94.7 WLS vs 97.1 The Wave
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
94.7 WLS
Listen to Chicago's top 80s and Classic Hits radio station live. Enjoy your favorite music and stay connected with the station's content.
- Live radio streaming
- 80s music
- Classic hits
- Chicago's #1 station
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94.7 WLS is Chicago's #1 station for the 80's and Classic Hits!
97.1 The Wave
Stream your favorite beach station live from anywhere. Engage with the station by voting for songs, signing up for playback alerts, and using the Open Mic feature. Access exclusive contests and get the latest weather updates.
- Live radio streaming
- Song voting
- Playback alerts
- Open Mic feature
- App-exclusive contests
- Latest weather updates
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Listen to 97.1 The Wave, Your Beach Station - Stream 97.1 The Wave live anywhere - Vote for your favorite songs and sign up for alerts when they are about to play - Use the Open Mic feature to contact us anytime - Enter app-exclusive contests - Get the latest weather
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: 97.1 The Wave at 5.0 against 94.7 WLS's 4.6. 97.1 The Wave also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). 94.7 WLS's advantage is ratings volume (7 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
97.1 The Wave holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 2 respectively.
94.7 WLS ships an update every 4 months, 97.1 The Wave every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | 94.7 WLS | 97.1 The Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (7 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 59 MB | 55 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Cumulus Media | Forever Media |
Customer experience
94.7 WLS
97.1 The Wave
In-app purchases
94.7 WLS
No in-app purchases
97.1 The Wave
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is 94.7 WLS free?
Is 97.1 The Wave free?
Which has better reviews, 94.7 WLS or 97.1 The Wave?
Do 94.7 WLS or 97.1 The Wave have ads?
Which is updated more often, 94.7 WLS or 97.1 The Wave?
Other comparisons
