LAist vs KPBS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
LAist
Access Southern California's premier news source for NPR broadcasts, local headlines, and podcasts. Stream live radio, catch up on on-demand programs, and receive breaking news alerts. Stay informed with comprehensive coverage from LAist.com.
- Live radio streaming
- On-demand program archives
- Daily news headlines
- Breaking news alerts
- Sleep timer and alarm clock
- Story sharing
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Welcome to the new (and improved) LAist app! Stay connected with Southern California’s go-to source for NPR news, local headlines, and podcasts. The LAist app allows you to listen to the live broadcast stream of LAist 89.3, get the latest headlines and in-depth coverage from LAist.com, and stay informed with breaking news alerts and program updates. Live Streaming • Take LAist on the go with digital streaming-no radio signal required. • Explore the program schedule for LAist 89.3. On-Demand • Catch up with the LA Report updated twice daily with essential headlines. Access to all LAist 89.3 program archives. • DVR-like controls. Pause, rewind and fast forward on-demand programs with ease. • Browse and select individual stories and episodes to listen to at your convenience. LAist.com Headlines • Get the latest headlines and news updates from LAist.com. • Get push alerts for breaking news, stories you may have missed, and program schedule changes. • Share stories easily from within the app. Additional features • Built-in Sleep Timer and Alarm Clock allow you to go to sleep and wake up to your favorite station. Please support LAist by becoming a member today! https://laist.com/give
KPBS
Access local and national news, podcasts, and entertainment from San Diego's public media station. Stream live radio and TV, watch on-demand programs, and receive breaking news alerts all in one place.
- Read local and national news
- Listen to live radio streams
- Watch live TV streams
- Access on-demand programs and podcasts
- Receive breaking news alerts
- Bookmark programs for later
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The KPBS App is where you can listen, watch, stream, and read local and national news and entertainment from San Diego’s public media station. From the KPBS FM radio livestream, to today’s breaking news, to podcasts and TV shows, tap into your community in one place. News * Read local and national headlines, investigations and more from the KPBS, NPR and PBS news teams * Receive breaking news alerts Live Streaming * Listen to KPBS FM * Listen to Classical San Diego FM * Watch KPBS TV * Pause and rewind your program with ease On Demand * Access KPBS, PBS, PBS Kids and NPR programs and podcasts easily and quickly * Pause and rewind your program with ease * When listening to programs, individual segments (when available) are listed so you can review and choose one or listen to the entire program * Easy to access past programs * Sign in with your Passport account to access the full PBS Passport library Additional features * View the radio and TV schedules * Bookmark a program for later viewing * KPBS membership support * Send KPBS a recorded audio or video message * A built-in Sleep Timer and Alarm Clock allows you to go to sleep and wake up to your favorite station
Screenshots
Verdict
LAist and KPBS both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 64% of KPBS's written reviews are positive against 30% of LAist's. LAist's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, rating, ads 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for LAist against 4.4 for KPBS. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LAist has 634 ratings behind it against 101, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 30% of LAist's written reviews are positive against 64% of KPBS's.
LAist ships an update monthly, KPBS every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.
| Parameter | LAist | KPBS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (634 ratings) | 4.4 (101 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 30.0% of reviews | 64.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 634 — better | 101 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 41 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Southern California Public Radio | San Diego State University Foundation |
Customer experience
LAist
KPBS
Bugs and requests
LAist
Reported bugs
5 issues- Podcasts not loading properly
- Live stream frequently drops out
- Playback issues when switching between apps
- Inconsistent behavior when pausing and resuming
- Sync issues between device and app
Requested features
7 requests- Add rewind and fast-forward functionality
- Improve CarPlay integration
- Implement a sleep timer
- Enhance podcast playback controls
- Improve organization and discoverability of content
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- Add a dark mode option
- Provide better support for older devices
KPBS
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
LAist
No in-app purchases
KPBS
No in-app purchases
