CBC Listen vs KEXP
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CBC Listen
Stream live CBC Radio, explore popular CBC Podcasts, and discover curated music playlists. Enjoy a vast library of Canadian content, all for free. Features include offline listening, personalized recommendations, and playback controls.
- Live & On Demand CBC Radio
- CBC Podcasts
- CBC Music Playlists
- Offline Listening
- Personalized Recommendations
- Playback Speed Control
- CarPlay Support
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Listen to live CBC Radio, the best in CBC Podcasts and curated playlists from CBC Music with the free CBC Listen app. Your local and national CBC Radio One and CBC Music shows are right at your fingertips, live from anywhere. Listen to critically acclaimed series from Canada’s #1 podcaster with shows like Uncover, The Secret Life of Canada, Front Burner, and Someone Knows Something. Discover the best in true crime, investigative reporting, fiction and more. Tune in to over 100 curated music streams featuring brand new releases from Canadian artists and different genres. CBC Listen features: • Live & On Demand CBC Radio • New and Popular CBC Podcasts • Hundreds of CBC Music Playlists • 100% FREE, no fees or subscriptions • Favourites Library for easy access • Recommendations personalized just for you, based on your listening history • Playlogs from CBC Music shows • Reminders so you never miss a beat • Podcast Downloads for Offline Listening • Bookmarks to save and listen to later • Playback Speed control for On Demand content • Frequency Finder • Sleep Timer • CarPlay support • SplitView and SlideOver support on iPads • Widgets • Shortcuts (customizable for the things you access frequently) • Companion Watch App Also, available on Mac (M series), visionPro, tvOS *On Demand and Music Playlists are subject to geo-fencing.
KEXP
This app connects you to a global community of music enthusiasts and creators. It broadcasts live radio from Seattle and the Bay Area, featuring diverse music across genres and eras. Discover exclusive in-studio performances through its popular YouTube channel.
- Live radio broadcasts
- International music community
- Exclusive in-studio performances
- Diverse music genres
- Online streaming
- YouTube channel content
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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: CBC Listen at 4.8 against KEXP's 4.0. CBC Listen also leads on review sentiment (58% vs 42%) and device support (5 vs 3). KEXP's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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.
CBC Listen holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 708 and 272 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of CBC Listen's written reviews are positive against 42% of KEXP's.
CBC Listen ships an update every 5 weeks, KEXP every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CBC Listen | KEXP |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (708 ratings) — better | 4.0 (272 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 57.7% of reviews — better | 42.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 708 — better | 272 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 67 MB | 63 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | CBC | KEXP.ORG 90.3FM Seattle |
Customer experience
CBC Listen
KEXP
Bugs and requests
CBC Listen
Reported bugs
5 issues- App crashes when switching between WiFi and cellular
- Playback randomly stops or skips back
- Favorites and settings not saving properly
- Outdated or missing content
- Unreliable live stream updates
Requested features
5 requests- Add CarPlay support
- Improve podcast management and playback controls
- Allow customization of playback controls (seek forward/back)
- Provide more options to browse and discover content
- Fix issues with live stream reliability and connectivity
KEXP
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
CBC Listen
No in-app purchases
KEXP
No in-app purchases
