Comparison

KPBS vs LPB App

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

KPBS

Access local and national news, podcasts, and entertainment from San Diego's public media station. Stream live radio and TV, watch on-demand programs, and receive breaking news alerts all in one place.

Highlights
  • Read local and national news
  • Listen to live radio streams
  • Watch live TV streams
  • Access on-demand programs and podcasts
  • Receive breaking news alerts
  • Bookmark programs for later
Features
Read full description

The KPBS App is where you can listen, watch, stream, and read local and national news and entertainment from San Diego’s public media station. From the KPBS FM radio livestream, to today’s breaking news, to podcasts and TV shows, tap into your community in one place.  News * Read local and national headlines, investigations and more from the KPBS, NPR and PBS news teams * Receive breaking news alerts Live Streaming * Listen to KPBS FM * Listen to Classical San Diego FM * Watch KPBS TV  * Pause and rewind your program with ease On Demand * Access KPBS, PBS, PBS Kids and NPR programs and podcasts easily and quickly * Pause and rewind your program with ease * When listening to programs, individual segments (when available) are listed so you can review and choose one or listen to the entire program * Easy to access past programs * Sign in with your Passport account to access the full PBS Passport library Additional features * View the radio and TV schedules * Bookmark a program for later viewing * KPBS membership support * Send KPBS a recorded audio or video message * A built-in Sleep Timer and Alarm Clock allows you to go to sleep and wake up to your favorite station

About

LPB App

Access national, acquired, and local productions from LPB, including on-demand content and PBS Kids programming with parental controls. Enjoy live streams, integrated TV schedules, and DVR-like playback features.

Highlights
  • On-demand content access
  • PBS Kids programming with parental controls
  • Live TV streams
  • DVR-like playback controls
  • Integrated TV program schedules
  • Content sharing
Features
Read full description

The LPB App: The LPB App allows you to easily access all national, acquired, and local productions available from LPB! The app provides On-Demand content of all your favorite shows, PBS Kids! content with parental controls, easy access to the TV program schedule plus the ability to explore additional content! • DVR-like controls (pause, rewind, and fast forward). You can pause the live stream to have a conversation and pick up right where you left off. Or rewind to catch a comment you just missed! • Watch live streams of special events! Start the app and your favorite station starts playing. Watch PBS programs easily from your device, no matter where you are. • Integrated TV program schedules of LPB, PBS Kids!, and Create. Additional features • Easily share stories and programs with family and friends via the “Share” button. • Quick access to related social media channels. • Quick access to local events calendar. • Quick access to station info, help, news, and contact info. Please support LPB by becoming a member today! http://lpb.org http://www.publicmediaapps.com

Screenshots

KPBS4 screens
LPB App4 screens

Verdict

The call

KPBS and LPB App both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 85% of LPB App's written reviews are positive against 64% of KPBS's. LPB App also leads on monetization model (free vs ad-supported). KPBS's advantage is ratings volume (110 vs 28). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for KPBS against 4.5 for LPB App. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 110 and 28 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 64% of KPBS's written reviews are positive against 85% of LPB App's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

KPBS ships an update every 4 months, LPB App every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
KPBS versus LPB App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKPBSLPB App
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (110 ratings)4.5 (28 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.3% of reviews84.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings110 — better28
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB37 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperSan Diego State University FoundationLPB

Customer experience

KPBS

All ratings101 ratings
Positive84.2%
Neutral3.0%
Negative12.9%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive64.3%
Neutral10.7%
Negative25.0%

LPB App

All ratings28 ratings
Positive89.3%
Neutral3.6%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive84.6%
Neutral7.7%
Negative7.7%

In-app purchases

None

KPBS

No in-app purchases

None

LPB App

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is KPBS free?
KPBS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is LPB App free?
LPB App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, KPBS or LPB App?
LPB App is rated higher. KPBS averages 4.4 out of 5 from 110 ratings, while LPB App averages 4.5 from 28 ratings.
Do KPBS or LPB App have ads?
Neither KPBS nor LPB App shows ads.
Which is updated more often, KPBS or LPB App?
KPBS ships an update every 4 months, and LPB App every 6 months. Most recently, KPBS was updated on November 6, 2026 and LPB App on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons