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

WHIO News vs NewsBreak

WHIO News 4.6★ · Free to download 40
Winner NewsBreak
NewsBreak 4.8★ · Free to download 60

NewsBreak is the better choice for a broader range of news and a more active community, despite its issues with AI content and ads, while WHIO News struggles with a glitchy app experience and outdated local content.

Full reviews: WHIO News · NewsBreak

NewsBreak offers a wide array of news and community interaction, though it's plagued by AI-generated content and excessive ads. WHIO News, a local news app, suffers from a poor user interface, frequent ads, and often outdated news and weather information.

Head to head

Features and Content edge: NewsBreakR3R8R10R13
WHIO News WHIO News users appreciate its local news coverage, especially for Montgomery County and the Miami Valley area, and the ability to listen to news or watch channels even when not actively viewing R29R44R8. However, many users report issues with outdated stories, weather forecasts, and sports scores, with some articles remaining on the homepage for weeks R3R13R18R24. There are also complaints about a lack of national news coverage and specific local events being ignored R10R43.
NewsBreak NewsBreak offers a wide range of news, with users appreciating its ability to provide both local and global information . Some users find the articles short and easy to scroll through . However, a significant number of reviews criticize the app for being filled with AI-generated content, fake ads, and misleading headlines R64R66. There are also complaints about the crime map feature being inaccurate or nonexistent R113 and a lack of live updates or scanner features .
Ease of Use and Reliability edge: NewsBreakR1R4R5R6
WHIO News WHIO News is widely criticized for its poor user interface and experience. Users report frequent issues such as ads blocking content, stuttering, freezing, videos not playing or playing with offset audio, and difficulty navigating to stories R1R4R6. Notifications often lead to the app but not the specific story, or the story is not found R4R5. Some users also experience the app not launching at all and a lack of landscape view on iPad .
NewsBreak NewsBreak users report issues with excessive notifications and a general feeling of being bombarded with content. Some users note that basic features like GIFs have stopped working . The app is also criticized for being slow in reporting news R69. There are complaints about the site becoming less usable due to recent changes .
Advertising and Monetization tieR1R4R9R13
WHIO News WHIO News is heavily criticized for an overwhelming number of ads that block content, stutter, interrupt reading, and play automatically, even when disabled R1R4R9R13. Users find the ads make the app unusable and frustrating, often having to sit through minutes of commercials before accessing content .
NewsBreak NewsBreak also faces significant criticism for excessive advertisements, pop-ups, and forced ads before opening the app R63. Many users describe the ads as spam and scam attempts, with some suggesting a premium plan is the only way to block them .
Bias and Trustworthiness edge: WHIO NewsR7R19R25R43
WHIO News WHIO News users express concerns about the accuracy of weather forecasts R19R25 and question the quality of news reporting techniques R7. Some users also feel that certain local stories or individuals are ignored R43.
NewsBreak NewsBreak is frequently accused of political bias, with users claiming it slants news to the left or right, or acts as an echo chamber for far-right conspiracy theories and disinformation . There are also concerns about the trustworthiness of content due to the prevalence of AI-generated articles and videos, and a lack of fact-checking R64R97. Users also report misleading headlines .
Pick WHIO News if

You prioritize highly localized news for Montgomery County and the Miami Valley area in Ohio and are willing to tolerate a glitchy app experience and numerous ads R29R44.

Pick NewsBreak if

You want a broader range of news, including local and national stories, and appreciate community interaction, even if it means sifting through AI-generated content and frequent ads .

Evidence note: Both apps are free to download, and both face significant criticism regarding excessive ads and app performance issues. NewsBreak has a much larger user base and a higher lifetime rating, but recent reviews highlight serious concerns about AI content and political bias. WHIO News reviews are consistently negative about the app's functionality and content freshness.

Frequently asked

Which app has better local news coverage?
WHIO News is specifically praised for its local news coverage in Montgomery County and the Miami Valley area, providing up-to-the-minute news and traffic updates for that region R29R44. NewsBreak also offers local news, but users report that it can be slow or that the crime map feature is inaccurate R69R113.
Are there many ads in these apps?
Yes, both WHIO News and NewsBreak are heavily criticized for having an overwhelming number of ads that significantly hinder the user experience, blocking content, playing automatically, and making the apps frustrating to use R1R37R58R63.
Do these apps have issues with outdated news?
WHIO News frequently receives complaints about running old stories, outdated weather information, and sports posts that remain on the app for days or weeks without updates R3R13R18R24. NewsBreak users also mention that news often appears to be days or hours behind R69.
Is AI content a problem in either app?
AI content is a significant problem in NewsBreak, with many users reporting that the app is chock full of AI-generated videos and poorly written articles intended to deceive, especially in the video section R64R66R97R99. There are no specific mentions of AI content issues in WHIO News reviews.

