Comparison

Hark Audio vs Media Notch

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Read full description

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!

About

Media Notch

This app serves as a personal diary for your entire cultural consumption. Track TV shows episode by episode, movies by viewing location, books by reading method, and log other live events. It provides visual year-end summaries of your experiences without social feeds or followers.

Highlights
  • Track TV shows episode by episode
  • Log movies by viewing location
  • Record book reading progress
  • Diary for museums, plays, and live events
  • Personal year-end cultural summaries
  • No social feeds or followers
Features
Read full description

Letterboxd wants your followers. Goodreads wants your reviews. You just want to remember what you watched. Notch is a personal diary for your whole cultural life - TV shows tracked episode by episode, movies by where you watched them, books by how you read them, museums, plays, and live events all in one place. No followers. No feeds. Just yours. Notch it up. Search a show and Notch pre-fills the episode, remembers who you watch with, and notices when you've skipped ahead. Log it on the subway, the plane, the museum steps. Every experience, Notched the moment it happens. Your year-end wrap starts the moment you log your first entry. Watch the charts fill in week by week - minutes watched, pages read, museums mapped, ratings charted. Every Notch builds the picture. December will look great. One app. Every movie, book, episode, exhibit, and show you experience. Notch. Make your mark.

Screenshots

Hark Audio4 screens
Media Notch3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Media Notch at 5.0 against Hark Audio's 4.2. Media Notch also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Hark Audio's advantage is ratings volume (83 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.2). 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

Media Notch holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hark Audio has 83 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hark Audio ships an update every 6 weeks, Media Notch every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Hark Audio versus Media Notch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHark AudioMedia Notch
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (83 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings83 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB17 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperHark Audio IncGhost Robot, Inc.

Customer experience

Hark Audio

All ratings85 ratings
Positive76.5%
Neutral2.4%
Negative21.2%
Written reviews37 reviews
Positive64.9%
Neutral5.4%
Negative29.7%

Media Notch

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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 more
  • 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 more
  • Keep place in last podcast listened to
  • Add Hark original content

Media Notch

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Hark Audio

No in-app purchases

None

Media Notch

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hark Audio free?
Hark Audio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Media Notch free?
Media Notch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Hark Audio or Media Notch?
Media Notch is rated higher. Hark Audio averages 4.2 out of 5 from 83 ratings, while Media Notch averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Hark Audio or Media Notch have ads?
Hark Audio shows ads; Media Notch does not.
Which is updated more often, Hark Audio or Media Notch?
Hark Audio ships an update every 6 weeks, and Media Notch every 2 weeks. Most recently, Hark Audio was updated on November 11, 2026 and Media Notch on October 31, 2026.

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