# AFR vs Merle 100.1

AFR and Merle 100.1 both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Merle 100.1's written reviews are positive against 63% of AFR's. AFR's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 25 months) and ratings volume (375 vs 4). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for AFR against 4.8 for Merle 100.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AFR has 375 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of AFR's written reviews are positive against 100% of Merle 100.1's.

AFR ships an update every 3 months, Merle 100.1 every 25 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | AFR | Merle 100.1 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (375 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/afr/id429511476/reviews) | **[4.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merle-1001/id1024656626/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **375** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 63.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 25 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 25 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 18.2 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [American Family Association](https://appshunter.io/developer/429511479) | [Dowdy & Dowdy Partnership](https://appshunter.io/developer/911597243) |

## What reviewers say

### AFR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/afr/id429511476)

Listen to Christian conservative talk radio and music, or enjoy podcasts on demand. Download episodes for offline listening and integrate with your car's CarPlay system. Stay informed with push notifications about recently played songs and important broadcasts.

**Highlights:** Listen to AFR Talk and AFR Music, Listen to podcasts, Download podcasts, Background audio playback, CarPlay integration, View recently played songs, Push notifications

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ✝️ Strong Christian and biblical content
- 📻 Quality spiritual teaching and preaching
- 📰 Trustworthy news from Christian perspective
- 🎧 Diverse programming and show variety
- 💰 Free service with optional donations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing
- 📡 Persistent connectivity and buffering issues
- 🔇 Audio cuts out unexpectedly
- ⏸️ Playback stops when screen locks
- 📋 Schedule information not always accurate

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes immediately upon launch
- Audio plays but screen shows different content
- Incompatibility with iOS 13, 14, 15 updates
- App won't open after recent updates
- Playback stops after 5-10 seconds

**Requested features**

- Update and display current show/host information
- Add rewind and fast-forward controls
- Implement clock radio/alarm functionality
- Allow app to continue playing with screen locked
- Set default station preference


### Merle 100.1

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merle-1001/id1024656626)

Listen to classic country music from legendary artists like Merle Haggard and Dolly Parton. This station is perfect for fans of older country sounds, offering a great alternative to modern country music.

**Highlights:** Classic country music, Music from legendary artists, Alternative to modern country, Stream on iPhone and iPad, Ad-supported radio

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is AFR free?

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

### Is Merle 100.1 free?

Merle 100.1 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, AFR or Merle 100.1?

Merle 100.1 is rated higher. AFR averages 4.6 out of 5 from 375 ratings, while Merle 100.1 averages 4.8 from 4 ratings.

### Do AFR or Merle 100.1 have ads?

Neither AFR nor Merle 100.1 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, AFR or Merle 100.1?

AFR ships an update every 3 months, and Merle 100.1 every 25 months. Most recently, AFR was updated on October 23, 2026 and Merle 100.1 on October 24, 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.*