WFMT vs Vocalo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
WFMT
Stream live classical music from a world-renowned radio station. Enjoy exclusive broadcasts of concerts, live events, and performances from major orchestras and opera companies.
- Live classical music streaming
- Exclusive concert broadcasts
- Orchestra and opera performances
- Chicago Symphony Orchestra
- Metropolitan Opera
- Salzburg Festival
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Listen to WFMT, one of the world’s most renowned classical music radio stations, wherever you are. You will hear superlative programs, concerts, and live events you cannot hear anywhere else – broadcasts from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Santa Fe Music Festival, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Metropolitan Opera, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the Salzburg Festival, San Francisco Opera and Symphony, and more.
Vocalo
Experience Chicago's vibrant urban alternative music scene with this station's curated blend of R&B, hip-hop, and dance. Discover new sounds and cultural expressions hosted by engaging personalities. It's the definitive soundtrack for the city.
- Urban alternative music
- R&B, hip-hop, and dance genres
- Hosted by radio personalities
- Music discovery
- Cultural expression
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Vocalo is Chicago's Urban Alternative Music Station. We are the soundtrack that amplifies our city. This is what Chicago sounds like. Listen daily to hear a mix of R&B, hop-hop and dance music hosted by the best radio personalities around. We are your destination for music discovery and cultural expression.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Vocalo at 89% against WFMT's 32%. Vocalo also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.7) and ads (none vs shown). WFMT's advantage is update cadence (every 7 months vs every 18 months). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and device support 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.
Vocalo holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 62 and 42 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of WFMT's written reviews are positive against 89% of Vocalo's.
WFMT ships an update every 7 months, Vocalo every 18 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | WFMT | Vocalo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (62 ratings) | 4.9 (42 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 32.0% of reviews | 88.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 62 — better | 42 |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months — better | Every 18 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 47 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | WFMT | Chicago Public Media, Inc. |
Customer experience
WFMT
Vocalo
Bugs and requests
WFMT
Reported bugs
15 issues- App stops playing frequently
- Stream cuts out often
- App crashes unexpectedly
- Live stream stops without reason
- App freezes and requires restart
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- Title displayed doesn't match music
- App drains battery
- Streaming is touchy and stops on interruptions
- On-demand feature is worthless
- App compresses music heavily
- Virtual volume slider not working on iPad
- App quits without warning
- Spinning circle and no stream
- Website access has ad splash blocking navigation
- App crashes after entering zip code
Requested features
8 requests- Update app performance
- Fix app dropouts
- Improve streaming stability
- Add playlist information
- Provide access to full archives
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- Implement clock radio/sleep timer
- Add concert notes/deep dives
- Fix virtual volume slider on iPad
Vocalo
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
WFMT
No in-app purchases
Vocalo
No in-app purchases
