Comparison

iHeart vs Simple Radio

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

Head to head
About

iHeart

Stream live radio stations, unlimited music playlists, and top podcasts for free. Enjoy live sports commentary, news, and music across various genres. Offers ad-free listening and on-demand music with premium subscriptions.

Highlights
  • Live radio streaming
  • Unlimited music playlists
  • Top podcast library
  • Live sports radio
  • Ad-free music options
  • On-demand song playback (premium)
Features
Read full description

Your Music, Your Stations & #1 For Podcasts. All Free. On iHeartRadio, real artists, hosts & creators remain at the center of all our audio music & commentary content. Listen to music, radio stations & podcasts with top hits, sports, news & more – content you can trust is Guaranteed Human. Stream 1000s of live radio stations & unlimited music playlists for any mood or activity. Play ad-free music, songs & playlists. Stream songs, podcasts & live sports on any device, including Apple Watch. Stream podcasts on hot topics: On Purpose with Jay Shetty, The Breakfast Club, Dateline, Crime Junkie, Stuff You Should Know & more. Listen to The Herd with Colin Cowherd or NPR & discuss topics with podcast hosts. Play sports radio stations & local AM / FM radio stations to get your live sports play by play. Connect with radio hosts on our Talkback mic & catch up on your favorite NFL, NBA & MLB teams. Fox Sports Radio, ESPN Radio & more. Songs, podcasts or radio: listen to your favorites from local & world radio at any time, any place. Download iHeartRadio today! iHeartRadio: Music, Radio, Sports News & Podcasts App RADIO APP: LIVE STREAMING & LOCAL RADIO STATIONS • Live FM & AM radio app: 1000s of live music favorites • Internet radio stations for sports news radio, world & local news news music • Stream songs & play music with national radio stations & world radio with top hits • Local radio stations: breaking local news radio SPORTS RADIO APP: LIVE SPORTS & SPORTS STREAMING • ESPN Radio, Fox Sports Radio, CBS Sports Radio & FNTSY Sports Radio: tune in to live sports & sports news radio • Sports news radio stations: listen to NFL radio, NBA, NHL, NCAA, MLB, Soccer, Golf, Tennis • Talk to sports FM & AM radio hosts on sports news, highlights & commentary PODCAST APP: SPORTS PODCASTS, NEWS PODCASTS & MORE • Versatile podcasting library: podcasts for sports news, talk radio, true crime podcasts • Top podcasts: ESPN, How Stuff Works, TED, Wondery & more MUSIC APP: LISTEN TO MUSIC, PLAYLISTS & RADIO • Your Weekly Mixtape: curated playlist with new music Mondays • Song charts to listen to ad-free music streaming • Pop, Hip Hop, R&B, Rock, Easy Listening Music, Alternative, Folk, Gospel, Christian, Dance, Indie & Country music radio PODCAST APP, SPORTS APP & MUSIC APP, ON THE GO • Listen to music & play podcasts anywhere • Play music online or music without WiFi • Enjoy travel music playlists with car tunes for your next road trip PREMIUM FEATURES Listen ads-free and take control of your listening experience with iHeartRadio Plus™ and iHeartRadio All Access™. • Songs on demand – search and play any song, album and playlist • Save and replay any song with our music app from the radio • Enjoy unlimited skips and create unlimited playlists • Download music to your iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch to listen offline Join our community! • Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1F1TcFX • Instagram: http://bit.ly/1e1AOUS • Twitter: http://bit.ly/1HZk5KQ • Blog: http://bit.ly/1GiT59D For Feedback and Help Tell us how we can improve by sharing your thoughts at help.iheart.com Payments will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. Subscription may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. iheart.com/terms iheart.com/privacy

About

Simple Radio

Listen to over 90,000 AM, FM, and online radio stations worldwide. Save your favorites for one-tap access and enjoy a reliable streaming experience. Discover new music, stay updated with news, or practice languages with this versatile radio tuner.

Highlights
  • Access 90,000+ global radio stations
  • Reliable, drop-free streaming
  • Save and access favorite stations
  • Apple Watch integration
  • Discover trending music and sports
  • Set sleep timer
Features
Read full description

