent updates have changed the radar, making it less helpful, pixelated, and unable to zoom out to wider areas . Some users also note the absence of a pollen count .
Ease of Use and User Experience tieR4R6R10R16
WBTV First Alert Weather Many users find WBTV First Alert Weather frustrating due to constant pop-up ads and videos, which interrupt viewing critical weather information R4R10R16. The app also has an annoying bug where weather stories pop up unrequested R6. Recent updates have made the landing page less readable and introduced auto-playing videos R18.
WSB-TV Weather WSB-TV Weather also suffers from significant ad intrusion, with users complaining about too many ads, pop-up ads, and videos that block information or interrupt reading forecasts . Some users find the app slow, especially on slower internet connections .
Reliability and Performance edge: WSB-TV WeatherR1R4R8R13
WBTV First Alert Weather WBTV First Alert Weather users report frequent crashing, freezing, and glitches R1R8R13. The radar often fails to load or displays incorrectly and is sometimes out of date . Alerts are sometimes delayed or require watching ads first R4R25R30R31.
WSB-TV Weather WSB-TV Weather also experiences crashing and freezing issues . Users report that the radar can be slow, behind real-time, or fail to pull data . Notifications for severe weather are sometimes delayed, inaccurate, or too frequent for non-critical events . However, many users still find it reliable and accurate for alerts .
Accuracy of Forecasts and Alerts edge: WSB-TV WeatherR2R5R12R14
WBTV First Alert Weather WBTV First Alert Weather receives mixed reviews on accuracy. Some users praise its accuracy and reliability, especially for the Charlotte NC area R2R5R12R14. However, others report inaccurate weather information, such as thunderstorms being shown when none are present, or radar not matching actual conditions . There are also complaints about updates not being frequent enough or differing from TV forecasts .
WSB-TV Weather WSB-TV Weather is generally trusted for its forecasts and alerts, with many users finding it dependable, consistent, and accurate . However, a significant number of recent reviews indicate issues with alerts being inaccurate or delayed, sometimes after the weather event has already occurred .
Pick WBTV First Alert Weather if

You are primarily interested in weather for the Charlotte, NC area and value local news affiliation, and are willing to tolerate frequent ads and occasional app instability R12.

Pick WSB-TV Weather if

You prioritize generally reliable and timely severe weather alerts and forecasts, despite recent issues with radar functionality and ad intrusion, and prefer a trusted local weather team .

Evidence note: Both apps are free, so the negative reviews regarding ads and performance often stem from the free-tier experience. Recent updates for both apps have led to a significant increase in negative feedback, particularly concerning ads, app stability, and changes to radar functionality.

Frequently asked

Do these apps have a paid, ad-free version?
Neither WBTV First Alert Weather nor WSB-TV Weather currently offers a paid, ad-free version, despite many users expressing a willingness to pay for such an option to avoid the intrusive advertisements R12R105.
Are the weather alerts reliable for severe weather?
While both apps aim to provide severe weather alerts, users for both WBTV First Alert Weather and WSB-TV Weather report issues with alerts being delayed, inaccurate, or requiring users to watch ads before accessing critical information, which can be problematic during life-threatening situations R4R25R30R31.
Have recent updates improved the apps?
Recent updates for both WBTV First Alert Weather and WSB-TV Weather have largely been met with negative feedback, with users reporting decreased functionality, more intrusive ads, app instability, and changes to beloved features like radar R3R7R13R18.

