Comparison

KPBS vs AwareCA

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

AwareCA

This app provides official, agency-verified public safety information for California. It delivers real-time updates and guidance during emergencies, serving as a trusted source of truth to keep communities informed and prepared.

Highlights
  • Agency-verified public safety information
  • Real-time incident updates
  • Official guidance during emergencies
  • Authoritative source of truth
  • Replaces fragmented alerts
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

AwareCA is California’s statewide, agency-verified public safety information platform designed to keep communities informed, prepared, and protected. Built to replace fragmented alerts and unverified noise, AwareCA delivers a single, authoritative source of truth that is controlled by public safety agencies and trusted by the communities they serve. Get the information that matters in near-real-time. AwareCA helps ensure you always know where to go for the truth, with official updates and official guidance during everyday incidents and large-scale emergencies.

Screenshots

KPBS4 screens
AwareCA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: AwareCA at weekly against KPBS's every 4 months. AwareCA also leads on monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and chart position (#11 vs unranked). KPBS's advantage is review sentiment (64% vs 53%) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.4). On price, rating, ratings volume 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 4.4 for AwareCA. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 101 and 143 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 64% of KPBS's written reviews are positive against 53% of AwareCA's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

KPBS ships an update every 4 months, AwareCA weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
KPBS versus AwareCA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKPBSAwareCA
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (101 ratings)4.4 (143 ratings)
Positive reviews64.3% of reviews — better52.6% of reviews
Number of ratings101143 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
Best chart rank—#11 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB120 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperSan Diego State University FoundationIntterra, LLC

Customer experience

KPBS

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

AwareCA

All ratings143 ratings
Positive84.6%
Neutral5.6%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive52.6%
Neutral10.5%
Negative36.8%

In-app purchases

None

KPBS

No in-app purchases

None

AwareCA

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is KPBS free?
KPBS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AwareCA free?
AwareCA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, KPBS or AwareCA?
KPBS and AwareCA are both rated 4.4 out of 5 on the App Store, from 101 and 143 ratings respectively.
Do KPBS or AwareCA have ads?
Neither KPBS nor AwareCA shows ads.
Which is updated more often, KPBS or AwareCA?
KPBS ships an update every 4 months, and AwareCA weekly. Most recently, KPBS was updated on September 28, 2026 and AwareCA on October 2, 2026.

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