WBUR vs Vermont Public
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
WBUR
Access trusted news and stories from Greater Boston and beyond with live streams and signature podcasts. Enjoy hourly news briefs, on-demand listening, and offline downloads. Play word games and stay updated on local events.
- Live radio stream with pause/rewind
- On-demand listening to signature podcasts
- Download episodes for offline playback
- Hourly local and national news briefs
- Daily word games and news quizzes
- Updates on WBUR CitySpace events
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Looking for trusted news and stories? The WBUR App is the best way to get news from Greater Boston and beyond with our live stream and signature podcasts all in one place. Play, pause, rewind (and play again) live radio shows from the award-winning teams at WBUR and NPR. On Point, Here & Now, Circle Round, Endless Thread and more are all at your fingertips. You’ll also: + Stay in the know with hourly local and national audio news briefs + Listen on demand to your favorite shows like Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Marketplace + Download episodes of award-winning podcasts for offline listening. + Play daily word games and test your news knowledge with our weekly Boston News Quiz. + Catch the latest events happening at WBUR CitySpace. Our journalism is funded by you, our listeners. Thanks for choosing WBUR, Boston’s NPR news.
Vermont Public
Access local news, podcasts, and live radio streams. Watch featured videos and explore PBS shows. Receive breaking news alerts and important updates.
- Livestream access
- Local news stories
- Podcast listening
- Featured videos and shorts
- PBS show exploration
- Breaking news notifications
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The Vermont Public App: Wake up to our livestream, connect with the day’s local news stories, and listen to our podcasts. Watch featured Vermont Public videos and shorts and explore all PBS shows. Subscribe to notifications for breaking news and important updates from Vermont Public. More information about programs, stations, services, and ways to support is available at vermontpublic.org.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Vermont Public at 77% against WBUR's 41%. Vermont Public also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). WBUR's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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.
WBUR holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WBUR has 4K ratings behind it against 302, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 41% of WBUR's written reviews are positive against 77% of Vermont Public's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
WBUR ships an update monthly, Vermont Public every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | WBUR | Vermont Public |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (4K ratings) — better | 4.4 (302 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 40.9% of reviews | 76.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4K — better | 302 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 53 MB |
| Age rating | +4 | 17+ |
| Developer | 90.9 WBUR, Boston’s NPR news station | Vermont Public Radio |
Customer experience
WBUR
Vermont Public
User reviews
WBUR
From 4K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 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
Room to improve
- 🐛 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
Vermont Public
From 302 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
- 🎵 High-quality audio streaming
- 📻 Reliable access to VPR content anywhere
- 🎧 Excellent content quality and journalism
- 🌐 Works well on multiple devices
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and unexpected quits
- ⚠️ Streaming cuts off unexpectedly
- 🔌 Requires restart after phone calls or network switches
- 📊 Slow app loading, especially on cellular
- 🎯 Difficult to find classical station
Bugs and requests
WBUR
Reported bugs
3 issues- 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
4 requests- 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
Vermont Public
Reported bugs
10 issues- App crashes when resuming from suspended state
- Streaming fails to start on initial play attempt
- Blank screen when clicking on previews with no navigation back
- App doesn't play through Apple Airplay as it used to
- Introductory sponsor list plays repeatedly every few minutes
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- Inconsistent transmission in specific geographic areas
- Update failures causing complete app malfunction
- Podcast loading failures
- Screen goes blank in landscape mode on iPad
- Incompatibility with older devices and iPod Touch
Requested features
6 requests- More bluegrass, folk, and vocal music programming
- Better TV schedule display for all channels (Plus, Create, Kids)
- Auto-reconnect functionality when signal is lost
- Improved landscape mode UI for tablets
- Better classical station visibility and organization
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- Ability to continue playing while using other apps without interruption
In-app purchases
WBUR
No in-app purchases
Vermont Public
No in-app purchases