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] WBTV First Alert Weather 1/5 · US WBTV Weather application: This is a very disappointing app. It only gives me 10 seconds and then it locks up. However,I do use it for current radar information.
  2. [R3] WBTV First Alert Weather 3/5 · US Traffic: The newest version is not as good as the one a few months ago. You use to be able to toggle and see traffic anywhere in NC. Now it only covers around Charlotte. Very disappointing. Especially for people who travel around areas other than Charlotte. Please go back to the old traffic maps!
  3. [R7] WBTV First Alert Weather 1/5 · US Alerts with storm overlay?: Did you get rid of the ability to look at alerts (like a tornado warning) overlapping the radar? It seems I now have to choose between either viewing alerts or the storm systems themselves with no option to do both at the same time. Really hoping this is a user error and if so, let me know so I can change my review.
  4. [R11] WBTV First Alert Weather 5/5 · US Weather: Thanks for constantly keeping me informed.
  5. [R4] WBTV First Alert Weather 1/5 · US Severe Thunderstorms: My favorite is telling you there is a severe thunderstorm and to take cover but then make you watch ads before you can see the affected area. Good times.
  6. [R6] WBTV First Alert Weather 3/5 · US Good app with an annoying bug: I don’t know why all of these apps seem to be designed to interrupt you all the time. There is a page that shows current weather stories that keeps popping up without request and I keep having to navigate away from it. Really tired of the interruption culture app developers have embraced.
  7. [R10] WBTV First Alert Weather 1/5 · US Videos: Get rid of the stupid pop up videos!!!! If I want to watch a video I’ll click on the **** thing!!!
  8. [R16] WBTV First Alert Weather 1/5 · US Ads Galore: Ridiculous amount of ads on the app. Deleted immediately after downloading it.
  9. [R8] WBTV First Alert Weather 4/5 · US 24 hour radar freezes: For some time the 24-hour radar display freezes about half way through the timeframe. This happens on IPhone 13 and new iPhone 16.
  10. [R13] WBTV First Alert Weather 1/5 · US App crashing: I never used to have a problem with your app But now it never hardly works. It is always crashing and never displays the temperature or anything like that even when I’m changing locations and reinstall your app you need to fix your application. It used to work now. It does not work anymore.
  11. [R2] WBTV First Alert Weather 5/5 · US Yes: Very good weather
  12. [R5] WBTV First Alert Weather 5/5 · US This app is the best it can’t stop telling me there’s is going to be rain but thank you WBTV ALERT: I love this app
  13. [R12] WBTV First Alert Weather 3/5 · US Take my money!: This app is the most accurate if you want to know the weather forecast for Charlotte NC area, but I would gladly pay for a less cluttered ad-free experience.
  14. [R14] WBTV First Alert Weather 5/5 · US WBTV weather: Awesome
  15. [R105] WSB-TV Weather 3/5 · US Ads are intrusive: I’ve used this app for quite some time, and have always preferred it to most others. The forecast is generally quite accurate. Recently though it feels like the ads have become more intrusive, especially ads with animation. I’d prefer an option of paying a modest price for the app that would remove the ads all together, rather than be accosted by annoying blinking and flashing a
  16. [R25] WBTV First Alert Weather 1/5 · US Remove ads for accessing critical weather updates: Whenever there is a tornado warning, you are made to watch an advertisement BEFORE being able to access or get critical updates on the timing of the tornado.
  17. [R30] WBTV First Alert Weather 3/5 · US Ads make it hard to use during a weather emergency: During last tornado warnings when I was trying to get in a safe place I had to fight with ads to find out what was going on. At this point the ads are so encompassing they’ve rendered the video portion unusable but we do look at the hourly/daily and radar part of the app.
  18. [R31] WBTV First Alert Weather 2/5 · US Too many adds: If a severe weather alert is so important to send a notification don’t make us watch an add first. The screen is too cluttered and full of adds too. Last update once you open the app then watch the add and start to look at the weather within 5 seconds it puts up all the weather news alert articles and you can’t see the weather making the app useless. It use to be a good app.
  19. [R18] WBTV First Alert Weather 3/5 · US Was 5 stars, now 3: This latest update is a BIG disappointment. The landing page used to be compact and easily readable. I could look at current conditions that included Dew Point & Humidity. It no longer shows Dew Point. Video is running as you scroll down the page, which means reduced battery life. Will probably start looking for a replacement. And what’s with the duration of the ad splash page

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