# KEXP vs NearHear

The clearest difference is review sentiment: NearHear at 100% against KEXP's 42%. NearHear also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0). KEXP's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 22 months) and ratings volume (278 vs 5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

NearHear holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: KEXP has 278 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 42% of KEXP's written reviews are positive against 100% of NearHear's.

KEXP ships an update every 2 months, NearHear every 22 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | KEXP | NearHear |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (278 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kexp/id342254135/reviews) | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nearhear/id6642644785/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **278** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 42.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 22 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 56 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [KEXP.ORG 90.3FM Seattle](https://appshunter.io/developer/342254138) | [Offline Development, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1763344643) |

## What reviewers say

### KEXP

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kexp/id342254135)

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.

**Highlights:** Live radio broadcasts, Exclusive in-studio performances, Global music community, Music across eras and styles, Online streaming

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### NearHear

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nearhear/id6642644785)

Discover live music events and explore new artists with this music event calendar. Seamlessly integrate with Spotify to find shows based on your favorite genres and venues. Build playlists, listen to artists before they perform live, and add your own events to share with the community.

**Highlights:** Music event calendar, Spotify integration, Artist and show discovery, Genre and venue filtering, Playlist creation, User-added events

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is KEXP free?

KEXP is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is NearHear free?

NearHear is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, KEXP or NearHear?

NearHear is rated higher. KEXP averages 4.0 out of 5 from 278 ratings, while NearHear averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do KEXP or NearHear have ads?

Neither KEXP nor NearHear shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, KEXP or NearHear?

KEXP ships an update every 2 months, and NearHear every 22 months. Most recently, KEXP was updated on November 6, 2026 and NearHear on November 4, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*