WXPN 88.5 vs KEXP
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
WXPN 88.5
Discover emerging and heritage artists with handcrafted playlists and live concert broadcasts. This app offers a vast mix of classic and lesser-known tracks across diverse genres like rock, blues, roots, and folk, curated by music fans for music fans.
- Music discovery
- Handcrafted playlists
- Live concert broadcasts
- Artist interviews
- Diverse music genres
- Emerging and heritage artists
Read full descriptionHide full description
The WXPN app is your home for music discovery and an unparalleled listening experience featuring emerging and heritage artists. Programmed by music fans for music fans, our playlists are handcrafted. Driven by a mission to connect artists and audiences, WXPN is where many first heard artists like Brandi Carlile, Hozier, Leon Bridges, and boygenius before they became well-known. Enjoy a vast mix of both classic and lesser-known tracks from artists like Bruce Springsteen, Adele, Radiohead, The Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, The Pretenders, Janelle Monae, and so much more. Live concert broadcasts, themed music programs, and artist interviews are also a part of the mix; reflecting a range of diverse genres including rock, blues, roots, and folk. As a non-profit, member-supported radio programming service, everything we offer is fueled by the backing of music lovers like you. To explore more and become a part of this vibrant music community visit xpn.org.
KEXP
Discover and enjoy a diverse range of music from a global community of artists and fans. This app offers live radio broadcasts and exclusive in-studio performance videos, connecting you to influential music across genres and traditions.
- Live radio broadcasts
- Exclusive in-studio performances
- Global music community
- Music across eras and styles
- Online streaming
Read full descriptionHide full description
KEXP is an international community of music lovers and music makers, championing music that spans eras, styles and traditions. One of the most influential listener-supported music stations in the world, KEXP radio broadcasts on-air and online from our studios in Seattle and the Bay Area. Each week on KEXP's YouTube channel, millions of viewers worldwide enjoy Live on KEXP sessions featuring exclusive in-studio performances. Listen in and join our community at KEXP.ORG.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: KEXP at 4.0 against WXPN 88.5's 3.6. KEXP also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (278 vs 72). On price, review sentiment, 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.
KEXP holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 72 and 278 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of WXPN 88.5's written reviews are positive against 42% of KEXP's.
WXPN 88.5 ships an update every 9 months, KEXP every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.
| Parameter | WXPN 88.5 | KEXP |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (72 ratings) | 4.0 (278 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 39.0% of reviews | 42.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 72 | 278 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 56 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | University of Pennsylvania | KEXP.ORG 90.3FM Seattle |
Customer experience
WXPN 88.5
KEXP
Bugs and requests
WXPN 88.5
Reported bugs
43 issues- App often cuts off or restarts
- App plays twice or reopens on its own
- No longer compatible with Apple CarPlay
- Skips and buffers endlessly
- Archives stop after an hour and don't save progress
Show 38 moreShow fewer
- Concert calendar not working
- Problem downloading audio
- App crashes on launch or after a few seconds
- Update loop in App Store
- App crashes after iOS update
- Battery drain issues
- XPN2 stream not found or not working
- Switching streams turns the app off
- Menu for switching streams vanished
- Cannot listen to live stream when plugged into car
- App freezes then crashes on launch
- App won't load on older iPhones
- App crashes and reverts to update queue
- App crashes after updating iOS
- App crashes consistently after software update
- App crashes today
- App doesn't work after reloading
- App crashes when opening or configuring
- App crashes after a few seconds of streaming
- App crashes when changing volume
- App crashes frequently, sometimes every 10-15 minutes
- Podcasts, archives, etc. show 'Error Can Not Load Player'
- Concert calendar shows nothing
- App kicks out to home screen after clicking LISTEN
- App cuts out and doesn't come back automatically
- App doesn't buffer, just cuts out
- App is worse than ever, constantly loses feed
- App loses feed after 10 seconds
- App shuts down every few minutes
- App doesn't work on Wi-Fi or 3G, crash city
- App crashes when trying to do anything
- App requires Flash on website, but app is an alternative
- App times out on Wi-Fi and 3G
- App loses signal often
- App cuts out after a minute or doesn't play at all
- Links to website don't play within the app
- App has awkward startup page
- App has compatibility issues, connection dropped after a second
Requested features
9 requests- Bring back CarPlay support
- Optimize for iPad landscape mode
- Add XPN2 stream access
- Improve archive listening (longer history, resume playback)
- Fix concert calendar
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Add dark mode
- Allow stream selection (24k/128k)
- Implement in-app requests and donations
- Update UI for Retina displays and Apple guidelines
KEXP
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
WXPN 88.5
No in-app purchases
KEXP
No in-app purchases
