WBUR vs The Boston Globe ePaper
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
WBUR
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.
- Live radio stream
- Signature podcasts
- Hourly news briefs
- Download episodes
- CarPlay support
- On-demand listening
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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.
The Boston Globe ePaper
Access a digital replica of the daily newspaper, including all articles and pages as they appeared in print. Read in page or article view, share content, and access past issues from an archive. Available to digital and print subscribers.
- Full replica edition of print newspaper
- Page and article view options
- Share articles via email and social media
- Access recent back issues from archive
- Sunday Comics included
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• The ePaper is a full replica edition including articles and pages as they appeared in print, including the Sunday Comics. • The ePaper is free for Boston Globe digital subscribers and many print subscribers. • Read stories in the Page view or Article view. • Share articles via email and social media. • Recent back issues are available for download from the archive by tapping or swiping "Archive". Subscriptions: • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Privacy Policy: https://www.bostonglobe.com/tools/help/privacy Terms and Conditions: https://www.bostonglobe.com/tools/help/terms-service
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: WBUR at 4.8 against The Boston Globe ePaper's 4.0. WBUR also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 111) and review sentiment (41% vs 16%). The Boston Globe ePaper's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#83 vs unranked). On price and device support 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. The Boston Globe ePaper sells 111 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per month. WBUR asks for nothing beyond the download.
WBUR holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WBUR has 4K ratings behind it against 113, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of WBUR's written reviews are positive against 16% of The Boston Globe ePaper's.
WBUR ships an update every 6 weeks, The Boston Globe ePaper every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | WBUR | The Boston Globe ePaper |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (4K ratings) — better | 4.0 (113 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 40.9% of reviews — better | 15.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4K — better | 113 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #83 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 125 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | 90.9 WBUR, Boston’s NPR news station | BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC |
Customer experience
WBUR
The Boston Globe ePaper
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
The Boston Globe ePaper
From 113 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great presentation
- 👍 Easy to use app
- 👍 Convenient to read anywhere
- 👍 Ability to read past editions
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy app with frequent crashes
- 🐛 Issues with downloading and loading the current edition
- 🐛 Navigation and page turning is cumbersome
- 🐛 Inconsistent font size and layout
- 🐛 Unreliable offline reading experience
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
The Boston Globe ePaper
Reported bugs
5 issues- Close button doesn't work
- App support button leads nowhere
- Pages often won't slide over or are blank
- Sections missing or incomplete editions
- Forced to delete and reinstall app frequently
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to comment on articles
- Improved navigation and page turning
- Customizable font size and layout
- Reliable offline reading mode
In-app purchases
WBUR
No in-app purchases
The Boston Globe ePaper
- 1 Month Subscription$29.991 Month
- 01/28/2021$1.99
- 09/10/2020$1.99
- 01/31/2022$1.99
Show 107 moreShow fewer
- 08/24/2021$1.99
- 08/31/2020$1.99
- 01/01/2022$1.99
- 09/09/2020$1.99
- 10/23/2020$1.99
- 03/18/2022$1.99
- 01/30/2025$2.00
- 01/31/2025$2.00
- 01/28/2025$2.00
- 01/23/2025$2.00
- 01/25/2025$2.00
- 01/22/2025$2.00
- 01/20/2025$2.00
- 01/16/2025$2.00
- 01/18/2025$2.00
- 01/11/2025$2.00
- 01/09/2025$2.00
- 01/04/2025$2.00
- 01/06/2025$2.00
- 01/02/2025$2.00
- 01/01/2025$2.00
- 12/26/2024$2.00
- 12/21/2024$2.00
- 12/23/2024$2.00
- 12/25/2024$2.00
- 11/07/2024$2.00
- 12/07/2024$2.00
- 11/30/2024$2.00
- 11/28/2024$2.00
- 11/22/2024$2.00
- 11/11/2024$2.00
- 11/02/2024$2.00
- 11/04/2024$2.00
- 10/22/2024$2.00
- 10/15/2024$2.00
- 10/18/2024$2.00
- 10/16/2024$2.00
- 10/17/2024$2.00
- 10/12/2024$2.00
- 10/07/2024$2.00
- 10/05/2024$2.00
- 10/04/2024$2.00
- 09/24/2024$2.00
- 09/16/2024$2.00
- 09/20/2024$2.00
- 09/11/2024$2.00
- 09/12/2024$2.00
- 09/14/2024$2.00
- 09/07/2024$2.00
- 09/04/2024$2.00
- 09/06/2024$2.00
- 08/30/2024$2.00
- 08/21/2024$2.00
- 08/22/2024$2.00
- 08/05/2024$2.00
- 07/29/2024$2.00
- 07/27/2024$2.00
- 07/24/2024$2.00
- 07/22/2024$2.00
- 07/20/2024$2.00
- 07/13/2024$2.00
- 07/04/2024$2.00
- 07/06/2024$2.00
- 07/05/2024$2.00
- 06/22/2024$2.00
- 06/21/2024$2.00
- 06/18/2024$2.00
- 06/17/2024$2.00
- 06/12/2024$2.00
- 06/13/2024$2.00
- 06/05/2024$2.00
- 10/25/2024$2.00
- 10/10/2024$2.00
- 10/21/2024$2.00
- 01/26/2025$4.00
- 01/19/2025$4.00
- 01/12/2025$4.00
- 01/05/2025$4.00
- 12/29/2024$4.00
- 12/22/2024$4.00
- 12/15/2024$4.00
- 12/08/2024$4.00
- 12/01/2024$4.00
- 11/24/2024$4.00
- 11/17/2024$4.00
- 11/10/2024$4.00
- 11/03/2024$4.00
- 10/27/2024$4.00
- 10/13/2024$4.00
- 10/06/2024$4.00
- 09/22/2024$4.00
- 09/15/2024$4.00
- 09/08/2024$4.00
- 09/01/2024$4.00
- 08/25/2024$4.00
- 08/18/2024$4.00
- 08/11/2024$4.00
- 08/04/2024$4.00
- 07/28/2024$4.00
- 07/21/2024$4.00
- 07/07/2024$4.00
- 06/30/2024$4.00
- 06/23/2024$4.00
- 06/16/2024$4.00
- 06/09/2024$4.00
- 10/20/2024$4.00
- 09/29/2024$4.00
Questions
Is WBUR free?
Is The Boston Globe ePaper free?
Which has better reviews, WBUR or The Boston Globe ePaper?
Do WBUR or The Boston Globe ePaper have ads?
Which is updated more often, WBUR or The Boston Globe ePaper?
Other comparisons
