Comparison

Slacker Studio vs Channels

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

Head to head
About

Slacker Studio

Discover a unique listening experience by blending your favorite music stations with the voices of people you follow. Create and share your own audio "Breaks" with friends, adding a personal touch to music streams.

Highlights
  • Blend music stations with follower voices
  • Follow interesting people to hear their voices
  • Control music-to-voice mix ratio
  • Broadcast 30-second audio "Breaks"
  • Add custom images and comments to Breaks
  • Attach intros to songs for sharing
Features
Read full description

The music you love, blended with the voices you care about. Pick your favorite station and start listening. Find some interesting people to follow and you'll hear their voices between your songs. Want to listen to Today's Hits, but hear the voices of your best friends pop in after a few songs? You can do that. Want to listen to classical music but hear ABC News headlines and podcast comedy clips pop in after a few songs? You can do that. Want to hear mostly music or mostly talk? Yeah, you can do that too. YOU control the mix of songs and voices. Broadcast your own voice to your followers, and they'll hear your unique personality right alongside their favorite songs. Record up to 30 seconds of audio in Slacker Studio (we call that a "Break"), add custom images and comments, and then publish straight to your friends' streams. Want to share some music? Record an intro, attach it to a song, and broadcast it to fellow Slacker Studio users. Our Facebook and Google login options are for verification only. We won’t share or collect your data or post to your social apps unless you tell us it’s OK, and we promise we’ll ask your permission first.

About

Channels

This app allows you to watch live TV and recorded shows on any device, even when you're away from home. It offers a unified viewing experience across all your platforms, with features like commercial skipping and the ability to record new episodes of favorite shows.

Highlights
  • Record and watch on any device
  • Pause and resume viewing across devices
  • Schedule recordings remotely
  • Skip commercials automatically
  • Watch live TV with pause, rewind, and fast forward
  • Support for surround sound and closed captioning
Features
Read full description

Cut the cord without missing your shows. You don't have to lose your DVR just because you canceled your cable. Channels is easy for the whole family to love. Watch your favorite programs on every TV and device, from the living room, hotel room, or even on your commute. Channels delivers a unified experience across all your TVs, devices, and streaming platforms. Learn more about Channels and how it works at http://getchannels.com/features/ -- Record Your Shows -- • Record in one place, watch on every TV & iOS device. • Pause in one room and resume in another, or on your iPhone or iPad. • Pick your favorite shows or teams, and choose to record all or just their new airings. • Browse or search through 21 days worth of guide data that updates daily. • Schedule a recording from your phone while you're away from home. • Watch your favorite shows or teams while you're away from home. Live or recorded. • Watch your shows while they're currently recording. Don't wait for them to finish. • Your recordings get their commercials indexed, and can be automatically skipped. -- Watch Live TV -- • Pause, rewind, and fast forward live TV. • Support for full 5.1 surround sound. • Full support for closed captioning and alternate audio tracks. • Mark channels as favorites. Browse them for quicker access to your favorite networks. • Full support for VoiceOver. Browse and watch TV with ease. NOTE: DVR features require Channels DVR Server installed and running on your home computer or NAS to stream to your devices. Learn more at https://getchannels.com/dvr-server/ -- People Love Channels -- "One of the most capable cord-cutting replacements for a cable DVR" - TechHive "Apple TV just became the best box for streaming live broadcast TV" — Macworld "Apple TV already has at least one 'killer app'. The new third-party Apple TV app, Channels." — MacDailyNews "I can tell you it’s buttery smooth" — Zatz Not Funny! For questions, concerns, bug reports, and feature requests, contact us on twitter @getchannels or via email support@getchannels.com

Screenshots

Slacker Studio3 screens
Channels4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Channels at 4.7 against Slacker Studio's 3.4. Channels also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (73% vs 42%). Slacker Studio's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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

Channels holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Channels has 629 ratings behind it against 56, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 42% of Slacker Studio's written reviews are positive against 73% of Channels's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Slacker Studio ships an update every 3 months, Channels every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Slacker Studio versus Channels: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSlacker StudioChannels
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (56 ratings)4.7 (629 ratings) — better
Positive reviews41.7% of reviews72.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings56629 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size76 MB108 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperSlacker, Inc.Fancy Bits, LLC

Customer experience

Slacker Studio

All ratings56 ratings
Positive60.7%
Neutral3.6%
Negative35.7%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive41.7%
Neutral12.5%
Negative45.8%

Channels

All ratings577 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral3.1%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews81 reviews
Positive72.8%
Neutral8.6%
Negative18.5%

In-app purchases

None

Slacker Studio

No in-app purchases

None

Channels

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Slacker Studio free?
Slacker Studio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Channels free?
Channels is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Slacker Studio or Channels?
Channels is rated higher. Slacker Studio averages 3.4 out of 5 from 56 ratings, while Channels averages 4.7 from 629 ratings.
Do Slacker Studio or Channels have ads?
Slacker Studio shows ads; Channels does not.
Which is updated more often, Slacker Studio or Channels?
Slacker Studio ships an update every 3 months, and Channels every 3 weeks. Most recently, Slacker Studio was updated on November 4, 2026 and Channels on November 11, 2026.

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