Classical KING vs Berliner Philharmoniker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Classical KING
Stream a variety of classical music genres 24/7 with three distinct channels. Enjoy orchestral, symphony, choral, and chamber music in high-definition. Perfect for focus, relaxation, or as a daily backdrop.
- 24/7 classical music streaming
- High-definition audio
- Three curated music streams
- Focus and relaxation playlists
- Live on-air hosts and commentary
- Holiday music channel
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Download Classical KING’s free classical music streaming app and start listening to your favorite orchestral, symphony, choral, and chamber music in high-definition, anytime, anywhere. Whether you’re looking to gain focus, take a break, or just need a backdrop for your day, we are the only classical music app that offers three round-the-clock classical music streams: Classical KING, featuring your favorite classical music composers and styles with unique storytelling, fascinating tidbits, and history from our friendly hosts, live on-air. Classical Calm, featuring an uninterrupted playlist of soothing classical music designed to help you keep focused, unwind, and reclaim your head space. Classical Christmas, featuring all of your holiday favorites, from beloved orchestral works to magnificent holiday choral pieces, all year long. Classical KING (Classical KING 98.1FM) has been the Pacific Northwest’s home for classical music for over seventy years. As a nonprofit radio station, our mission is to increase appreciation for and engagement with classical music. Our companion app is an important part of that mission and is only possible with support from listeners like you. Whether you hail from the Pacific Northwest or have never been, the Classical KING app is the perfect way to listen to your favorite classical music online for free. When you open the app, you're doing more than accessing a world of classical music. You’re supporting real people who share your passion. We invite you to download the app and join us today. You can help Classical KING, keep the music on our app free and accessible to everyone by donating at classicalking.org/donate. In addition to advocating for artists and arts organizations, we support equitable access to classical music education.
Berliner Philharmoniker
Experience classical music performances from a world-renowned orchestra, live and on demand. Access hundreds of concert videos, interviews, documentaries, and educational content in high-quality audio and video. Enjoy a 7-day free trial to explore the extensive archive.
- Live concert broadcasts
- On-demand concert archive
- Interviews and documentaries
- Educational concerts
- 4K UHD Video and Hi-Res Audio
- Chromecast support
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Treat yourself to a guest performance by the Berliner Philharmoniker – live and on demand Closer to the music: In the Digital Concert Hall, you always have the best seat in the house! Each season, over 40 concerts are broadcast live and then offered in the on-demand archive. There are already hundreds of concert videos featuring all the stars of classical music, plus interviews, films and playlists. Register now and test the Digital Concert Hall for 7 days – free of charge and without obligation! The Digital Concert Hall at a glance: • Over 40 live broadcasts per season with all the stars of classical music • Hundreds of archive concerts from six decades on demand • Free interviews and concert introductions • Fascinating documentaries, portraits and playlists • Free educational concerts for the whole family • Highest Quality: 4K UHD Video, Hi-Res Audio, Immersive Audio (Dolby Atmos) Conductors: Kirill Petrenko, Sir Simon Rattle, Claudio Abbado, Herbert von Karajan, Daniel Barenboim, Herbert Blomstedt, Pierre Boulez, Semyon Bychkov, Sergiu Celibidache, Riccardo Chailly, Gustavo Dudamel, Iván Fischer, Daniele Gatti, Valery Gergiev, Alan Gilbert, Bernard Haitink, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Mariss Jansons, Vladimir Jurowski, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Seiji Ozawa, Donald Runnicles, Tugan Sokhiev, Christian Thielemann, John Williams and many others Soloists: Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piotr Anderszewski, Martha Argerich, Emanuel Ax, Joyce DiDonato, Isabelle Faust, Sol Gabetta, Christian Gerhaher, Hélène Grimaud, Barbara Hannigan, Janine Jansen, Jonas Kaufmann, Leonidas Kavakos, Evgeny Kissin, Magdalena Kožená, Katia and Marielle Labèque, Yo-Yo Ma, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Murray Perahia, Maria João Pires, Maurizio Pollini, Thomas Quasthoff, András Schiff, Baiba Skride, Christian Tetzlaff, Mitsuko Uchida, Yuja Wang, Frank Peter Zimmermann and many others. For optimal use, the Digital Concert Hall app requires access to the following elements: - Local network: For playing via Chromecast Terms of use: https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Berliner Philharmoniker at 4.9 against Classical KING's 3.9. Berliner Philharmoniker also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (85% vs 57%). Classical KING's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 15) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.4). On price, ads 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. Berliner Philharmoniker sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Classical KING asks for nothing beyond the download.
