Comparison

PBS Appalachia vs WQLN

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

Head to head
About

PBS Appalachia

Stream live and on-demand video content from a public media station serving Southwest Virginia. Easily catch up on favorite shows, news programs, and share stories with friends and family.

Highlights
  • Watch live TV stream
  • On-demand content access
  • DVR-like playback controls
  • Share stories and programs
  • Content dedicated to Southwest Virginia
Features
Read full description

The PBS Appalachia App: The PBS Appalachia App allows you to watch live TV, explore and watch On Demand content whenever you want, share stories with your friends! A first-of-its-kind, all-digital television station dedicated to serving Southwest Virginia. PBS Appalachia | Va will serve 13 counties in one of the only areas of the country not currently served by a PBS station. We will tell the stories of our communities, celebrate our heritage, highlight our people, and look forward to our region’s growth; all through the lens of industry-leading equipment and the eye of award winning producers. Stream Video Content: • Watch the PBS Appalachia live stream using our DVR-like controls (pause, rewind, and fast forward). Catch up on your favorite shows or important news programs you count on every day. • Stream your favorite PBS Appalachia shows all in one place! On Demand • Access the PBS Appalachia's past programs easily and quickly. • DVR-like controls. Pause, rewind and fast forward your program with ease. Additional features • Easily share stories and programs with family and friends via the “Share” button. The PBS Appalachia Public Media App is brought to you by the people at PBS Appalachia Public Media and Public Media Apps. We work to provide our valued listeners with great solutions to find what you want, when you want it, on whatever device you have! Please support PBS Appalachia by becoming a member today! https://www.pbsavirginia.org/ http://www.publicmediaapps.com

About

WQLN

Access WQLN's TV and radio programming on your mobile devices. Watch and listen to content from PBS, NPR, and PBS Kids on your schedule. Become a member to support the service.

Highlights
  • On-demand TV programming
  • On-demand radio programming
  • Content from PBS, NPR, and PBS Kids
  • Watch and listen on your schedule
  • Mobile access to control rooms
Features
Read full description

Welcome to the new WQLN PBS and NPR App! The WQLN PBS NPR’s Mobile App puts you and your family inside WQLN’s TV and Radio control rooms. With this powerful tool, you can watch what you want to watch when you have time to watch and listen when it’s most convenient to listen. Programming from WQLN, NPR, PBS, and PBS Kids are now in the palm of your hand. This much power does come with responsibility. Please become a member today! https://www.wqln.org https://www.publicmediaapps.com

Screenshots

PBS Appalachia4 screens
WQLN4 screens

Verdict

The call

PBS Appalachia and WQLN are too close to call on the numbers: across 9 compared parameters — price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for PBS Appalachia against 5.0 for WQLN. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 4 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PBS Appalachia ships an update every 5 months, WQLN every 3 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
PBS Appalachia versus WQLN: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPBS AppalachiaWQLN
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings)
Number of ratings24 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.014.0
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB36 MB
Age rating+1717+
DeveloperBLUE RIDGE PUBLIC TELEVISION, INCPUBLIC BROADCASTING OF NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA, INC.

Customer experience

PBS Appalachia

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

WQLN

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

PBS Appalachia

No in-app purchases

None

WQLN

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PBS Appalachia free?
PBS Appalachia is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is WQLN free?
WQLN is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PBS Appalachia or WQLN?
PBS Appalachia and WQLN are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 4 ratings respectively.
Do PBS Appalachia or WQLN have ads?
Neither PBS Appalachia nor WQLN shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PBS Appalachia or WQLN?
PBS Appalachia ships an update every 5 months, and WQLN every 3 months. Most recently, PBS Appalachia was updated on November 3, 2026 and WQLN on November 3, 2026.

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