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] WHIO News 3/5 · US Update: Often you run stories that are old. Same with the weather. I suggest you update more often. Thank you.
  2. [R8] WHIO News 5/5 · US I love this app: Even if I can't watch the news it will still let me listen I like that feature and I love all the channels you can watch on the app.
  3. [R10] WHIO News 2/5 · US No Coverage: June 4 Medicare Fraud Meeting in Columbus. FBI, State Attorney present. $50 Million illegal funding discovered in Medicare payments in Ohio!
  4. [R13] WHIO News 1/5 · US Too many ads: The WHIO app is awful. The news is old and no one seems to know how to proofread! The lack of coverage on sports has been nonexistent. There should be an easy and in your face way to access WHIO of news in real time and it is difficult to find. It seems to be easier to upload storm/weather photos than it is to report accidents etc.
  5. [R1] WHIO News 1/5 · US Worst news app ever: I’ve never seen a worse app on any platform. It’s nothing but ads that block what you try to see, stutter, stop you reading a story, and just generally get in the way of anything you want to do. Whio used to be my go-to. Not anymore.
  6. [R4] WHIO News 1/5 · US Horrible UI/UX and News Coverage: As a mobile developer I can attest to many of the comments on the user experience front. You receive a notification, tap on it, you are brought to the app but not the story, instead ads are everywhere takes forever to load and the auto playing of unrelated content is absolutely horrible. Good luck finding the arrival of the deep link isn’t valid. Don’t waste your
  7. [R5] WHIO News 4/5 · US Ok: I only have one problem with app I get alert about something and then when I go to it it’s not there
  8. [R6] WHIO News 3/5 · US Average performance app: The app often paints the screen in a stuttering manner, loading some elements, then stalling out, then loading more text and photos, if it doesn’t freeze entirely. It makes you wonder if it’s loaded with all sorts of background scripts, trackers, etc.
  9. [R9] WHIO News 3/5 · US Advertising: To advertising ads when trying to look at site
  10. [R7] WHIO News 1/5 · US Do better: Not impressed with your news reporting techniques and skills these days.
  11. [R19] WHIO News 2/5 · US Worst weather forecast: Britley called for 3 inches, but we didn’t get 3 tenths.
  12. [R25] WHIO News 1/5 · US Weather temperature reading for Dayton..,: …grossly inaccurate.
  13. [R43] WHIO News 1/5 · US Cannot find answers: I understand why you would want to celebrate Sierra Burton as she died in the line of duty. But did everybody forget that Matthew Yates also died in the line of duty in the same time fame? But he is rarely mentioned, IF at all. I would like to know why one person is being celebrated & the other person is being ignored. Kalona
  14. [R29] WHIO News 5/5 · US Dayton Ohio News.: I really like the app. It keeps me informed and what’s going on in Montgomery County Ohio and the surrounding Miami Valley area. It has up to the minute news along with local traffic updates. If I could make a suggestion. When I tap on the video I have to watch a 30 to 45 second commercial where I want to get to the story much quicker. I know you need advertising dollars to keep
  15. [R44] WHIO News 5/5 · US WHIO: I love using this app to get the local news in the Montgomery County and surrounding areas. It’s easy to use and with no glitches. I recommend this app to anybody that wants the news in Montgomery County and surrounding counties. WHIO is one a few stations that will give you the news in the surrounding areas.
  16. [R69] NewsBreak 3/5 · US Informative BUT Slow reporting: Very informative however the news always appears to be days and/or hours behind.
  17. [R113] NewsBreak 1/5 · US Not good for crime map: I swear the crime map is horrible and the news are the ones that are nowhere near me if I could give zero stars I would but overall I think the crime app is horrible because when I went to the same place that the crime was, there was nothing there
  18. [R37] WHIO News 1/5 · US Bloated with advertisements: Content is good. However, so bloated with advertising that it’s unusable on my iPhone.
  19. [R58] WHIO News 4/5 · US Review of App: There are wayyy to many advertisements on this site. It’s annoying.
  20. [R63] NewsBreak 3/5 · US Frustrated: Too many advertisements. I keep seeing sources i don’t want to see
  21. [R18] WHIO News 3/5 · US News Announcements: Why do you keep posting the same stories over & over? It’s ridiculous! And a lot of the sports posts stay on for days instead of posting new ones.
  22. [R24] WHIO News 3/5 · US Review: Sports section is not up dated daily same thing over and over again
  23. [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
  24. [R66] NewsBreak 3/5 · US Ehhh: It’s too much ai
  25. [R97] NewsBreak 1/5 · US Untrustworthy, toxic, AI trash: This app is trash. You can be anyone and post news, and 90% of it is very poorly written articles with made up nonsense. This is also where cringy AI videos go to die. FLOODED with horrible cringy AI videos and pictures. The community is a cesspool of intolerance, hate, and insulting opinions. And it doesn’t matter where you put your location for news. You’ll get no
  26. [R99] NewsBreak 1/5 · US Full of AI slop: I used to enjoy opening this app and getting news but nowadays, it‘s just full of AI slop that users post.

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