97.9 The Box vs 979X
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
97.9 The Box
Listen to live radio streams and access exclusive content from your favorite station. Stay connected on the go with social media integration and unique features. This app is free to use and offers a convenient way to enjoy audio content.
- Live radio streaming
- Social media integration
- Access unique content
- On-the-go connectivity
- Audience measurement software
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Download the official 97.9 The Box app, it’s easy to use and always FREE! With the official app, you can stay connected from work, home, or on the road. Follow us on social media, get access to all our other unique content, features and more! * Radio streaming only playable in the U.S. & CANADA Please note: This app features Nielsen’s audience measurement software which will allow you to contribute to market research, such as Nielsen’s TV Ratings. To learn more about our digital audience measurement products and your choices in regard to them, please visit http://www.nielsen.com/digitalprivacy for more information.
979X
Listen to your favorite hometown rock station live, anytime, anywhere. This app features an alarm clock to wake you up to your station, real-time weather updates, and a simplified Car Mode for safe listening while driving.
- Live radio streaming
- Wake-up alarm clock
- Real-time weather updates
- Car Mode for driving
- Listen anywhere
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Your hometown rocks station can be with you ANYTIME and ANYWHERE. 979X is proud to present our OFFICIAL radio app. Listen to us at work, home, or on the road. Download our app to listen live, wake up to your favorite rock station with our alarm clock, get real time weather and take advantage of Car Mode: simple audio controls so you can listen while on the road.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: 97.9 The Box at 3.3 against 979X's 2.8. 979X's advantage is review sentiment (71% vs 61%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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.
97.9 The Box holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 6 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 61% of 97.9 The Box's written reviews are positive against 71% of 979X's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
97.9 The Box ships an update every 3 months, 979X every 6 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.
| Parameter | 97.9 The Box | 979X |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (7 ratings) — better | 2.8 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 61.4% of reviews | 71.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 90 MB | 59 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Urban One, Inc. | Cumulus Media |
Customer experience
97.9 The Box
979X
Bugs and requests
97.9 The Box
Reported bugs
14 issues- Random buffering
- App stops playing music
- App freezes
- App forces close
- App is out of sync
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- App needs to be updated but doesn't update
- App doesn't work on mobile internet
- App stops playing during phone calls
- Bad sound quality after update
- App times out
- App crashes
- App doesn't load
- App has error messages
- Background playback doesn't work
Requested features
9 requests- Fix buffering and connection issues
- Improve app performance and stability
- Reduce or eliminate commercials
- Allow multitasking while using the app
- Show artist info for each song
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Option to pay to remove ads
- Fix update issues
- Improve sound quality
- Fix background playback
979X
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
97.9 The Box
No in-app purchases
979X
No in-app purchases
