# Slacker Studio vs Channels

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.

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

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Slacker Studio | Channels |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.4 (56 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/slacker-studio/id1314856081/reviews) | **[4.7 (629 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/channels-whole-home-dvr/id1405359767/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 56 | **629** |
| Positive reviews | 41.7% of reviews | **72.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 76 MB | 108 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Slacker, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/298307014) | [Fancy Bits, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1064811458) |

## What reviewers say

### Slacker Studio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/slacker-studio/id1314856081)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Channels

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/channels-whole-home-dvr/id1405359767)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*