Comparison

77 WABC vs Play Dead

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

77 WABC

Access live and on-demand news talk radio content. This free application offers an easy-to-use interface for listening to your favorite shows.

Highlights
  • Live radio streaming
  • On-demand content
  • Easy to use interface
  • Free to download
Features
Read full description

Download the official 77 WABC app, it’s easy to use and always FREE!

About

Play Dead

Access a vast library of officially remastered live Grateful Dead concert recordings. Discover previously unreleased shows every week, including rare CD-only releases now available in high-resolution audio. Listen across your devices with seamless playback.

Highlights
  • Official Grateful Dead live recordings
  • Hi-res remastered audio
  • Exclusive 'Dead Drops' weekly
  • CD-only releases now streaming
  • Vault organized by year
  • Cross-device listening
  • Apple CarPlay support
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Play Dead is the official Grateful Dead streaming app, offering unprecedented hi-res access to the Grateful Dead Vault of live recordings. For the first time, the band’s live legacy is brought together in a single official streaming service, with newly transferred and mastered recordings from the original sources. Previously unreleased shows - called Dead Drops - will be available every Tuesday, augmenting the catalog of official live Grateful Dead releases, many of which have never been available on any streaming service. The Vault Unlocked Exclusive Hi-Res Recordings Access new high resolution transfers, mastered for the first time and available exclusively on Play Dead. Dead Drops Every Tuesday Previously unreleased recordings added, every Tuesday, curated by Grateful Dead archivist and legacy manager David Lemieux, mastered for the first time by David Glasser. CD-Only Releases, Now Streaming Shows previously available only on CD from box sets and Dave’s Picks are now streaming for the first time -only on Play Dead- in higher-than-CD-quality. The Vault by Year Live recordings are presented in order of performance date for the first time in the band’s history. Play Dead brings together three decades of live recordings into a single, evolving app designed for both longtime Dead Heads and those who just got on the bus. Listen Anywhere Listen and resume listening across devices, including Apple CarPlay. Subscription Subscriptions available starting at $9.99/month or $99.99/year. Official Access to the Grateful Dead Vault Created for Grateful Dead Productions and Rhino Entertainment, longtime stewards of the Grateful Dead catalog. Built by nugs, the leading platform for live music. For nugs Subscribers Play Dead is also available as an add-on to nugs. PlayDead Payment and Auto-Renewal Terms: Play Dead offers auto-renewing monthly and annual subscriptions to stream music from the Play Dead catalog. Two subscription types are available, monthly (30 days) and annual (365 days). All subscriptions auto-renew. A Play Dead monthly subscription is $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year for new users. Plans auto-renew at $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year after the first year. Payment will be charged to the iTunes Account at the time of your purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Accounts will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the users Account Settings after purchase. Terms of Use at http://nugs.net/terms.aspx Privacy Policy at http://nugs.net/privacy.aspx

Screenshots

77 WABC4 screens
Play Dead4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Play Dead at 4.3 against 77 WABC's 3.5. Play Dead also leads on review sentiment (64% vs 25%) and chart position (#143 vs unranked). 77 WABC's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Play Dead sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. 77 WABC asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Play Dead holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 232 and 93 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of 77 WABC's written reviews are positive against 64% of Play Dead's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

77 WABC ships an update every 2 months, Play Dead every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
77 WABC versus Play Dead: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter77 WABCPlay Dead
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (232 ratings)4.3 (93 ratings) — better
Positive reviews25.3% of reviews64.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings232 — better93
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#143 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size67 MB88 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperRed Apple Media, Inc.nugs.net enterprises, LLC

Customer experience

77 WABC

All ratings203 ratings
Positive59.6%
Neutral7.4%
Negative33.0%
Written reviews99 reviews
Positive25.3%
Neutral6.1%
Negative68.7%

Play Dead

All ratings92 ratings
Positive80.4%
Neutral8.7%
Negative10.9%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive64.3%
Neutral14.3%
Negative21.4%

Bugs and requests

77 WABC

Reported bugs

18 issues
  • App crashes on startup or during playback
  • Live stream cuts off randomly
  • Audio loops and repeats 45 seconds to 1 minute continuously
  • App stops working when phone goes to sleep
  • Background activity kills battery life
Show 13 more
  • Connection drops in weak signal areas
  • App won't open or gets stuck on 'retrieving latest content'
  • Podcast download causes app crash
  • Screen rotation broken on iPad
  • Excessive heat generation
  • Ads play out of order or during broadcasts
  • Streaming performance poor with 10-120 second delay
  • App only works when in foreground
  • Incompatible with iOS 12 and earlier versions
  • Alarm feature has audio control issues
  • Podcasts don't update without force quit
  • Polls don't load in app
  • Cannot create account with password

Requested features

11 requests
  • Fix background streaming capability
  • Implement pause and rewind buffering for live streams
  • Add playback speed controls for podcasts
  • Improve podcast organization and display
  • Reduce or eliminate ads, or offer paid ad-free tier
Show 6 more
  • Better CarPlay integration and stability
  • Improve UI design with larger buttons and less wasted space
  • Remove forced login requirements
  • Add app status page to check system availability
  • Implement proper ad scheduling to avoid overlap with content
  • Better iOS compatibility for older devices

Play Dead

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

77 WABC

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Play Dead

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Yearly$99.991 Year

Questions

Is 77 WABC free?
77 WABC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Play Dead free?
Play Dead is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, 77 WABC or Play Dead?
Play Dead is rated higher. 77 WABC averages 3.5 out of 5 from 232 ratings, while Play Dead averages 4.3 from 93 ratings.
Do 77 WABC or Play Dead have ads?
Neither 77 WABC nor Play Dead shows ads.
Which is updated more often, 77 WABC or Play Dead?
77 WABC ships an update every 2 months, and Play Dead every 4 weeks. Most recently, 77 WABC was updated on October 29, 2026 and Play Dead on October 30, 2026.

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