LAist vs CalMatters
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
CalMatters
Access in-depth, nonpartisan news and analysis focused on California's quality of life issues. Hold leaders accountable with investigative journalism covering the Golden State and its global economic impact.
- In-depth news analysis
- Focus on quality of life issues
- Investigative journalism
- Accountability reporting
- Covers California and its economy
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CalMatters is a nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization bringing Californians stories that probe, explain and explore solutions to quality of life issues while holding our leaders accountable. We are the only journalism outlet dedicated to covering America’s biggest state, 39 million Californians and the world’s fifth largest economy.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: CalMatters at 5.0 against LAist's 4.3. CalMatters also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 30%) and chart position (#204 vs unranked). LAist's advantage is ratings volume (634 vs 18) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, update cadence, 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.
CalMatters holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LAist has 634 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of LAist's written reviews are positive against 50% of CalMatters's.
LAist ships an update monthly, CalMatters fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LAist | CalMatters |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (634 ratings) | 5.0 (18 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 30.0% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 634 — better | 18 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Best chart rank | — | #204 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 53 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Southern California Public Radio | CalMatters |
Customer experience
LAist
CalMatters
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
CalMatters
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
LAist
No in-app purchases
CalMatters
No in-app purchases
