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

WHIO News vs MS NOW

WHIO News 4.6★ · Free to download 65
Winner WHIO News
MS NOW 4.1★ · Free to download 35

For local news and weather, WHIO News is the better choice despite its ad issues, while MS NOW struggles significantly with app functionality and live streaming.

Full reviews: WHIO News · MS NOW

WHIO News offers comprehensive local news and weather, though users frequently complain about excessive ads and occasional app glitches. MS NOW, while appreciated for its content, is plagued by severe technical issues, including frequent crashes, login problems, and poor streaming quality, making it a frustrating experience for many.

Head to head

Content & Coverage edge: WHIO NewsR2R3R10R13
WHIO News WHIO News is praised for its local news, weather, and traffic updates, with users appreciating up-to-the-minute information and thorough reporting on local events R2. However, some users find the news and weather updates to be old or repetitive, especially in sports, and note a lack of national news coverage R3R10R13R18.
MS NOW MS NOW users generally appreciate the content, particularly the shows and articles . However, a significant number of users are frustrated by the inability to watch full live shows without a cable subscription, only getting snippets, and some find the opinion pieces problematic R63R64R85.
Ease of Use & UI/UX tieR1R4R5R9
WHIO News WHIO News users report a poor user experience due to excessive and intrusive ads that block content, stutter, and cause stories to load slowly or not at all R1R4R9. Notifications often lead to the app but not the specific story, and auto-playing videos are a common complaint R4R5. Some users also mention issues with navigation and finding real-time news R13.
MS NOW MS NOW faces widespread criticism for its app's user experience. Users frequently report issues with the app freezing, crashing, and failing to open, especially on Apple TV . Many also complain about constant login requirements, sometimes in the middle of a show, and problems with provider authentication .
Reliability & Performance edge: WHIO NewsR6R11R12R19
WHIO News WHIO News users frequently experience glitches, stuttering, freezing, and videos that don't play or have offset audio R6R11R12. Some report the app not launching at all or having trouble downloading stories R12. Weather forecasts are occasionally noted as inaccurate R19.
MS NOW MS NOW is widely criticized for its poor reliability. Users report constant glitches, buffering issues, and the app frequently failing to open or crashing . Live streams often present error messages or don't work, and some users experience multiple audio tracks playing simultaneously . Connectivity to devices like Chromecast is also reported as broken .
Features & Accessibility tieR8R13R17R27
WHIO News WHIO News offers features like listening to news when unable to watch and access to multiple channels R8. However, users desire landscape view for iPads, easier access to real-time news, and improved notification settings R13R27. There are also complaints about the new way closings are listed R17.
MS NOW MS NOW has been praised for recently adding landscape mode for iPads, a feature previously requested by many . However, it lacks a dark mode, which users frequently request for better readability, especially at night . The app also doesn't fully support accessibility features for font size, making it difficult for some to read articles .
Ads & Monetization tieR1R4R9R13
WHIO News WHIO News is heavily criticized for an overwhelming number of ads that interrupt reading, block content, and play automatically R1R4R9R13. Users find the ads excessive and detrimental to the user experience, with some deleting the app due to them R1.
MS NOW MS NOW users are extremely frustrated by repetitive and loud commercials, with the same ads playing multiple times in a row during breaks . Some commercials even play over the beginning of shows . Users express willingness to pay for an ad-free experience or full shows, but this option is not readily available or has issues .
Pick WHIO News if

Pick WHIO News if you prioritize local news, weather, and traffic updates for the Montgomery County and Miami Valley area . It's a good choice if you're willing to tolerate frequent ads and occasional app glitches for comprehensive local coverage R1.

Pick MS NOW if

Pick MS NOW if you are a dedicated fan of MS NOW content and are willing to navigate significant app functionality issues, including frequent crashes, login problems, and repetitive ads, to access snippets of shows or live streams .

Evidence note: Both apps are free to download, and much of the negativity for both stems from ad experiences and app performance issues, which is common for free news apps. MS NOW's paid 'premium' tier is mentioned by one user who had a negative experience after upgrading .

Frequently asked

Can I watch full live shows on MS NOW without a cable subscription?
No, many MS NOW users report that you cannot watch full live broadcasts on the app without a cable provider login, only snippets of shows are available otherwise R63R64R85R92.
Does WHIO News provide up-to-date local information?
Yes, WHIO News is generally praised for providing up-to-the-minute local news, weather, and traffic updates for Montgomery County and the surrounding Miami Valley area . However, some users note that certain stories, especially sports, and weather forecasts can be old or repetitive R3R13R18R24.
Are there many ads in the WHIO News app?
Yes, WHIO News is heavily criticized for an overwhelming number of ads that frequently block content, stutter, and play automatically, significantly hindering the user experience R1R4R9R13.

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. [R2] WHIO News 5/5 · US Great info: Love Todd So I watch all of whip
  2. [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.
  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. [R9] WHIO News 3/5 · US Advertising: To advertising ads when trying to look at site
  9. [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.
  10. [R11] WHIO News 4/5 · US It has developed some bugs: It used to be great, but now, I can’t forward any articles on the app to anyone, and the videos don’t work half the time.
  11. [R12] WHIO News 3/5 · US App: Sometimes the screen goes blank. Trouble downloading stories. Sometimes when you scroll the story you pick won’t load. Won’t let me submit the review
  12. [R19] WHIO News 2/5 · US Worst weather forecast: Britley called for 3 inches, but we didn’t get 3 tenths.
  13. [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.
  14. [R17] WHIO News 4/5 · US Closings: Not sure I care for the new way the closings are listed
  15. [R27] WHIO News 3/5 · US Need landscape view on iPad: I would use this app so much more often if landscape view was an option!
  16. [R63] MS NOW 3/5 · US MS NOW LIVE ON THERE APP ONLY: Why can’t MS NOW show there live broadcasts on there app like NBC news does instead of going thru a subscription TV NBC News have a live take every time you watch NBC News
  17. [R64] MS NOW 2/5 · US No live shows!: I recently dropped my streaming service, so msnbc went away. I thought that would be ok, because I new this app existed. So, I downloaded it and all I can find is snippets of shows! I can’t watch a full show the day after it was live, I can watch a half hour of an hour long show the next day, but then it switches to a different show! Not even close to what I thought it would be!
  18. [R85] MS NOW 1/5 · US Cut the cable.: Why can’t we watch this channel without a cable provider? Everyone doesn’t have cable. Cut it because it’s really high.
  19. [R92] MS NOW 3/5 · US no cable/big problem: If you want to watch live you must have a cable subscription. I’m not opposed to paying a small fee (like other streaming apps) to access this. When will these sites realize we don’t all worship cable companies?
  20. [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.
  21. [R24] WHIO News 3/5 · US Review: Sports section is not up dated daily same thing over and over again

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