# Boston.com vs WBUR

The clearest difference is rating: WBUR at 4.8 against Boston.com's 4.6. WBUR also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

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

WBUR holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7.4K and 4K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 34% of Boston.com's written reviews are positive against 41% of WBUR's.

Boston.com ships an update every 3 months, WBUR every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Boston.com | WBUR |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (7.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bostoncom/id361786318/reviews) | **[4.8 (4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wbur/id379690847/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **7.4K** | 4K |
| Positive reviews | 34.3% of reviews | **40.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Size | 75 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1324796989) | [WBUR](https://appshunter.io/developer/379690850) |

## What reviewers say

### Boston.com

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bostoncom/id361786318)

Access curated news alerts, weather updates, and sports scores. Stay informed about local and national news, lifestyle, and entertainment from a team of journalists.

**Highlights:** Curated news alerts, Weather updates, Sports scores, Local and national news, Lifestyle and entertainment coverage

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐️ Great news and sports coverage
- ⭐️ Wonderful app
- ⭐️ Best progressive newspaper
- ⭐️ Best sports section in Boston
- ⭐️ Favorite news source

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Hiding behind a paywall
- 🚫 No images
- 🕰️ Doesn't update enough
- 🕰️ Zero updates
- 🚫 Recycling of old stories

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard


### WBUR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wbur/id379690847)

Access live radio streams and on-demand podcasts from a public media organization. Enjoy news briefs, trending stories, and the ability to download episodes for offline listening. Supports CarPlay for in-car use.

**Highlights:** Live radio stream, Signature podcasts, Hourly news briefs, Download episodes, CarPlay support, On-demand listening

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 24/7 access to news and programs
- 👍 Pause, rewind, and resume live streaming
- 💡 Ability to download shows for offline listening
- 👍 Easy to navigate and use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Inconsistent live streaming and buffering issues
- 🐛 Rewind and fast-forward functionality not working as expected
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🔍 Cluttered interface with too many buttons

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when switching between audio sources
- Playback does not resume after interruptions like phone calls
- Time slider inaccurate, often showing wrong position in the program

**Requested features**

- Add search functionality to find specific shows or episodes
- Improve sleep timer and alarm clock integration
- Provide an option to disable the opening ad
- Optimize the app for larger screens and modern UI


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Boston.com free?

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

### Is WBUR free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Boston.com or WBUR?

WBUR is rated higher. Boston.com averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7.4K ratings, while WBUR averages 4.8 from 4K ratings.

### Do Boston.com or WBUR have ads?

Both Boston.com and WBUR show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Boston.com or WBUR?

Boston.com ships an update every 3 months, and WBUR every 6 weeks. Most recently, Boston.com was updated on October 14, 2026 and WBUR on October 15, 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.*