960 The Ref vs ESPN Chicago
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
960 The Ref
Listen live to a sports radio station for non-stop coverage of Georgia Bulldogs and Atlanta pro-team games. Stay updated with every touchdown, home run, slam dunk, and goal.
- Live radio streaming
- Coverage of Georgia Bulldogs
- Coverage of Atlanta pro teams
- Real-time game updates
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Listen live to Athens sports station, 960 The Ref for non-stop coverage of every touchdown, home run, slam dunk and goal of the Georgia Bulldogs and the Atlanta pro-teams.
ESPN Chicago
Stay connected with Chicago's vibrant sports scene. Engage in discussions and debates about local teams with popular hosts. Experience the pulse of one of the nation's most talked-about sports cities.
- Live sports talk radio
- Interactive host discussions
- Debate latest team news
- Chicago sports coverage
- National sports stage updates
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ESPN 1000 is Chicago’s Home For Sports! Our hosts talk about the topics of the day and let you interact with them to discuss and debate the latest with our teams. Chicago, one of the largest, most talked about sports cities in the country, is frequently on the national stage.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: 960 The Ref at every 5 weeks against ESPN Chicago's every 10 months. 960 The Ref also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 41%). ESPN Chicago's advantage is ratings volume (3.4K vs 16) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ESPN Chicago holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ESPN Chicago has 3.4K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of 960 The Ref's written reviews are positive against 41% of ESPN Chicago's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
960 The Ref ships an update every 5 weeks, ESPN Chicago every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on June 22, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | 960 The Ref | ESPN Chicago |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (16 ratings) | 4.7 (3.4K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better | 41.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 16 | 3.4K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 10 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 56 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Cox Media Group, Inc | GOOD KARMA BROADCASTING LLC |
Customer experience
960 The Ref
ESPN Chicago
Bugs and requests
960 The Ref
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
ESPN Chicago
Reported bugs
4 issues- App randomly activates and plays audio
- Podcast episodes not playing in order
- Content disappearing from the app
- Buffering and connectivity issues
Requested features
3 requests- Podcast playback in chronological order
- Pause and rewind functionality
- Improved auto-play behavior
In-app purchases
960 The Ref
No in-app purchases
ESPN Chicago
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is 960 The Ref free?
Is ESPN Chicago free?
Which has better reviews, 960 The Ref or ESPN Chicago?
Do 960 The Ref or ESPN Chicago have ads?
Which is updated more often, 960 The Ref or ESPN Chicago?
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