Berliner Philharmoniker holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Berliner Philharmoniker has 3K ratings behind it against 61, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Classical KING's written reviews are positive against 85% of Berliner Philharmoniker's.
Classical KING ships an update every 3 months, Berliner Philharmoniker weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Classical KING | Berliner Philharmoniker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (61 ratings) | 4.9 (3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 56.7% of reviews | 85.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 61 | 3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 18.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 199 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Second Inversion | Berliner Philharmoniker |
Customer experience
Classical KING
Berliner Philharmoniker
User reviews
Classical KING
From 61 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎵 Wonderful music selection
- 🌟 Great classical station
- 🎶 Multiple music streams
- 🎄 Excellent Christmas music
- 📱 Works cleanly on CarPlay
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🔋 Severe battery drain
- 🚫 No iPad app
- 📱 Portrait mode only
- 📰 Useless articles on main page
Berliner Philharmoniker
From 3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎶 Excellent music quality
- 🎥 Outstanding video production
- 📚 Extensive concert archives
- 🌍 Global accessibility
- 🤩 Captivating performances
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional app crashes
- 🔍 Difficult navigation/search
- 🔇 Lack of surround sound support
- ⏱️ Slow rewind/fast-forward
- 💰 Expensive subscription
Bugs and requests
Classical KING
Reported bugs
17 issues- App crashes frequently on iOS 12.5.7
- Streaming screen display missing piece name
- Christmas channel not an option
- Current tune playing in unreadable font size
- New version requires iPad purchased after October 2022
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- App stops playing when screen goes to sleep or locks
- On demand content listed but missing
- App reads clipboard without permission
- App doesn't play in background on iPad
- Alarm feature not working
- App turns off itself after 15 minutes
- Cannot quit app without restarting phone
- App doesn't play any channels after reinstall
- Cannot exit app without deleting it
- Music plays immediately upon opening app
- Alarm doesn't work
- App turns off by itself
Requested features
12 requests- Landscape mode for iPad
- Sleep timer
- Fix on demand section
- Add alarm clock feature
- Improve music info display
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Fix background play on iPad
- Add stereo audio
- Fix casting to Bluetooth speakers
- Make app work on older iPads
- Add alarm feature
- Fix alarm functionality
- Add option to not play music on opening
Berliner Philharmoniker
Reported bugs
4 issues- Video playback issues
- Inconsistent performance across devices
- Subscription renewal problems
- Unreliable streaming on some platforms
Requested features
6 requests- Personalized playlists
- Improved search and browsing
- Surround sound audio
- Seamless Chromecast/AirPlay integration
- Offline concert downloads
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Subtitles for operas/concerts
In-app purchases
Classical KING
No in-app purchases
Berliner Philharmoniker
- Monthly subscription1 Month trial$19.991 Month
- Annual subscription1 Year trial$199.991 Year
- 7 Days$8.90
- 7 days3 variants$9.99
- 30 Days$18.90
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- 30 days3 variants$19.99
- 12 months$149.99
- 12 Months$174.99
- 12 months$179.99
- 12 months$184.99
- 12 Months$194.99
Questions
Is Classical KING free?
Is Berliner Philharmoniker free?
Which has better reviews, Classical KING or Berliner Philharmoniker?
Do Classical KING or Berliner Philharmoniker have ads?
Which is updated more often, Classical KING or Berliner Philharmoniker?
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