The simplest and most reliable way to listen to your favorite AM, FM and online radio stations with an iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch. Join millions using our radio tuner today! Listen to Simple Radio app for free: • Play 90,000+ worldwide radio stations on your iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch • Enjoy our extremely reliable radio tuner. Eliminating drops is our top priority • Save your favorite stations and listen to them in one tap Simple Radio’s free radio tuner is ideal for: • Listening to your favorite radio stations • Discovering new music • Staying connected to home while living abroad • Making your commute more interesting • Practicing a foreign language Simple Radio supports Apple Watch: • Listen to your favorite stations directly from your wrist • Works great as a companion app or in standalone mode (no iPhone nearby required) • Connect Bluetooth headphones to your Watch and enjoy radio on the go. Perfect for running, commuting, or traveling light Find specific content based on your interests: • Trending music • Specific music genres (Rock, Pop, Jazz, Country, Folk & more) • Live sports like NFL, NBA, Football, NHL, MLB, Soccer and Nascar • Breaking news • Talk radio Tune in to your favorite Radio Stations like NPR, ESPN, KEXP, WBLS, WNYC, WJR, La Mega, W Radio, WTMJ, Moody Radio, Radio 24, WSB, WBLS, Radio Love, KQED, Radio Caraibes, WBUR, WCBS, Radio Javan and many more. Why are our Premium Features the best purchase you will make this year? • You'll be able to set the Sleep Timer to fall asleep to your favorite station, and doze off like a baby. • You’ll never see a display ad within our app again! *Remember that in-app purchases cannot be shared with family members. ——— Download Simple Radio Today. Free on iPhone, iPad & Apple Watch ——— What others are saying about Simple Radio: • "A pleasant journey back to childhood every time I tune in. An array of stations at the tap of a finger. Doesn't get much better.” Dan K., London • “It gives access to my hometown radio station over 1200 miles away!” - Roxanne L., New York Love Simple Radio by Streema? • Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/streema • Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Streema/566615950033225 Questions or feedback? • We love hearing from you and we read every single email you send us! • Want us to add a specific radio station? Have suggestions? Please, feel free to reach us at simple@streema.com. This software uses code of FFmpeg (ffmpeg.org) licensed under the LGPLv2.1 (www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/lgpl-2.1.html). Privacy policy: https://streema.com/about/privacy/ Terms of use: https://streema.com/about/terms/ Product names, logos, brands, and other trademarks featured or referred to within this profile and the Simple Radio app are the property of their respective trademark holders. These trademark holders are not affiliated with Streema or our services.

Screenshots

iHeart4 screens
Simple Radio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Simple Radio at none against iHeart's shown. Simple Radio also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 44%). iHeart's advantage is chart position (#9 vs #55). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. iHeart sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Simple Radio sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for iHeart against 4.7 for Simple Radio. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 641K and 527K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 44% of iHeart's written reviews are positive against 75% of Simple Radio's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iHeart ships an update every 3 weeks, Simple Radio fortnightly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
iHeart versus Simple Radio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriHeartSimple Radio
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (641K ratings) — better4.7 (527K ratings)
Positive reviews44.2% of reviews75.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings641K — better527K
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#9 — better#55
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size250 MB100 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperiHeartMedia Management Services, Inc.Streema, Inc.

Customer experience

iHeart

All ratings640,995 ratings
Positive95.5%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews1,648 reviews
Positive44.2%
Neutral9.3%
Negative46.4%

Simple Radio

All ratings527,476 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral3.3%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews1,343 reviews
Positive75.4%
Neutral4.7%
Negative20.0%

User reviews

iHeart

From 641K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great app for listening to radio stations
  • 👍 Variety of music and podcast content
  • 💡 Ability to listen to stations from different locations
  • 🚀 Efficient music streaming

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🔇 Intrusive and repetitive ads
  • 🔇 Ads playing over live radio content
  • 🐛 Playback issues and song skipping

Simple Radio

From 527K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌐 Wide variety of radio stations
  • 🎧 Excellent audio quality
  • 📱 Easy to use interface
  • 🌍 Access to global radio stations
  • 🔍 Comprehensive search functionality

Room to improve

  • 🔇 Audio cuts out or disconnects
  • 💰 Expensive premium subscription
  • 📺 Intrusive ads in free version
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🔀 Inability to play in background

Bugs and requests

iHeart

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App not opening after closing
  • Stations not loading or playing correctly
  • Podcast playback issues and loss of progress
  • Inconsistent behavior across device types

Requested features

4 requests
  • Resume playback from where you left off
  • Ability to customize and organize stations
  • Improved podcast management features
  • Option to disable auto-play of new songs

Simple Radio

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Frequent app crashes
  • Inconsistent ad placement and behavior
  • Inability to resume playback after switching apps

Requested features

5 requests
  • Folder/category organization for favorites
  • Alarm clock/scheduled playback feature
  • Ability to record/save radio content
  • Sync favorites across multiple devices
  • Improved offline/low-connectivity playback

In-app purchases

4 purchases

iHeart

Subscriptions4
  • iHeartRadio Plus1 Month trial$6.991 Month
  • iHeartRadio Plus2 variants$6.991 Month
  • iHeartRadio All Access1 Month trial$12.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • iHeartRadio All Access2 variants$12.991 Month
9 purchases

Simple Radio

Subscriptions8
  • Simple Radio Unlimited7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Simple Radio Ilimitado7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Simple Radio Unlimited7 Days trial3 variants$5.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Simple Radio Unlimited7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Simple Radio Ilimitado7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Simple Radio Unlimited7 Days trial6 variants$39.991 Year
  • Simple Radio Ilimitado7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Simple Radio Unlimited7 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Simple Radio Unlimited$24.99

Questions

Is iHeart free?
iHeart is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Simple Radio free?
Simple Radio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, iHeart or Simple Radio?
iHeart is rated higher. iHeart averages 4.8 out of 5 from 641K ratings, while Simple Radio averages 4.7 from 527K ratings.
Do iHeart or Simple Radio have ads?
iHeart shows ads; Simple Radio does not.
Which is updated more often, iHeart or Simple Radio?
iHeart ships an update every 3 weeks, and Simple Radio fortnightly. Most recently, iHeart was updated on September 24, 2026 and Simple Radio on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, iHeart or Simple Radio?
iHeart currently peaks at #9 in the App Store charts, and Simple Radio at #55. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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