Broadcasts vs Now Playing Plus
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Broadcasts
Stream internet radio stations from around the world with an intuitive, single-purpose application. Enjoy beautiful artwork, metadata, and cross-device syncing. Offers a free tier with a limited library or a full version for unlimited stations and advanced features.
- Global internet radio streaming
- Unlimited station library (full version)
- Station artwork and metadata display
- Shazam integration for metadata
- iCloud library syncing
- CarPlay support
- Apple Watch and Apple TV playback
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Listen to streaming internet radio in an ultra-simple, single-purpose app. Broadcasts makes building a library of stations from around the world easier than ever — no subscription required. Use completely free with a limited-size library of stations, or upgrade to the full version to unlock the library limit and add as many of your own stations as you like from the Station Browser, or manually via URL. Search for stations from around the world as easily as from your own library. Showcase gorgeous station and track artwork (for supported stations) with the all-new Now Playing screen. Use Shazam (Beta) to power the Now Playing screen with artwork and metadata for stations that do not provide it, or simply to provide an ambient Now Playing experience for music playing nearby. Show the currently playing artwork and metadata on external displays if you want an all-screen experience. Sync your library across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV with iCloud & Universal Purchase. Browse stations in grid or list view. Listen in Light or Dark mode. Edit stations to provide your own artwork, or use the Artwork Chooser to generate something fun and colorful. Thoughtful mouse, trackpad & keyboard support provides a great experience on iPad. Perform common tasks from the Command menu, and control playback using keyboard shortcuts. Use Handoff to transfer playback between devices, or AirPlay directly to a home speaker. Listen with just your Apple Watch (Cellular) while out and about, or on Apple TV at home. Supports CarPlay on certified devices; stream internet radio on your CarPlay-enabled head unit directly. Automate playback using Shortcuts.
Now Playing Plus
Enhance your Apple Watch face with convenient audio controls. This app adds corner and circular complications, allowing quick access to playback functions without navigating through menus.
- Corner complications
- Circular complications
- Audio controls
- Quick access
- Customizable watch face
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Now Playing Plus provides corner and circular complications for your Apple Watch face. This gives you easy access to audio controls, without needed to hunt around in the App List or Dock.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Broadcasts at 4.7 against Now Playing Plus's 3.7. Broadcasts also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (930 vs 51). Now Playing Plus's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.4). On price, review sentiment 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
Both are free to download. Broadcasts sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Now Playing Plus asks for nothing beyond the download.
Broadcasts holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Broadcasts has 930 ratings behind it against 51, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Broadcasts's written reviews are positive against 71% of Now Playing Plus's.
Broadcasts ships an update monthly, Now Playing Plus every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Broadcasts | Now Playing Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (930 ratings) — better | 3.7 (51 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 74.8% of reviews — better | 71.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 930 — better | 51 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 9 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.4 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Steven Troughton-Smith | The Iconfactory |
Customer experience
Broadcasts
Now Playing Plus
Bugs and requests
Broadcasts
Reported bugs
3 issues- Syncing issues causing data loss
- Playback issues on CarPlay and macOS
- Inconsistent behavior when changing stations
Requested features
5 requests- Improved global station search
- Genre-based station browsing
- Easier custom station addition
- Airplay and Siri integration
- Sleep timer and alarm clock functionality
Now Playing Plus
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Broadcasts
- Unlock All Features$7.99
Now Playing Plus
No in-app purchases









