Hark Audio vs Cascade PBS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hark Audio
Discover curated podcast moments and "mixtapes" from expert editors and podcast hosts. Enjoy personalized weekly playlists and a full-featured player for all your favorite shows. Create your own clips and share them.
- Curated podcast moments ('Harklists')
- Personalized weekly playlists
- Full-featured podcast player
- Create custom clips and Harklists
- Import subscriptions from other apps
- Listen on mobile, car, and smart speakers
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Hark is a new way to experience the best of podcasts. Time Magazine included it in its "Best Inventions of 2021" list and Hark won the "Vision Award" from American Public Media for being the experience "most likely to reinvent journalism and media." Here’s how it works: Hark editors curate genius podcast moments into ‘Harklists’ - podcast mixtapes - that let you discover new voices, stories, perspectives… and new podcasts! We create Harklists on everything from “History’s Most Audacious Heists,” to “Unleash Your Inner Optimist,” “NBA Weekly,” “Little Known New York Food History,” “Celebrating Joan Didion” and so much more. Every week, you’ll receive “Your Weekly Hark” - a Harklist of podcast moments curated just for you. And of course, you can use Hark to listen to all of your favorite podcasts too. Hark is an easy-to-use, full-featured podcast player that lets you choose your listening speed, create a queue, pick up where you left off and listen on CarPlay or smart speakers. WHAT YOU CAN DO ON HARK Tune in to Hark Daily and tap into the most zeitgeisty podcast conversations of the day. Explore the expanding array of Harklists on everything from Books, Comedy and Science to Tech, Food, Sports, History and more. Experience “Curated by Podcasters” Harklists, created by the hosts of favorite podcasts like Song Exploder, Nice Try and Rough Translation. When you love a clip, tap “Play Full Episode” to continue listening. Bookmark episodes, Harklists and clips into your queue to listen to later. Import your current podcast subscriptions from Spotify and Apple Podcasts with the click of a button. Make your own podcast clips and Harklists. Enjoy a weekly playlist of podcast moments, chosen just for you. Listen on your mobile device, in your car and voice-controlled speakers. All in a beautiful free app curated by people who love podcasts too. Let your ears wander with Hark!
Cascade PBS
Stream prestige dramas, landmark documentaries, inspiring nature, and science programs. Access PBS favorites, local original series, and international content from a nonprofit streaming service for the Pacific Northwest. Enhance your viewing with an extended library through membership.
- Prestige dramas
- Landmark documentaries
- Nature and science programming
- Local original series
- International programming
- Extended library with membership
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Prestige dramas, landmark documentaries, inspiring nature, science and more! Enjoy your PBS favorites, local original series and a unique collection of international programming with this nonprofit streaming service for the Pacific Northwest, Cascade PBS. Catch up on recently aired PBS shows or become a Cascade PBS Passport member to discover an extended library of popular programs, including the best in science, nature, history, documentary, arts and drama.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Hark Audio at 65% against Cascade PBS's 17%. Hark Audio also leads on rating (4.2 vs 3.7) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). Cascade PBS's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases 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.
Hark Audio holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 84 and 32 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Hark Audio's written reviews are positive against 17% of Cascade PBS's.
Hark Audio ships an update every 6 weeks, Cascade PBS every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.
| Parameter | Hark Audio | Cascade PBS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (84 ratings) — better | 3.7 (32 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 64.9% of reviews — better | 17.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 84 — better | 32 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 85 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Hark Audio Inc | KCTS TELEVISION |
Customer experience
Hark Audio
Cascade PBS
Bugs and requests
Hark Audio
Reported bugs
10 issues- Slow to update lists
- Slow to search
- App slows down phone
- App crashes when opening
- App freezes and crashes constantly
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- App crashes after selecting podcast
- Clips don't work
- Profile section crashes on history/activity tab
- Podcasts quit abruptly before the end
- No way to play remaining content
Requested features
7 requests- Add shorten silences playback option
- Make queuing, organizing, and playing easier
- Automatically move to the next episode
- Add more features for primary app use
- Improve navigation to desired curation
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Keep place in last podcast listened to
- Add Hark original content
Cascade PBS
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Hark Audio
No in-app purchases
Cascade PBS
No in-app purchases
